72 Hours in Hanoi // Our FIRST Time in Vietnam!

Oh my god! Welcome to a bit of a rainy morning here in Hanoi, Vietnam. This is the capital city of Vietnam. We have wanted to visit this country for so long. And we are just so excited to be here. We've had smiles on our faces all morning. But the one thing is, as you may know if you've watched the channel before, we are hungry. And when Sydney's hungry, she needs to be fed. Otherwise it gets a little difficult to go on with the day. So it's really interesting how we hear a lot about banh mi sandwiches. And I always kind of imagine them as like a lunch. Because it's a really nice French baguette with all this meat in it. I always assume that's what you have for lunch. But I guess here it's actually more of like a late breakfast. And a lot of times you can get your coffee with your banh mi. So that's what we're going to do right now. Sydney is over there at Banh Mi Mama. And the other thing that we've noticed so far is all of the restaurants, cafes, street food places, they all have these seats that are quite low to the ground. And I am 6'3", so it's kind of hard for me to sit down. There we go. But once I'm in, it's nice and comfy. So what have we ordered? We ordered some banh mi and our first coffee of the day. First of many. I've been very excited about trying coffee in Vietnam because they're mostly known for their iced coffee. There's a few different things to try here. I think this is more of the traditional Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk and espresso. And we've noticed too, it's usually just a small glass and they kind of fill it up halfway. Maybe a couple ice cubes in there. So my guess is it's going to be very strong. So much flavor. It's not overly sweet. It's just very, like the bitterness of the coffee cuts through the sweetness. That's just very, very strong coffee. That first bite is mostly bread. Got a little cilantro in there. We'll be trying a lot of banh mi while we're here in Hanoi. There's a lot of different kinds. This one's a chicken and cheese, which is so different than anything we've seen. Usually it's kind of like either cold cuts or some sort of pork. They have beef ones. They have all sorts. But you have the beautiful french baguette. It's all of the cilantro and pickled veggies in there. That's what really makes it. Finally. I've been so hungry. Oh, the egg in there is so good. Wow. Yes. Wow. For you guys, we have double shot espresso. One shot inside the cup and one shot outside here. I would love for you to come in to try the cream first and then pour the second shot on top of the cream. Mix it all up before you drink it. Thank you very much. Cannot recommend Dream Beans enough. It was so cool in there. Such an awesome aesthetic. They told us so much about coffee here in Vietnam and how it's such a big part of the culture here. It is actually the second largest exporter of coffee beans behind Brazil. I had no idea that was the case. No idea. So that's pretty cool. The streets of Hanoi are wild. There's so many sights and smells going on. It's also rainy, but it's not a downpour. It's just misty. So everything's just kind of wet. So we're full. We're caffeinated. We're actually going to head to the museum right now to learn more about Vietnam and military history. And we're just looking forward to getting inside for a little bit because it actually is a little cold here, which this entire year has been very hot. I don't think we've had a day above 83 degrees the past five months. But that ended today because we are wearing jeans, long-sleeved T-shirts. It's probably like 67 degrees Fahrenheit here, which is such a breath of fresh air. I love it. Yeah, I honestly love it. I really can't recommend a visit to the military museum enough. It's so fascinating, especially as an American. We just don't have experiences like this available where we can look at something from a completely different perspective. I mean, a lot of what we're seeing, especially in more recent history, is the Americans as the enemy. And, you know, obviously, right? It was arguably the most controversial war of all time for the Americans. A lot of people didn't understand what we were even doing there. And that history honestly kind of fascinates us because it's so recent. And here we are in the country that it happened, being welcomed in to learn about the history from this perspective. I think that's just so cool. I think it's important to see things, not just wars and conflicts, but anything in life. It's important to see it from both perspectives. And I think I've learned a lot today about how I have heard about the Vietnam War before and how it may not be as accurate as what we have learned from being in the place where it actually occurred and seeing it from that perspective, seeing the other side of the story. It's fascinating history. It's obviously heartbreaking history. War in general, it's just the most heartbreaking thing in this world. And still to this day, it's happening all over. And we're really glad we came here. The museum is put together very nicely. It's just so informative, so interesting. Can't recommend it enough, honestly. When a place only serves one thing, you know it's going to be good. I'm pretty sure they just have a big old vat in the back. So you just come in, you pay right away, and they bring it to you pretty much right away. Come on. Thank you. This looks so beautiful. So what is pho for anyone who doesn't know? It is a Vietnamese noodle soup. The noodles are quite light, quite thin. And then they just boil it with green onions and cilantro, as we call it. Coriander over this part of it. But yes, very, very tasty looking. And the perfect thing to warm us up after a day in the rain. It's all that onion and cilantro flavor. So fresh. The beef broth is so simple. But then you add some lime juice and the herbs. There's so much green onion and coriander. Just so comforting. I love how this dish is served. It's not spicy at all. But you have all of these other condiments on the table. The chili sauce. And you only need a little bit. Yeah, I like that. What is this? It's like a vinegar, but it's like a pepper vinegar. Pepper vinegar? Chili vinegar. It's really good. Just a little bit of that. So I about ate like a fourth of my bowl. And I just added those spicy spices. And this is going to completely change the flavor of the broth. And kind of give me like, I don't know, almost like a new dish. It's a spicy that like hits the back of your throat. It's not so much on the tongue, but it's like packed there where you kind of have to like feel like coughing. Maybe it gives it up a notch. It's almost kind of a choose your own adventure with all of these toppings and sauces and vinegars and peppers. Something we heard a lot before we got to Vietnam is that this isn't really a spicy food country like you'll see in Thailand. But I don't know. That was pretty spicy. I guess you can kind of just choose your own adventure with. Another lovely morning here in Hanoi. Sydney is going to treat herself to a little nail spa action. I'm so excited. I haven't got my nails done since we left this trip. And in my hometown, the little nail place that I go to, they're all Vietnamese. So this is so full circle for me. So let's go. So I'll be dropping Sydney off at her nail appointment. And I've gotten permission to go to the craft brewery that's just down the street. And I guess you'll meet me there whenever you're done. It looks so cool. I'm so excited. This area is so like trendy. It's really cool. Hope it doesn't take that long. We'll see. Take your time. Okay, I'll see you later. Alright, bye. One of the many reasons we've been very excited to visit Vietnam is because they do coffee so well here. And apparently they do craft beer quite well here as well. So two of our favorite things to sample. I'm excited to try this. This place is called Pasture Street Craft Brewery. And I guess they have a few of them throughout the country. They also have one in Ho Chi Minh City in the south. So this should be interesting. I'm really excited to try it out. Vietnamese craft beer. We did not plan this at all. We just came at the perfect time. I almost got run over. If we can get past the bikes. Oh my god. Run, run, run. We just managed to see that. They just approached us and said come to the workshop. But the train was coming. We were running to get in place. I think we were a little bit in danger. I think we didn't trip. And it's wet. And there's rocks all around. That was so funny. Because everyone was like run, run, run. I thought they were making fun of me because I was running. But I think they were legitimately concerned. Like get out of the way. The thing that has amazed me the most about this train street is just the logistics of it all. I mean you have so many people that are trying to take pictures and just get their moment on the train tracks. And then on top of that you have all these cafes and you really need to make sure that people are far enough from the train and they're staying in their seats and all of that. There's a lot of logistics that go into making sure everyone's safe here. It's so cool that it all works somehow. And all of these lights looking both ways. It's so awesome. Can't really think of a better place to have a beer. I think this is the name of a shop. This is just someone... Because they went to the whip here. A little setup here. And they started a party. That's a really good idea actually. If you have like one of these properties. Heck yeah. Yeah so I'm still kind of... Like I'm just starting to realize... How crazy to come last? Yeah because... I mean I wasn't looking back. I know. Well I literally didn't know. It was right there. Because as soon as we sat down... Within 10 seconds it was packed. And of course the view comes with the price. So we both ordered two beers for... 500... 500,000. 52,000. Which is... Like $2.50. Worth it. So worth it. Cheers. Surviving the train. We have been all up, down, and around Hanoi... In the last few days. But interestingly enough... One of the things we really wanted to do here... Was just around the corner... From our Airbnb. When we looked it up... We just laughed out loud. A lot of times it's like really... Inconvenient to go to all the places... That you want to see. This one in particular... Right around the corner. A two minute walk. We're gonna go try a Vietnamese dish... Known as Bun Cha. And this restaurant that we're going to... Is the place where President Obama... Met Anthony Bourdain... For Bun Cha. Anthony Bourdain was such... An inspiration to both of us. What ended up happening to him... Still breaks my heart. And just really, really shows... The importance of mental health. It was a sad, sad day. When I found out what happened to him. Because... He started my love for travel. I always loved to travel. But the idea of traveling to places like Vietnam... I know it's the same for Sydney too. If you haven't seen the episode... Or at least the clip... Where he dines with President Obama... I cannot recommend it enough. It is so fascinating... The conversation that they have. Now, like all politicians... President Obama can be... A very polarizing figure. I have people in my life... That love him. I have people in my life... That hate him. I don't know if I feel either way... About him. But after seeing... That particular episode... I just have to say... That my respect level... Went up a little bit. And I was just kind of fascinated... The conversation that they had. Once again, I cannot recommend it enough. Let me make sure I don't get hit by a scooter here. So we're going to go try Bun Cha. In the place... Where Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain... Shared a meal together. There's actually something on the menu... Called the Obama Combo. Which is what we'll be getting. Let's do it. There's not but a single restaurant in Hanoi... Where I haven't struggled to sit down. Although this one's a little bit higher. Usually you're literally... Like a foot off the ground. Okay, an Obama Combo. That's a pretty good deal. I think they know what we came for... Because we were just handed a bed of lettuce... And noodles. Without even asking for it. That's probably what everybody would get. There's an absolutely incredible value... As usual here in Hanoi. One Bun Cha... One fried seafood roll... And one beer. All for $4.90. $120,000. And the seafood roll... We're not really sure... What to expect with that one. But it looks good. I know, I'm excited to try... A new Vietnamese dish. Because honestly... I really only know Banh Mi and Pho. So it'll be interesting to see... Some more Vietnamese cuisine. And see what Bun Cha is all about. Cute pan. These smell so good. Just a few. I just want to try this pork patty first. Oh my gosh. It's grilled. It's like perfection. This is so good. The noodles are so thin. It's almost like an angel hair pasta consistency. So they're really soft, really delicate. And then all that pork flavor in there. Along with some vinegar. And then the spiciness from the peppers. That is beautiful. The Bun Cha. Thank God we waited until our last night in Hanoi to try this place. Because we would have definitely come back every time. But alas, we have to move on. I will try the seafood roll for the first time here. These look gorgeous. Definitely some shrimp in here. Fish. Maybe some peppers. And the outside texture is just fried to a crisp. Almost like a wonton. I wish I had something to dip this in maybe. But the outside flakiness is so crispy. I feel like falling apart. Ending the night at this beautiful walkway around this pond. And this is the pond that has... What is that called? That castle? There's like a temple in the middle of it. It's so cool. And it's lit up at night. This is a bustling metropolis with everything you could imagine in a big city. And it is a perfect way for us to be introduced to Vietnam. Now I can imagine that the metropolitan nature of Hanoi does not necessarily reflect the rest of the country and what the rest of the country is like. But I'm really glad that we got to come and see it. Especially with this cool mix of modern metropolitan and then the fascinating history. This is one of the oldest capital cities in the region. And we got to learn so much about the Vietnamese culture and background. We really just can't say enough about our first experience in Hanoi. And I think it's pretty safe to say we'll be back. If I had one complaint, it was just that it never stopped raining. And it would definitely be nice to come back and be able to walk outside like this the whole time. It is kind of funny because everywhere we've been in Southeast Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, yes, we've had our fair amount of rain, but it's been warm. Here in Hanoi, it's completely different temperatures. And I actually really enjoy it. It's nice and pleasant. It's not too hot. And oh my goodness, the food. Vietnamese food, which I could definitely have all day every day. The spring rolls, the banh mi, the pho, all of the delicious noodle soups. From here, we're going to be making our way south. We cannot wait to see what the rest of this amazing country has to offer. We're going to be seeing some mountains. We're going to be seeing some scenery on the way for sure. And then the fascinating cities of Middle Vietnam and South Vietnam. Can't wait to get into all of it. Make sure to like and subscribe. We'll see you in the next one.