The night life of Hanoi (Not that type!)

Trip Start Nov 07, 2009

Trip End Dec 12, 2009

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Where I stayed

Rising Dragon Hotel Hanoi (aka. Rising Dragon Hotel Hanoi)

(Hanoi hotels)

Flag of Vietnam Hanoi, Vietnam
Friday, November 27, 2009

We done some more walking around Hanoi today. To be honest, it wasn't so much of a sightseeing day more of a lets see what Hanoi is really like. We didn't really have a plan just thought we would walk around till we found somewhere we liked and then stay there for a bit. We saw quite a bit of Hanoi but we went to le pub for food we met up with a french duo who persuaded us to go to the pub he worked at where the drinks were apparently much cheaper. Being a non drinker i wasn't expecting the water to be any cheaper and it wasn't! It's harder than you think being teetotal! Afterwards we went to a more trendy pub called Mao's red lounge but at 2am i decided to call it a day (or night) and went back to the Hotel. Luckily i had a map but what followed was something out of a horror film! We all left the pub (well the police kicked us out) and that's where Rumit and Minal continued the drinking escapades.

I decided to walk back and after about 1 minute i had left the "you want tuk tuk", "you want boom boom" crowds and decended into literally dead streets. Despite my years of martial arts training and the black belt which means I am "impervious to darkness and fear" i was feeling a bit vulnerable! The familiar streets were deserted and familiar stalls were gone totally removing all my points of reference. Also unlike London where most retailers have lights or shop signs on all night, some streets i went down were pitch black with only the occasional rat to keep me company. I was joined by a lady on a motorbike who asked if i wanted a "moto" which i kindly declined. Good job really as the next thing she asked was "You want lady massage" with that look that meant only one thing! Again i gracefully declined and continued along the streets, once again alone. Apparently i must have walked through her turf as Minal and Rumit also met the same woman about an hour later. I don't know whether they took her up on her offer or not.

Rather than walking directly back to the hotel it became a game, at every cross roads, as to where was i and which looked the most populated and which had the most lights. Obviously this meant my journey home took twice as long, was twice as nerve racking but ultimately all unfounded, for that night anyway! To be honest, the Vietnamese have all been very friendly and i wouldn't expect there to be any issues but then again you always have to be aware of these things just in case!