Hanoi – train street and market visit

Hanoi, Vietnam, February 18th 2024

My day began with a unique morning adventure along Train Street. Cafés nestled along the tracks created a front-row seat to the spectacle of trains passing mere inches away.

Wandering back through the vibrant market area, I saw countless vendors with all sorts of goods to sell.

My journey then led me to Turtle Lake, a serene oasis amidst the bustling city.

There, for a brunch meal, I savored the iconic Vietnamese dish, pho, in a middle of a busy pedestrian intersection. Truly tasteful!

While waiting for the food, I had my shoes polished, with the shoe polisher lending out sandals at the table in the meantime.

In the early afternoon I rejoined my group for a light lunch in an unexpected oasis—an inner courtyard with a swimming pool tucked away inside a high-end hotel complex. The serene ambiance offered a peaceful respite, a hidden gem in the heart of Hanoi.

We then ventured to the historic ‘Hanoi Hilton’, a poignant reminder of the city’s storied past. The prison-turned-museum held echoes of a bygone era. Once built to hold political prisoners during the French colonialist era, it was also used for prisoners of war during the Vietnam war.