Overslept again! Went to bed too late again? We both woke up a bit dazed and were slightly annoyed that it was already almost 12 o’clock. However, we somehow managed to justify it to ourselves with our jet lag. After Malte quickly connected and started the washing machine, we set off on foot. Full speed ahead to “Phô Frau” – the best deal for Phô Bo in Hanoi… at least during our last visit to Vietnam. The Phô Frau is a small street food restaurant just a few hundred meters from Ho Tay (West Lake). Despite the short walk, we were quite disappointed to be late again, as we found ourselves standing in front of closed doors once more.
Driven by hunger, Malte convinced Leon to switch to Banh Xeo, leading to a quick call for a Grab taxi. Banh Xeo is a typical Vietnamese dish made of rice paper, salad, vegetables, noodles, and a filled pancake made from rice flour and egg. It is usually accompanied by small meat skewers or as a side, translucent dumplings filled with seafood. You cut the pancake into many small pieces and assemble bite-sized rolls directly at the table by wrapping the ingredients in dry rice paper. According to Malte, it’s the best food in Vietnam. Leon was still unsure, but he would surely come to see it the same way soon.
Satiated from the food, we simply started walking and soon came across the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. It was not a stop we had planned, but one we didn’t want to miss spontaneously. Although we didn’t see the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh (whether it’s actually his is still a matter of debate), we did see his former residence: a beautiful villa in the middle of a huge garden in Hanoi. The garden, with its gigantic trees and roots weaving through the ground, created a peaceful atmosphere and a tolerable climate that is hard to find in hectic Hanoi. Overall, a very recommendable excursion – the 1.50 € (40,000 vnd) admission was definitely worth it.
Since we had started the day for the second time in a row without coffee, the next stop was a Bac Xiu at a small café nearby. Here, we made plans to rent a moped to be a bit more independent and just drive somewhere. Malte knew a rental place from last time that was affordable and still decent enough. To get to the moped rental, we had to navigate through the Hanoi rush hour. Our Grab moped drivers performed millimeter precision and brought us safely, albeit with some time gaps, to our destination – a real adventure.
Our new moped is quite an old model and sometimes needs a bit of love to start, but considering its quirks, it’s the best way to get around Hanoi. We enjoyed our newfound freedom on the Honda with a ride around West Lake. The whole thing took much longer than expected but was a ton of fun. Leon, who was driving in Hanoi for the first time, handled it well.
Now we could drive directly to Phô Frau without a walk and were lucky because this time the small shop in the side street was open, and it already smelled of fresh beef broth. Along with breadsticks and two beers, we enjoyed our first Phô Bo (Phô with beef) in Hanoi.
After that, we wanted to make good use of the moped and went to a nearby supermarket. Last time it was still called “Big C,” this time after a takeover by another company, it was “GO.” What started as a small shopping trip turned into a bigger one, and we regretted not taking the shopping cart right away. We found fresh coconuts, jackfruit, mango, passion fruit, snacks, and 5 liters of water.
So we headed home, or at least we thought, until our moped quietly sputtered and eventually stopped. A few revival attempts later, it became clear: the tank was empty, and the fuel gauge served more as a rough estimate. Malte pushed the moped to the nearest gas station, which was unfortunately already closed. Nearby, there was a restaurant, and a helpful local appeared, who brought a liter of fuel in two water bottles on his moped for 100,000 Dong (~3.80 €). Hopefully, this won’t happen to us again.
Arriving home, we feasted on a large portion of the fruit and discussed whether we should go to bed early or take a little trip to the old town. We ultimately chose the old town first, to drink a Sinh Tố Xoài (mango smoothie) and a Sinh Tố Mắc Cầu. Afterward, we strolled through the night market, where the vendors were already busy packing up. After a quick round with the moped, we felt compelled to explore the main tourist party street. In summary: a terrible experience, but I guess you have to see it once. Drunken, uninhibited Europeans, Americans, and Australians, along with Vietnamese trying to lure you into gloomy caves blasting loud music, while whispers of “Weed?” and “Cocaine?” echo from the sides.
We had seen enough for the day and took a little detour home. After spending what felt like forever getting our first blog entry published, we finally went to bed – far too late.
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