Good Morning Viet Nam

Ben and I are up early our first morning in Hanoi, so we set out to walk around the lake, a favorite of wedding couples and their photographers.

People are out early, taking ballroom dancing lessons on the sidewalks.

These ladies are getting their exercise and thrilling us with their ribbon dancing.

The park workers are getting prepared for their duties.  7 million people live in crowded, noisy, hectic Hanoi.  The small lake and park seem to be a major respite spot.

Ben brought along a NYT article about Hanoi So we seek out the coffee cafe they recommend.  Ben wants to try egg coffee (whipped egg and sugar froth spooned on top of dark hot coffee).  We have to walk through a T-shirt and tailor shop, go through a long narrow space and are greeted by a hostess who takes our order.  We then walk up 3 flights of stairs to a cafe room and terrace that overlook the honking, gray mass of motorbikes and people below.  January in Hanoi is a little chilly and overcast, but there is color everywhere.

Back to our elegant hotel with the most amazing staff, ever. They have memorized our names, our room number and greet us with such cheer.  We have a sumptuous breakfast  with John and Lisa, then meet out guide for the day, Ha.  

Ha leads a street food tour and under his tutelage we head out to overcome our apprehension about trying street food.  Ha is a food ambassador!  With him we will try five places and eat some great dishes.  The main thing we learn is not to be shy and that most of the tiny restaurants serve just one or two specialties.  We will sit on tiny low plastic stools around tiny tables, just like everyone does here.

Everywhere we walk food accompanies us.  Ha teaches us to stop being anxious about crossing streets.  It is intimidating because motorbikes weave in and out of traffic like swarming bees.  We learn to walk slow and with purpose.  The drivers swerve around us expertly.

We can't remember what we are eating here, but it was all great.

The vendor ladies set out their wares beautifully.  

Bikes go by laden with huge shallow baskets with perfectly displayed vegetables or flowers.  How they manage this, on bike is amazing.

Specialty streets abound.  One street has mostly plumbing items, another shoes,

others coffee or chilis.

These are the biggest carrots I have ever seen.  Vietnamese people shop daily, mostly cook at home, though cafes are sure busy at lunch time.

Our last serendipitous food stop is this lady who makes herb omelets on the street to order.  She carries her burner and skillet in one basket and all the ingredients in another.  It is all so tidy and organized.  Ha orders omelets and we watch while she breaks the eggs, stirs in the herbs and spices, cooks for us and serves it to us on small plastic plates with tiny metal forks.  It is absolutely delicious.  We would NEVER have tried this without Ha.

Ha has a little 2 year old son now in daycare and he can watch him through a nanny cam on his phone.  He is ambitious and tells us about the hopes of the huge young and entrepreneurial population of Viet Nam.  Ha wants to be rich.

Not all food is to be eaten.  With New Year approaching, vendors are selling food that will be placed on altars at homes to send as offering to ancestors.  The food will never be consumed.  Theses are steamed chickens, wrapped up and decorated with roses.  Human hands will not touch the food and it will be reverently sacrificed with other choice foods and treats that the deceased enjoyed.

We sacrifice nothing.  Our 3 plus hour food tour means we will skip dinner tonight, but we will definitely find the "beer corner" Ha has told us about and we will later join hundreds of young locals and travelers in a noisy, jubilant evening of beer and snacks of sunflower seeds.