HANOI: City of colors

We arrived in Hanoi mid-afternoon on an early morning flight from Taipei. We had applied for visas on arrival, so after getting off the airplane we went to a separate immigration post to pick them up. The process took about 10 minutes and then we continued through the regular immigration checkpoint and on to get our luggage. The Hanoi airport is around 40 minutes from the city center so we took a taxi from the airport to our guesthouse in the Old Quarter.

Old Quarter Hanoi has become a hub for backpackers of all kinds, but despite that reputation it has not become overwhelmingly commercial. There are many travel agencies, restaurants and bars in the area that clearly cater to tourists, but these businesses co-exist within the city's particular character. Sometimes a place that caters to tourists can feel dry and lifeless — Hanoi's old quarter is anything but. Thinking of Hanoi I will always think of movement, that sea of motorbikes, and the bright red, green, yellow of the buddhist flags.

The Hanoi Guesthouse where we stayed was a little more expensive than some at $20 a night, however the price was well worth it for the delicious breakfast and kind staff. It is quite likely the friendliest hotel or guesthouse I have stayed at in any country. Each morning we had our choice of coffee, tea or fresh juice and crepes, cereal, pho or fried sticky rice. My favorite was the fried sticky rice, covered with crispy little onions; I ate it almost every day.

The view from our room at Hanoi Guesthouse.

Looking back I wouldn't have stayed anywhere but the Old Quarter. Its streets were always crowded with pedestrians and motorbikes, but it was the endless crowding of street upon street, cafe upon cafe and alley upon alley that made this tortuous neighborhood so invigorating. The tumult of people and buildings was punctuated by sudden moments of calm in the form of a courtyard full of birds or a vacant coffee shop sitting like a gaping mouth on the edge of the road.

The Old Quarter's ubiquitous motorbikes.

Old Quarter intersection: cafes on cafes.

I mentioned that Hanoi was a city of colors, but I didn't add that it was also one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Part of Hanoi's beauty came from the architecture itself which was a hodge podge of windows, balconies and unfinished arches. Coming from a place where the world is built inwards against winter it was lovely to see a whole city built to enjoy the breezes and open air. This image was reinforced in my mind by the habit of keeping birds about houses and stores. These songbirds added so many extra dimensions of loveliness to a building through their voices and through the simple fact of their being alive. I learned later that raising songbirds is a traditional art in Vietnam, generally practiced only by men. Thus, people say you can judge the character of a man by the health and care visible in his songbirds.

Old Quarter birdcage.

Birds in the courtyard of an Old Quarter craft house.

Many of the things I loved most in Hanoi I never meant to find. The birds were one and this craft house was another. An immensely peaceful building it was a communal craft house at a time when the Old Quarter was a hub for traditional handicrafts rather than tourists. The city's craft houses were repurposed during the French colonial period and many have now been reopened as showcases or temples.

View inside the craft house turned temple.

Other discoveries included: this man carrying a kumquat tree on the back of his motorbike,

students behind St. Joseph's Cathedral,

and this wall art depicting the legend of Hoan Kiem lake.

'Hoan Kiem' means 'heavenly sword' and Hoan Kiem in the past was said to be the home of giant turtles, one of four mythical animals. I love the strange suspension and animation between the waves, clouds and lotus blooms.

We happened to be in Hanoi about a week before the Lunar New Year and so, got to see a bit of Vietnamese tradition and culture firsthand. As in Taipei, markets here were preparing for the new year with effusive red and gold stalls, envelopes and candy. However, on our third day in Hanoi we saw something a little different. We were waiting in the lobby of our hotel to go on a day trip outside the city when a women arrived by motorbike delivering, not fruit or bread, but three bright red fish swimming in a plastic bag. The hotel staff explained to us that in Vietnamese tradition there are three spirits related to the home — one in the kitchen, one in the whole house and one in the local area. One day a year before the Lunar New Year these three spirits go to Heaven to report on the household. Each household or business then keeps three red fish outside their home on this day for the spirits to ride to Heaven.

If you can't tell already I was captivated by Hanoi and from the first day we arrived there to the last I felt like I had to return again.