First Time in Hanoi 🇻🇳 The World’s Cheapest City?

We just arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, one of the cheapest major cities in the entire world. But cheap doesn't always mean good. So today, we're going to explore the city, try some local food, experience the chaos, and see just how far our money goes here in Vietnam's capital. What's our first order of business today? Why don't we go to a local restaurant and eat pho, if you like? Let's start our day with some pho, and I also heard they have some nice egg coffee. Yes, I want to try that as well. And the first thing I noticed is that it's very chaotic. Look at these streets, they're very narrow, and the sidewalks are almost unwalkable. You got motorbikes parked on them. It's almost like you have to walk on the street just to get around. And I was expecting that it's going to be hotter here, because according to that lady we spoke with, it's hotter here in Hanoi, but it's actually not, because there's like trees surrounding this town. Yeah, and there's giant buildings to cover the sun. See, we're now walking on the street. Very chaotic, but this is big city living. Xin chào. This is actually how I expected Vietnam to be, and I'm so happy to be here. Look at how cute these dogs are. Hi. Oh. Babe, why don't we take this? A tour? Oh, it's a tour, babe. Oh, tour. We're just going to a restaurant. It's right there, babu. We're going to a restaurant. Here, it's just right there. Ah, beef soup. Yeah, there. Full soup. How much? 50,000. We're getting escorted to our restaurant. After you, if you like. I think we're going to explore on our own, but thank you. This is actually a great business. This is a good leg workout. Yeah, are you getting tired yet? You want to take over? Guys, we made it here to the restaurant right there. Oh, is that it? Yeah, that's it. That was like half a block. This was actually suggested to us by the hotel. They said this is the best spot. Come on. It looks so busy here. I don't think we have a table. This is the kind of restaurant that I would want to go to when I told Zach I want to eat at a local restaurant. But they don't really have this in Da Nang that much, right? Yeah, if we're comparing Da Nang to Hanoi, Da Nang is more tailored for Westerners. Even the food tastes more Western, I would say. I actually like seeing a line outside a restaurant. Even though you have to wait, it kind of means the quality of the food is very good. You know it's good when there's a heavy line. Xin chào. Come on. Oh, here's the menu. Best seller. I'll get the best seller, too. Yes, please. I think she's adding it up. One for five. One for five, pay. Oh, you pay now? Yes. Money, money. Pay first. In America, it's pay last. There, she said, money, money. Because you might run away, babe. They don't trust you. I actually like pay first because then when you're done eating, you can just walk out. Guys, we paid 145 dong for this meal. And I am so honored to be dining here today with Hulk Hogan. Rocking the bandana this morning. Is this a fashion statement? Trendsetter. I don't know. I just saw girls doing it, and I was like, why not do it, too? And babe, while I was sitting down, I just realized, no wonder why this place is very famous because look at that. They were Michelin selected 2024. That looks yummy. Ooh. Look at that. Come on. I wonder what this is. Like fried dough sticks. I notice it's medium rare. That means the beef is really fresh. Tender. I want to taste the broth, though. Okay. Go for it. Just to double check. It's hot. Mm. It's got a distinct smoky flavor. I like it. Try yours. I noticed locals are adding some, what do you call this, garlic in there. So let me try to add just a little bit. What's it taste like? Tastes like donut. I'm not sure. I think you're supposed to dip it in. I think it needs some powdered sugar on there. And now we're headed to a coffee shop to re-energize. Xin chào. Hello. What time does the train come? Uh, 1.30. 1.30? Is it just once? Yes. Just one time? Okay. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Come on. Babe, they said the train comes at 1.30. So what time is it now? I had a little wardrobe malfunction, so I went to the bathroom. But anyway, it's like 12.20. Why don't we just wait? You want to wait? Yeah. Let's get a coffee in the meantime. While waiting, we can drink some coffee. Do you guys have egg coffee? Yes. Egg coffee. Coconut coffee. I'll take an egg coffee, please. Mine, coconut coffee. One coconut coffee. Yes. One egg, one coconut. Yeah, okay. Okay. Thank you so much. Coconut. And then that's egg coffee, right? Egg coffee here. That's the egg coffee, yeah. Look how frothy this is. How do you like yours? Wow. That is so creamy and delicious. Oh my gosh. It's like whipped cream. I think it's the egg whites if you whip them. We're just going to enjoy our coffee. The train doesn't come for another hour. In the meantime, I might get a shave, so we're going to meet back here in like an hour. And also, our coffee costs 100k dong each. What I'm going to do is, if I ever move back to the States, I'm going to open up a cafe and serve egg coffee and coconut coffee. And I'm going to become a millionaire overnight. I'm going to put Starbucks out of business and there's going to be franchises all throughout the U.S. and maybe into Europe. Because egg coffee and coconut coffee are so good. Hello. Do you know where I can get a shave? Barber? Like shave? Left? Okay. Thank you. Let's check this place out. Hello. You guys do shave? How long? Okay. Hot shave. 90,000 dong. Is this your hat? Yeah. That's my favorite hockey team in Columbus, Ohio. Really? Yeah. Blue jackets. Columbus blue jackets. That's it? It's done? I'm so sleek. The fish approve. Do I look good, fishies? Okay. Time for you to pay. Pay the man. His money. Do they close this off? You can't just walk on here at 1.30, right? Alright. Okay. Yes, lead the way. We'll get another cup of coffee. We already had some egg coffee earlier. It was really good. So Zach ordered two drinks because I refused to order one but they want you to order two if you want to sit down. So he's forced to drink egg coffee and some avocado shake. I think in a couple more minutes the train will arrive here and everyone's sitting there waiting for that perfect IG post. You're waiting too for the IG post. There she blows. What is this train? Where is this going from? That was so cool. It's actually cooler in person. Did it meet your expectations? I only see this in TikToks and social media but seeing it in person feels so great. Hello. If you made it this far of this video it means you made it here in our hotel in Hanoi. Now come in. So straight away you will see our king-size bedroom. And we have our small living room here with all our clothes. And this is the closet area. Just don't open that, it's messy. This is the bathroom. We are currently staying here in Serene Central Hotel. And we are staying here for 4 nights and we paid $3,956,000 for a 4 night stay. Now that's it. Let's get out again of this hotel and get something to eat because your girl is hungry. We are back on the street. We're going to try to do a little shopping. And one thing I noticed right away is that it's a lot busier at night time. Can I get, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, too much. Just 4. 4. Too much? How much is this? How much? 20? Just give me 4, I will pay 20. Just 4. 4, 4, like this. She's insisting. I will pay 50 but just give me 4. How's that language barrier? I said I just want 4 because we can't eat all of it and it will just go bad. Yeah, we're going to pay the same price for that but we're not going to be able to eat all of that. There we go. She thought I was trying to ask for a discount but in reality I just want 4 pizzas since we can't really eat all of it. And the reason why I bought some bananas is because this trip we never had enough fruits and at least we're a little bit healthy babe. Yeah. Oh, what's this? That's the mulberry cocoon. That's where the silk came from. See? See these clothes? This is silk. Came from that. Silkworms. Yeah. Oh, this is actually a nice dress. What's this? King roti. It smells so good. The smell is pulling me in. I'm a sucker for good smells. I can't resist this. It really smells so good. Oh my gosh. It really does. It looks like a Cinnabon. Have you ever had a Cinnabon? Which one is best seller? Okay, I get chocolate. Yes, please. That looks fantastic. Come on. Oh wow. Oh my gosh. Let's pay up first. We're just going to steal it. Bye. So we're now out of the traffic and let's see. Oh my gosh. Oh wow. Oh. I thought they said it was chocolate. Is there chocolate inside? Yeah. Let's see that chocolate part. Oh. So how does it taste? Babe, just smell it, babe. So at least you will get satisfied. Now put it in my mouth and just think that it's in your mouth. I got a little strategy going on here. Oh. It's not ripe. The banana is not ripe. I think it's ripe, babe. It's hard. Really? It's not bad, but... Dude, you look like you're high on something right now. Okay, enough. Can I have the banana now? I wish I could have that. I'll stick to my banana for now. Absolute chaos. We're going to head down to this lake that we just spotted. If I can even maneuver my way down there. Alright, let me squish by you guys. Hi, hi. There's Danica waiting for me. Dan. Let's go check out that lake. And then we also got to figure out dinner later. This lake reminds me of Washington, D.C. Near the Jefferson Memorial. If any of you guys live near D.C. But it is beautiful here. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, this is a great place to come. I'll be honest, this old quarter is extremely touristy. There's a lot of vendors here and they're always approaching you, asking you to buy stuff or take tours. So expect that if you're coming to Hanoi. I think that's a very common thing, babe, in Asian countries. And one thing I noticed here in Hanoi, they don't really have much traffic rules. Like in the Philippines, if there's an occasion like this one, so many people, they would close down the road. But here, cars are just forcing themselves in. See guys, this is the sidewalks right here. And you obviously can't walk on them because motorbikes are parked here. So you have to walk around, onto the street, into oncoming traffic. So it's very dangerous here. There are no street rules. It's kind of a free-for-all. Complete madness. This store is, oh, chopsticks. You can buy your own chopsticks. It's kind of cool to have your own chopsticks, right? Final offer, $20,000. Done. You got yourself a deal. So cool. I wonder what game they're playing. You know what game this is? You know what it's called? It's definitely not checkers, I know that. I don't want to bother them. They look like they're dialed in. Silk sleeping bag. You can sleep in this? How much are they? $150? I'm thinking about why I would need a sleeping bag. Maybe the next time me and Danica get in a fight, I can sleep in that on the couch. How much is the whole thing? How about $120? Who's going to win this battle? Okay, I will get $150 all. I think I'm going to pass on this. It's a little thin, and I get very cold at night. You can use that as your blanket. You said you keep stealing your blanket when you sleep, but no one can steal it from you because you're going to be wrapped into it. $150? How about $100? Since we bought all these keychains. I think that's fair. $120 and $150. Okay, $120, but I do want a different color. I'm not a big fan of brown. I'll go green. Yeah, you keep stealing my blanket at night. I'm not happy about it. Now? Now it's impossible. You would be shocked if you wake up one morning and then I'm inside your house. You're going to sneak into my cocoon. Come on. Rise and shine. Vietnam old coins. You know what? I might actually get something like this because my dad collects coins. Is that real coin? Ma'am, are these real? How much are they? $290. Old coin collection. Is it legal tender? Can you actually buy things with it? Or is it just a collection? I don't think it is. What's your best price? $150? No. No? $290. How about $250? Okay, $280. $280? You're not moving a whole lot. Okay, $280. Okay, come on. Alright, a lot of history. I'm going to get this for my dad. He just had back surgery. Oh yeah, that would be a good gift for him. Next time I see him, I'm going to give him this. Thank you. Alright, let's go get something to eat, babe. I'm kind of hungry. How much is this? $250. $250, I'll buy two. I'll buy two. This is going to be good for running because I will start running. Where is a good place to eat? Yeah, a good restaurant. Where do they have good boon cha? I want really good boon cha. What about this place? That's where Anthony Bourdain went. Looks good. I like the back seat. She's going to pick out a good restaurant for us to eat at. Do you guys like boon cha? Boon cha is very good, right? We're going to have that for dinner. Oh, that looks so good. Is boon cha pork? Boon cha, yeah. Pork, right? Yes, very nice. That looks so good. Yeah, babe, let's go here. Yeah? Let's go here. Okay. They just picked us out a nice restaurant. Still shopping. Can I get new? It's dirty. Yeah, but I will buy one more. Alright, we're going to go try boon cha now. Bye bye. Thank you, guys. This comes highly recommended from our sales lady. Hello. This looks pretty good. Boon cha. Oh, wow. This is very famous in Hanoi, right? Very famous. We'll take our seat. Oh, okay. Who's sitting next to this gentleman? He's from the U.S. and from the Philippines. U.S.? Singapore. Singapore, nice. Singapore. We love Singapore. We love the U.S. Can I get this? Seafood spring rolls. And then the boon cha. I will get the boon cha. This looks so good. And one Coke, like that. Yes, please. Can I get the apricot juice? Apricot juice. That's so interesting. I've never had apricot juice, so get that. I knew these would come in handy. I'm going to use my own chopsticks. Rice noodles. I think he said to dip this in here like that. It literally melts in your mouth. That is so good. I'm not even exaggerating. Can I try? Try that. That's surprisingly good. I know. It's as good as everyone makes it out to be. Thank you to that saleswoman. You really delivered for us. That's really good. Guys, it's like a pork meatball. So juicy and so tender. Right? It's so tender, right? And the broth is delicious, too. Who knew apricot juice could be this good, too? Wow. 5 out of 5 stars at this place. Can I get one more boon cha? Yes. It's so good. Same? So good. Thank you. Oh, wow. Fresh lettuce. This is what I like about Vietnamese food. There's always veggies in everything. What is this? Pork wrapped with rice paper. It's good. This is why they say Hanoi is one of the cheapest cities in the world. $340,000 for all this. Not bad. Who wants to follow us? That's it. Come on. Yes. Thank you. Next time. Bye-bye. They were speaking Filipino. We are headed home. And the crowd has not dissipated. It's still out and about. It's just hard to walk around this town. I swear, it's really hard. Do you think this place is walkable? It's hard. Yeah, this is what I meant when they don't have traffic rules. Everyone's just squeezing their vehicles in. Even with all these people. And even cars. That's crazy. I feel like the locals here are pretty much just immune to it. They know their ways. It's just the way of life here. Yeah. I was looking at something in a store nearby and I lost Danica. I have no idea where she is. Guys, I have no idea where Danica is now. I lost her. Dan! Oh, I thought I lost you. We've been through this shop so many times. But every time I pass by them, I still end up getting inside. It's so inviting. Guys, I just bought a book and I need a bookmark. I'm already on page 123. What is this? Let me get this. You said this one is 20. 20, okay. I will buy it. 30 for everything? Oh, you got so excited there. It would have been good for my mother. Your mom is a teacher. Why don't you get her a book? Oh, babe. Let's see how much these are. How much is this? How much? 160. You got it for 290 earlier. Yeah. Wow. I bought this for 280 earlier, guys. And she's selling it for 190. I got ripped. I saw a spark. Sorry, babe. You don't have what it takes. I want to do the flick so bad, guys. I wish I could flick. I don't have the skills. You don't have what it takes, babe. Sorry. Alright. Well, that was an eventful day. A lot of shopping. I wasn't expecting to buy that much stuff. Yeah, so I'm just arranging everything, guys. Because as you can see, we have so many stuff. And I'm not sure if it will fit in the entire two luggages that we have. So, we're going to try to avoid buying a new luggage because we don't want to check that in. Anyway, as usual, it was a very eventful day, of course, here in Vietnam. So, yeah. I had so much fun even though we walked so much, Deb. No complaints. And overall, Hanoi is a 10 out of 10 for me. We really like Hanoi. The only thing that I would say is a trouble spot is just the walkability of the city. Yeah. It's very hard to get around, especially in the tourist areas. It's very crowded. But the food is really good. The people are extremely nice. The place is extremely affordable. One of the cheapest cities in the world, I would say. So, I would give this a 9 out of 10. Definitely worth going to. I don't know if you could live here, though. And with that, we'll see you guys in the next one. Don't forget to like and subscribe. Bye for now. Bye.