We arrive in Hanoi for the next part of our trip in Vietnam. We are greeting by our tour guide Tom who will be our guide for the next day.

After taking us to our hotel – Hotel Tirant – in the heart of the old quarter, we join a few other couples on a street food tour with Tom.

What a treat! We sample sticky rice with fried onion, mung paste and pate which was very tasty! Pork skewers, excellent spring rolls and baguette stuffed with vegetable and meat.

He then takes us passed the tourist beer pub to the local place – Bia Ba Ba – where sitting low on the little plastic stool, we sample the draught beer, brewed daily locally and with no preservatives so it is only good for the day.

Tom is full of stories and knowledge as he is born and raised himself in the old quarter. It tells us that it is $35,000USD per square feet in that area and he lives in 400 square feet house with his parents, grandmother and brother and his family of 4. They each have their corner!

In the evening, we have a drink at the spectacular rooftop of our hotel.

The next day we are off the Ninh Bihm and the caves of Tac Oc.

We first stop at the temple for the emperor Ding who had established the capital there because it is protected at the back with mountains at the front by a river. His successor will move the capital to Hanoi because it is becoming too crowded.

Next, we go to the river where local rice farmer row boats to show the caves to tourists….with their feet!

She is the first person that I meet who speaks a bit of French. The landscape is beautiful and the caves very low!

On our way back, Tom takes us to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum but to get there, we must fight Hanoi’s traffic. It is hard to describe the chaos but Tom has to actually give us lessons on how to cross the street. There are no rules or respect for lights. Everyone – especially scooters – go in every direction. You must not hesitate, never back up or run and show confidence. Make eye contact with the drive. It is CRAZY!

We get into the gouvernement compound and Tom points the Canadian embassy which is one of the few that is in the compound.

The mausoleum is spectacular and chuck and Tom exchange on facts about the war and the history of the country. The government building is across the street. Tom is a fantastic guide!

Our day with Tom is great and we really appreciated him as our guide for those two tours.

The next day we are off the Halong Bay – one of the highlights of the trip for me.

We drive a few hours to board our Sean cruise with another exceptional guide – Sunday.

It is a very beautiful and picturesque landscape with its 1969 islands.

The room is lovely and roomy with a small balcony to enjoy the view. There is only 32 passengers and a beautiful sun deck and two dining rooms.

We take the opportunity to dive into the Ha long bay and the East Sea (otherwise knows as the South China Sea) and enjoy a short kayaking tour around an island.

The food is truly exceptional as is the service. Our perfect waitress, Loeung – runs to serve us ! Always with a beautiful smile!

In the evening, Sunday treats us to a small concert of monocorde – a traditional Vietnamese instrument. It is really lovely.

Back on land, we drive back to Hanoi for our flight to Da Nang and the next step of our Vietnamese adventure….more to come!