Hanoi's charm through the eyes of a Saigon girl

Hanoi in her thoughts is captivating, steeped in antiquity through the verses of musician Phu Quang. Hanoi to her is imbued with the scent of milk flowers; it's the quiet alleys where time flows slowly... and the bone-chilling early winter cold felt by wandering travelers.

Thus, she yearns to visit Hanoi...

And Hanoi welcomes her with a summer rain. Oh, even Hanoi rain differs from Saigon rain. It doesn't pour heavily but falls gently, drop by drop, just right. It's midday in summer, yet she imagines, 'Tonight, raindrops of sacred autumn will softly fall...'

... 'Hey, what kind of driving is that? You're crazy!' – A thunderous yell echoes from a taxi driver as another car attempts to maneuver, overtaking the car carrying her, squeezing into a corner of the street.

After a few breathless moments, she calmly tells her driver: 'I'm not in a hurry either. You can drive slowly.'

– How can we possibly go slowly, how do we know when we'll arrive? – The driver stubbornly insisted.

She silently reminded herself: 'This morning, I lit incense for our ancestors. Perhaps the heavens will grant us peace.'

Getting around in Hanoi is quite intriguing and a mixture of chaos. The traffic flows together following the motto 'empty spaces must be filled, speed is victory' – even though the streets are flooded with four-wheeled vehicles – much more than Saigon, from taxis to personal cars... And the traffic seems completely chaotic. Sometimes cars in motion weave between scooters or motorbikes, regardless of size. Some scooter riders wear helmets, while others casually 'keep their heads cool' without one.

There was a strange moment when she noticed a group of scooters driving on the left, while cars drove on the right.

In the midst of her bewilderment, 'Oh my, heavens' – she exclaimed when a taxi drove against traffic, attempting to run a red light and cut off the car she was in, to switch lanes (while her car continued straight).

The driver this time seemed more composed than she expected, surprising her: 'Why was that person shouting so loudly, startled me. They're wrong. Challenge them if they hit us. If they hit me, they'll have to compensate, it's that simple.'

Luckily, her spirit was as resilient as steel! Otherwise, she might have been wide-eyed and high-blood pressured... when the driver decided to engage in a 'race' against her wishes to take her to a café near the city center.

'Are you feeling alright running like this? Don't worry, if you want, I can drop you off and pick up someone else... shaking like a leaf. Call me again next time,' the driver casually remarked after finally arriving at the destination after an hour of circling around because 'Hanoi has mostly one-way streets!'

According to Tuoi Tre

***

Reference: Travel guide from Mytour