Hanoi & Sa Pa

mollyben98
Feb 13, 2018
4 min read

We were served a tuna roll in brioche bread on the 50 minute flight, which Harvey and I thought was delicious! Then got the local bus (number 86) into Hanoi Old Quarter for 30,000 dong each. From there we walked to Republic backpackers Hostel, turning up just in time for free beer! We headed out for dinner at a local restaurant recommended by the hostel, taking in the sights and sounds of another bustling city.

The free breakfast at Republic was AMAZING – I had a bacon, egg, avocado, cheese and tomato baguette every morning bar one when I had the banana and chocolate waffle as it just looked too tempting. Mol went for Egg shakshuka every morning. At 10am we embarked on a free walking tour with our lovely tour guide Nhi, she was an 18 year old student at the local university. She showed us around the Old Quarter, including the wholesale markets, temple remembering fallen soldiers who fought for independence, the central lake then took us for egg coffee, a delicacy in Vietnam.

Harvey and Daisy recommended Bun Cha 34 for lunch so we walked there from the hostel and were not disappointed! No menus, just BBQ cooked pork, veg and noodles in stock and spring rolls – tasty and cheap! After that we strolled around the city, picked up a few North Face jackets as it was cold in north Vietnam and due to get even colder in Sa Pa then got an Uber to a mall outside the city to grab a few more warm weather bits from H&M and Mango Man.

Delicious free breakfast again then out to the prison museum (100,000D pp), formerly known as Hanoi Hilton, with Harvey, Daisy, Joe and Amy (who we met on the bus from the airport). The prison was quite something, very informative and well preserved (apart from the new apartment building which takes up a good 2/3 of the former prison site). After that we stopped in at the Women's museum then on to Mcdonalds for a traditional snack (I wasn't feeling too great so needed some trashy food to help me out). The others had Ban Mi instead which is basically a traditional baguette, they said it was great. Following a feed Mol and I went to 'cheap shoe street' (I found it on Google) as my trainers had a hole in and I needed a replacement – I got a pair of knock off Van's for £9.40, and they are very, very good knock offs!

Harvey and Daisy went out on a street food tour organised by the hostel but I still wasn't feeling too great so Molly, Amy, Joe and I went to a restaurant called Chops and had the most amazing burgers!

I had the waffle the next morning, which again didn't disappoint, before Harvey and I headed out to 1991 Barbershop for a trim. We came across this place on our first day and never found it again, until our penultimate day when we managed to book in for 11am. Anyway, it was one of the best cuts I've ever had! I had the owner cutting my hair and he was brilliant, telling me all about his ambitions to open another shop by the lake and how he was self-taught from Youtube and Instagram (I was a little jealous if I'm honest). Following the cuts we went for bun cha with everyone, walked along the famous railway street then warm clothing shopping as we were heading north to Sa Pa for two days of trekking in the mountains that night, a trip we booked through the hostel for $55 pp the day before. Pizza and beers at the hostel before our 10pm six hour night bus to Sa Pa.

Our sleeper bus arrived in Sapa 4am but the drivers allowed us to sleep on the bus until 6:30, thank god as it was absolutely freezing! - From the Green Bus office we got a minibus to the homestay (Hmong Homestay) with everyone where we were given a huge western breakfast before beginning our first trek. We walked for 11km across the mountains & rice paddies, freezing at the start, but warm as got walking. We all stopped for lunch (which was cooked & packed up by the homestay) at someones house then sat by their fire for about an hour to warm up before walking back to Hmong. We all fell asleep that afternoon then had a delicious rice dinner, after dinner beers, games and watched a film by the fire before bed.

Big western breakfast again the next morning then out for a 7km trek through Bamboo Forrest & the waterfalls. We had lunch back at the homestay, chilled their for a couple of hours before we were taken back to Sa Pa town to wait for our sleeper bus back to Republik in Hanoi. We got back to Hanoi around 10ish and were starving so Tom, Willum, Mol and I got a cab to Mcdonalds for a feast.