Hanoi is an interesting mix of old and new. We stayed in the Old Quarter where the streets are small and narrow…vendor’s stores spill out onto the sidewalks, motorbikes are parked everywhere, women wear the pointy bamboo hats carrying their goods across their backs and just about every spare space people set up little stools and tables to sit, drink, eat and socialize. Crossing the street is an interesting experience as there are very few street lights or pedestrian crossings, no stop signs and tons of traffic…you just have to step out into it, slowly and confidently walk across.  It’s quite an experience.

Great places to eat in Hanoi:

- Rock Billy - Great food and service! The staff are friendly, good music and atmosphere, drinks are well priced and come with ice (we ordered cocktails at some other bars/restaurants and were always puzzled when they were served without ice).  We started off with the soup…I tried the pumpkin while Sherri had the mushroom soup…both were delicious! Definitely try the Hanoi style fish. It came out sizzling hot & is served alongside a plate of shredded carrots, cucumber, red bell pepper, pineapple, rice noodles, crushed peanuts, cilantro and sheets of rice paper that you take and wrap it all up in a roll & dip in a yummy tangy sauce! It was amazing! For dessert we had the mango crepe…soooo good! Fresh mangos inside a warm crepe drizzled with chocolate sauce. We enjoyed our meal so much that we even came back for lunch the next day and tried the Rock Billy pizza…which sounded a like bit strange combination…it had banana and curry sauce on it amongst other things, but it was really good! 54 Luong Van Can Str., Hoan Kiem Dist. nguyenminhthongtc@yahoo.com

- Papa Joes - three story cafe located near Hoan Kiem Lake…looks really small from the outside but you climb up narrow steps to the different levels which are more spacious. It’s a great place to relax in comfy couches and chairs while enjoying a latte or pot of tea. Really good sandwiches, salads and fresh squeezed juices/smoothies. Ground floor Hanoi Towers, 49 Hai Ba Trung.

- City View Cafe - centrally located near Hoan Kiem Lake you can sit out on the balcony and enjoy a great view of the city and lake. The food was good, traditional Vietnamese food and Western food…cocktails were a little pricey, but it’s all about the location. We found this restaurant on our first night in Hanoi and we were mesmerized by the crazy traffic below. Tons of motorbikes, cars, buses, cyclos and pedistrians all merging…amazing that there were not a ton of accidents.