Good morning Vietnam

Monday 26th February finally arrived!! The day we started our adventure 😍😎
It was freezing as we waited for our train on the platform.

A change at Doncaster and then on our way to London.

We took the underground from Kings Cross to Heathrow Terminal 4 and checked in to the Premier Inn Hotel. I must say it was a very smooth check in but our room number made us chuckle ……. Room 666!! We wined and dined that evening, the food and service were excellent. Up and away the next morning, just a five minute walk along a covered walkway took us straight to the check inn desks. No queues and we were straight through to the departure lounge.

First things first, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast. Boarding our flight went very smoothly. Although one gentleman had to be searched as the sniffer dog went crazy about him 😂 He was on the flight so he must have been okay 😀
The 11 hour flight passed by with ease 😍 Read the newspaper, a couple of soduko puzzles, two films, food and wine, a snooze or two, more food and wine, TV and breakfast!! How easy was that?

We landed at 5am in Hanoi, through passport control (where the official gave Andy some worrying looks 😂😂) bags collected and out to find our taxi. He was there waiting. The journey was crazy, traffic unbelievable, millions of scooters and motorbikes.

The first leg had been so easy, let’s hope it all goes that way.
Arriving at the hotel at 6am and Hanoi was buzzing, it was going to be a long day 🤣

We headed out, map in hand, towards the lake. As we walked around the lake there were people exercising, dancing, running, playing badminton or just watching others as they drank tea or coffee. All this and it’s 7am 😀

Just wandering around the streets and taking it all in, sights expected but in real life they are unbelievable! The electricity cables are just a tangled mess!!
Street food, little plastic stools, so many people, so many scooters!!
We visited the market and WOW! First we saw clothes, hats, shoes, bags etc. Then on to fruit, veg, flowers, meat, turtles (Yes turtles! 😂) fish, crabs, snails & chickens (Live of course!)

My head was definitely in Vietnamese time but I’m not sure about my body 😂😂 A drink stop was next and after a large beer with some spring rolls we headed back to the hotel to check in. Our room was on the fourth floor and it was very clean, had air conditioning, lovely bathroom etc. Planning this trip from afar I just kept saying to Andy “As long as we have clean sheets I can cope! 😂😂”

Our first breakfast in Vietnam had to be a big bowl of Pho (chicken and noodle soup) 😀 a squeeze of lime and a little chilli sauce, it was scrumptious 😍
We headed out towards Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the walk took us past Lenin Square and the war museum. We wandered down roads off the beaten track, even along a train track where children and chickens played alongside chickens being slaughtered for the pot!!

Market stalls and street sellers everywhere.
Then the Mausoleum visit. The rules are displayed everywhere on arrival and bags searched and cameras put into storage before you enter. Escorted by soldiers we filed past the body of Ho Chi Minh, a strange experience and how amazingly it looked like he was laid there sleeping. I lingered for a longer look but I realised this wasn’t allowed when the soldier behind me in a hushed but stern voice said “Go, go!”
Camera returned and we took a look around the museum and grounds.

We walked back to the hotel taking in all the sights. We witnessed our first scooter accident 😧 although I can’t believe there aren’t more.
That evening we went on a Street food tour. There were 8 in our group and our guide for the evening was Rose. We visited 6 places and it was a great experience. We ate bun cha, banh cuon nong, banh my and fried spring rolls, fermented pork roll, prawns in filo. We had mixed fresh fruit with condensed sweetened milk. Finished off with an egg coffee ( Actually I had a black coffee but I did taste Andy’s 😖)

It soon became normal to be sat in the street on our little plastic stools, eating lovely food using chopsticks and spoon. Rose was a great guide and spoke passionately not only about the food but also about her country.