A Perfect Trip to HANOI (Vietnam's Ancient Capital!) 🇻🇳 Things to Do + Eat

Just keep walking. Don't stop. Whatever you do, don't stop. I think this is the most chaotic area we've been so far. Definitely. Hanoi sits in the north of Vietnam, about two hours by plane from Ho Chi Minh City, and about a world away in every other sense. If you caught our last episode, you know we spent two days in the south, but everyone told us the north feels like a different country entirely. We have three different spots to see up north, and Hanoi is the first one. There's a lot to see, but we're determined to get a little taste of everything. First things first, where do you stay in Hanoi? We are staying at the Medieval Hotel Lakeside. Let's take a look inside, if we can cross the street, because this is a lot harder than it looks. Oh yes, this will do. This will more than do. We love this hotel, not only because of the location that is over here in the old quarter, but also because it's so comfortable. You guys don't know this, but in the last video in Ho Chi Minh, we have it a little rough. Yeah, we learned the hard way that some hotels in Southeast Asia can be deceiving with how the photos look. Luckily, we are put up in a good hotel here, because this is a very special video. It is our first group trip we are ever doing, so we needed to make sure our guests were put somewhere that's actually just a local group. That's right. So in about 20 minutes, we're going to meet them. I mean, we already have a meeting online, but right now we're going to be able to hug them, to say hello face to face. And more importantly, give them their goodie bags, which we've been putting together. The goodie bags. That's right. I think it's my favorite part of this whole group trip. Juliana was so excited for months for this goodie bag, and I think it's great. They're going to love it. Yeah, all our favorite products are in there. This is going to be a completely different video from how we normally film, but let's go head to dinner. Let's discover Hanoi. We meet a group of 12 travelers down in the lobby. They don't know it yet, but they are about to be the best of friends. All right, guys, what are your first impressions of Vietnam? For the video, chaos, right? We're like trying to struggle through these scooters right now. I love it though. Yeah, it's pretty cool. The old quarter at night is quite the introduction of how the city operates, but somehow, even with a group this size, we find the rhythm. Then it's into the bus, which for the record is enormous and completely out of place in the streets. Our driver does not care. He moves through traffic like he's on a motorbike. And then there's our guide Phuong, who wastes exactly zero time with giving us some facts about the city. Tonight's dinner is family style. Plates just keep arriving. Nobody knows what half of it is, but it's all delicious. Tonight's dinner is going to be French fusion. Actually, the guide was explaining us a little bit about the history about Vietnam and a lot of the French influence it has in the past. That's why fusion, it feels the correct thing. The name of the restaurant is Viet Rice Essence. They're just bringing us so many different dishes. Everything's incredible, but I think my favorite has to be the crab spring roll. You can't go wrong with something fried. We at one point had something lit on fire at our table that feels very French, flambe. But it was planned to be that way. Yes, it was planned. A planned fire. Delicious and a great start, even though a lot of us are jet lagged right now. Outsiders at the restaurant must think we're here on some sort of reunion, but no, we all just met 30 minutes ago. We can already tell this is a special group. Dinner was so good last night. And breakfast was the same today. Today we're preparing for a big walk through the old corner over here. We have so much to fit into one day. So let's start exploring. Let's go. Phong has insisted we do an early morning today starting at Hoan Kiem Lake and the city is already awake. We will miss it if we slept in. Groups of locals practicing Tai Chi, Zumba classes running 20 feet away. Phong tells us some groups are so organized that they have uniforms with different colors for every different day of the week. We watch from a distance, but that lasts about 10 seconds before someone waves us in. You don't really say no to that. I knew you would jump in. Nicely done, honey. Out here in the lake, it's easy to forget we are in a city of 8 million people. Then you step off the path and back onto the street. Phong is one tiny yet very fast woman, and she manages to weave around the motorbikes like it's no problem. Somehow, none of us fall behind. Eventually, we arrive at Ly Chio Kwok Se Pagoda. This is a genuine hidden gem tucked between these busy streets. As we mentioned in our Ho Chi Minh City video, Vietnamese practice a blend of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism that's due to centuries of different influences that have been here. We happen to arrive during the pagoda's morning service, and Phong says we should take a peek. The chanting, the incense, the worshippers so focused, they don't even turn to notice our entering. This is a moment of calm in an otherwise fast-paced city. Then you step back outside. And that's the thing about Hanoi, one minute you're in an 11th century Buddhist pagoda, turn a corner, and you're looking at something very French. They were, after all, here from 1873 until 1954, and the yellow buildings with the green shutters were kinda their thing. So cool, all the French architecture. I was just talking, I said it looks like something out of France. Yeah, even this church right in front of us looks like it could have been straight from France. This is St. Joseph's Cathedral, built in 1886, the oldest church in Hanoi, deliberately modeled after Notre Dame of Paris. A rib-vaulted ceiling this high really has no business being in Southeast Asia. Sunday mass draws crowds in so large that they spill into the plaza and listen through speakers in the street. So yes, Hanoi does have elements of France, but the heart and soul are always, always Vietnamese. So far, a beautiful pagoda and a beautiful church. Never, the mix of religion and the mix of French influence never fails to amaze me. That's right, that's right. And right now, they told us, or they promised us, that we're gonna try the best dish in Hanoi. I heard people in our group saying, wait, what, we're eating again? You gotta prepare for that when you come with tours to local on a trip to Vietnam. Let's try it. Before we get into this life-changing bowl of pho, we want to talk about something we actually recommended to every single person on this trip before we got on the plane. OlaFly, and they partnered with us again to bring you this video. The way it works is simple. You pick your destination, scan a QR code before you even leave home, and you have data the moment you land. But here's what we just found out, and honestly, the math is starting to make a lot of sense for us. OlaFly now offers monthly plans. So for one flat fee each month, you get unlimited data that works everywhere in the world without switching eSIMs. So as if eSIMs weren't already easy enough, they're now even easier. You can cancel whenever you want to, so it's very flexible, and they have two different plans. One is the unlimited plan with unlimited data, unlimited hotspot share, and a local number for receiving SMSs, and the light plan, which is 25 gigabytes of data with a hotspot available. Plus, our plans include this cool feature called Always On, which gives you one gigabyte of emergency data every month for life, even if you cancel. We put the link in the description, and if you're booking for the first time or switching to the monthly plan like we're thinking about, use code TOURISTALOCAL for 5% off. Now, the pho. And for that, we must head to Pho Tha Luon Ocho. I noticed that the pho, it tastes a little bit different over here in the north because the one that we tried in Ho Chi Minh, that is the south, was a little sweeter. So it's good to see like in different parts of Vietnam, it has a different taste. Pho is the national dish of this country. Very common for breakfast. And the key is putting a little bit of the vinegar, a little bit of the lime. You gotta customize it to yourself. And this place is so good. I'm glad we came here. And it's all locals on their way to work. Delicious. How do you like it? I love it. It's good? I think you're good. I love it. I know that the broth is flavorful, and they get it up super early, like 2 a.m. to prepare it. So it's been cooked in a while. It's great. It's not like some instant thing. It's just wonderful. Good. Yeah. I'm glad. Like everything's like handmade. Yeah. I ate a bunch of pho like back home, like back in Cali. But this one, like you can tell it's a little bit different. Yeah. Okay, everybody. How was it? Good? You got the tourist to local experience? Good. Good. I'm glad. Empty bowl club. Nice. 12 strangers. Give them pho, chopsticks they're not sure how to use, and a table too small for the amount of food on it. And suddenly you have something that looks a lot like a family. And if watching this makes you want to be at the table, we have one more trip this year to Morocco in September. And there's just five spots remaining. Everything you need to know is in the description, or you can sign up to get notifications about future trips. We love to travel with you. We just make a little stop over here in a coffee shop, in a local coffee shop to try the coffee with condensed milk. We tried to order the one with the egg, but they told us no, it's not time yet. Okay, so it looks like we have different hours to try the different coffees. So that's what we're doing. Some people order hot coffee. Some people order the cold one. I ordered a hot one. And in words of Steve, this is coffee. First taste is just... It's full of coffee. Full of flavor. Yeah, I love that. Then you feel the caffeine and the espresso aftertaste. That's right. Exactly. There's a sea of motorcycles over here. Not only in the road, but also on the sidewalk. She told us yesterday night that it's more than 7 million motorcycles or scooters all in Canor. Crazy. I think that's what makes the city so special. It just feels like pure chaos when you're walking around, dodging around vendors, motorcycles, people. Just walking around your neighborhood is an adventure in itself. Trust the process. I'm the human barrier. We did it! Another successful crossing. I'm crossing here. I'm crossing the street like this. Hoa Lo Prison. A much more serious plot than what we've seen today. The French named it a penitentiary. The Vietnamese called the street it sat on Hoa Lo, fiery furnace, after the coal stove vendors who worked here. Americans called it the Hanoi Hilton. And every name tells you something about the person using it. The French built this place in 1896 to hold Vietnamese political prisoners. Capacity of 460 and at its peak, they crammed in over 2,000. That guillotine inside isn't decorative. It's French made and it worked. And that's the thing about Vietnam that keeps stopping you in your tracks. The history of this country is a history of war. And we're not just talking about the conflict most Westerners picture when they hear the name. The Vietnamese call that one the American War. But before that, there were the French. Before that, the Japanese. Before that, the Chinese. This country has only known peace since 1989. 36 years. That's it. The American chapter is visible here. And of course, there's mention of John McCain, who was shot down over Hanoi in 1967, pulled from the lake and held here for over five years. And yet, when the war was long over, he became one of the loudest voices for normalizing relations with Vietnam. He wasn't alone in that. Phung tells us that American veterans have spent decades coming back here to clean up what the war left behind. The Agent Orange decontamination efforts, the unexploded ordinance removal. At some point, she mentioned that her father had fought in the war. They're outside duty. And they come here, their duty is only. Both of them have no choice. That's the same answer from my father. That's why even now, all Americans are only welcoming our country. Hao told us the exact same thing last week in Ho Chi Minh City. It seems most visitors are genuinely surprised by this answer. And maybe that surprise says more about us than it does about them. And we're learning a lot about the history of the war in Vietnam. We saw the museum in Ho Chi Minh, but hearing our guide talk about how her father was in the war was so... It just made it really hit harder. And for me as an American, this feels like a totally different experience than what I learned in history class. You can learn the other side of the story. Exactly. Yeah. Now we're probably going to one of the most famous attractions in Hanoi. And I can't believe we're already here. This place is tiny. Guys, we're at Train Street. Wow. Holy moly. Wow. It's just like how it looks online. This feels so wrong. This is a train line that runs straight through a residential neighborhood in the middle of Hanoi, with about enough clearance on either side for a person who hasn't eaten too much street food yet. The track has been here since the French built it in the early 1900s. The homes came after, then rows of cafes. We're sitting at one called Hanoifa Coffee and Photography. According to the board, we have 30 minutes until the next train. We order beers and settle in. 30 minutes is also, it turns out, exactly enough time for a photo shoot, which is kind of the point of this place. Accidental photographer. Look at this. Okay, sleigh. That was... Okay, that's a good one. There's a collective understanding that when the horn sounds, you rush back to your seats, lean back as much as you can, and hope for the best. Only in Hanoi. We've all seen videos about this train, but whenever you're here, you notice how close it is. It was like maybe one arm away from it, so it was crazy. It was beautiful, and we're so lucky to be here. Meanwhile, back in the old quarter, piles of spices and produce line the street. It's not the official name, Google gave it that one, but the locals just know it as the market along Nguyen Thien Thuat Street. Try saying that three times fast. Phuong walks us through like she's shopped here at least a hundred times. This market is so cool. I actually haven't seen many other tourists around this area, and all locals here, and it's just absolute heaven. We love to take photos. I don't even know where to point my camera at at this point. Everything is so cool. We're crossing streets, and it's amazing. This is the real Vietnam. I'm really liking it. And then Phuong stops at a fruit stall. I've been waiting for this since we landed in Southeast Asia. Mangosteen, a small purple fruit with a thick rind and white segments inside that taste like a mix of beet and leek. You cannot get this fresh outside this part of the world. Have you guys tried this one before? No. Good, right? It's addicting. You liked it? Very good. I think this is the most chaotic area we've been so far. Definitely. There are certain foods that exist as proof that something good can come from something terrible. Banh Mi is one of them. The French colonized Vietnam for decades and left behind, among other things, the ingredients to make this delicious sandwich. Banh Mi 25 is one of the most famous spots in Hanoi to eat one. Oh, and it goes for under two dollars. But you know what the key is? The bread. So crunchy. So good. So I got, we're gonna try both. I got the pork belly and Juliana got the chicken with honey and avocado. And you guys were here yesterday, so you guys are the experts. I love this. And this is one of those dishes that you can definitely see the French influence with that baguette. I also got a smoothie. It's so good. And no wonder this place is so popular. But it's one of those ones that's popular for a reason. Totally worth it. Alexis and Dawn, what did you think? Incredible. Yeah? The most golden crusty bread ever. Oh, yes. Good. Great description. At the fast pace we are moving today, and yes, it is still the same day. We most definitely need a pick-me-up. That's how we ended up in Hanoi Cafe. And it's finally time to try egg coffee. Vong has arranged for us to get a private demonstration of how egg coffee is made upstairs. Egg coffee was invented in the 1940s during a milk shortage by a hotel bartender. The egg yolk gets whisked with condensed milk, sugar, and a little rum, of course. We need to add a taste and have a smell of it. We didn't try it in Ho Chi Minh because we heard that it's from Hanoi. So we wanted to try it in the place that it's famous for. Oh, whoa. It's like a whipped cream, but thicker. It's delicious. Let's try it. Wow. Yeah, it's like a whipped cream. So good. Now we're really in Hanoi. What did you guys think? It was good? Yay. So the Hanoi Cafe also is known for their peanut butter coffee. So a lot of people also got one. And it's huge. So Martine and I are sharing. It reminds us a lot of what we tried in Cozumel, right? Sharing is caring. Now that we're caffeinated, it's time for a new area we haven't seen, the French Quarter. What has been most surprising to you so far about Vietnam? Oh, it's pleasant. Everything is, everybody's so polite. Yeah, they are. I suppose that shouldn't be surprising, but, you know. It was more than you expected. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. And the food is incredible. Yes. It's all so fresh. It's like, I guess, refrigeration isn't widely available. So everything is fresh every day. Exactly, it's so good. We've been eating really well on this trip. We are? Yes. There's so many beautiful buildings over here. This is the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. We have the presidential palace. We have the president of the party house. So a lot, like the main buildings. And you can see the French architecture all around. Just a beautiful place to walk. We're not going inside the mausoleum today. We are heading around the back to the One Pillar Pagoda. Built in 1049 by Emperor Lai Thai Tong, who dreamt that the goddess Khuong Am handed him a son while seated on a lotus flower. He woke up and built this, a single wooden pagoda rising from a small lake on one stone pillar designed to look like a lotus in bloom. It's been standing with a few reconstructions for nearly a thousand years. It's funny because from the outside, this place looks very official and intimidating, but inside is this beautiful pagoda thing. With a little bit like some little lakes, lotus flowers, and bonsai. And then on the side of the temple, the karma drawings. These are traditional Buddhist teaching illustrations that show cause and effect across lifetimes. Do good, here's your reward. Do bad, here's what finds you in the next life. Frequent fishing, mouth sores, and being deceived. Building or fixing roads and bridges, a prosperous life. There's some good ones too. We make travel videos on YouTube. The karma drawings did not have a specific entry for that, so we're choosing to take that as a good sign. When over here in Hanoi, we wanted to do something fun. And what is more fun than see a puppet show? But not every puppet show. This one is a little special and we're going to show you why. Water puppetry has been performed in northern Vietnam for over a thousand years. It started in the rice paddies with farmers performing in flooded fields to celebrate harvests, to tell stories, to mark the seasons. Eventually, it moved to proper stages. The puppets are carved from thick wood, lacquer to survive being submerged and controlled by puppeteers standing waist deep behind the screen. You never see them and I'm still wondering how they did it. 12 strangers found a video on the internet and decided to trust us with their vacation. We went to sleep last night, still a little stunned by that. We still are. Hanoi is a city we like and a city we could easily spend more time in. But now it's off to Ninh Binh, two hours south of Hanoi and one of the most underrated places in all the Southeast Asia. But we're not just looking at it. In true tourist to local fashion, we're getting down and dirty. So long, travel well and make the world your neighborhood.