10 Things Only Long-Time Hanoi Residents Know (Part 2)

More special things about Hanoi in the heart of someone who has loved and will always love Hanoi. Because Hanoi will always be beautiful, more than just love.

1. I love Hanoi mornings, commuting to work on the streets, passing the Botanical Garden in spring, the fragrant milk flowers in autumn, the sweet breeze and the enchanting winter. I love the mornings at Ho Guom Lake. Hanoi is strangely captivating in its streets and lakes like these. I love Hanoi from that feeling.
2. Iced tea, wherever I go, I order iced tea, whether it’s Asima mushroom hotpot or mocha coffee. Of course, I love wandering the sidewalks, and I always have iced tea with whatever I eat. Hanoi is warm because of that. Now there’s the added option of a glass of lemon tea, sour and sweet, refreshing and pleasant. Hanoi is cool and refreshing because of that.
3. The cafes – Highland Flagpole, Deco Cafe, Magnolia, Dien Bien Phu Street – each have a unique atmosphere. Even when drunk, I still crave cappuccino, still drink it, and strangely love Hanoi. Hanoi’s coffee is special. Visiting Cafe Nhan on Hang Hanh Street, a gathering place for the big shots and masters of the city. I enjoy working outside in cafes with my laptop and friends, and chatting with everyone.
4. I like taking someone, whether they’re from Hanoi or not, on a ride through Hanoi’s streets. That feeling of adventure and dreams, then thinking about my favorite food, because taking someone out means going out to have fun and eat.
5. I’m addicted to Hanoi’s chicken pho, the street food stalls, nem tai (pork ear rolls), bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli), and Thai sweet soup in Doi Can and Kim Lien.
6. I love Hanoi’s flowers in all seasons, the flowers wandering the streets. Simple and strangely captivating!
7. I love Hanoi at dawn, 2 AM, 5 AM; it feels like a different Hanoi, shy and quiet.
8. I love Hanoi at night, at 11 PM, the streets are deserted, with only a few people left, mostly returning from late-night movie screenings. The Hanoi night rain is also wonderful, the sounds of nature like the melody of life.
9. I love the atmosphere of Cinematheques and exhibition spaces, theaters. It’s great whether you go alone or with a few close friends. After watching a movie, you can eat right nearby at many delicious places.
10. Only in Hanoi do blogs and Facebook feel this real, and so does backpacking. We’ve become a generation that lives and is shaped by the internet; wherever we go, we meet people.

++++ Walking alone in the Botanical Garden, taking photos of Hanoi in different seasons, and loving Hanoi for its atmosphere, its spirit, its young people who are truly joyful, truly individualistic, and aesthetically pleasing.