This time, it was a pure pleasure trip. I booked flight to Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines. This is relatively convenient, since there is free luggage and you normally get a seat at the emergency exit as a westerner. Flight back I booked on JetStar, which is a low cost carrier in the AsiaPacific region, based in Australia. They do as well domestic flights in Vietnam. Point is, like all other low cost carriers, that you have to pay for everything extra, like luggage, drinks... They have some sort of business class, which is 3USD (in words three) extra, which I took. Really nice!
Next day, we made a little sightseeing tour through the old quarter of Hanoi:
I really like the city. It is much more relaxed than Ho Chi Minh City. Traffic is as well very chaotic, but however it still feels not as "pushy". People are as well a bit more friendly and seem to enjoy life a bit more. Temperaturewise, I was really nice. Still quite warm, around 25-28 degrees centigrade, but it was possible to breath again. Furthermore, Hanoi doesn't feel like a big city, but more like a big village. With nice restaurants, cafes and bars (of which most close at 23:00h).
Saturday evening is the night market in the old quarter. We took a little through that marekt. However, it is quite exhausting, since it's totally crowded.
We stayed for another drink (or two), and headed back to the hotel.
Sunday, we didn't have too much time, since I had to leave again early afternoon. So we tried to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, but it was totally crowded and no chance to enter without booking.
So we went back to the city and took another walk through the old town and to the opera house.
