The quick round-up – I’ve eaten Bánh mì, Phở bò, cơm chiên hải sản, and chicken from a Vietnamese KFC. I’ve been to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (though not inside), seen the small Ngoc Son Temple out on a small lake, walked around West Lake, had a foot massage and slept badly.

I’m still figuring out what to include in these posts. There’s always something to tell about, after all. I discover and experience something new every day, but just as many of those things are about me as they are about Vietnam; in terms of how I want to move around and live for the next many months, in terms of what I want to achieve, create and take with me after this trip, in terms of how my own preferences become clearer now that I’m exposing myself to something very different.

For instance, right now I find it hard to manage my laundry. I still need to set up a practical system to keep clean separate from reusable, separate from what needs washing. Is the answer a couple of laundry bags, maybe on a carabiner hanging off the side of the backpack? Yes, probably, so that’s likely what I’ll try next.

So what have I actually been doing in Hanoi? I’ve walked around the city and taken it in. About 80km over the first 4 days. One day I walked around West Lake in Hanoi, about 20km to get around, plus whatever came loose from other activities that day. As I walk, I experience city life; the constant traffic of scooters and cars, the small nooks with a little bit of peace, the many small, tight alleys leading to private homes, the rituals of meeting up before and after the working day in big groups for a round of Pho, security guards on stools in front of every shop that holds even a hint of value, the relaxedness at lunchtime and the busyness in the evening.

In my previous post I wrote that I was about to move on from Hanoi in a few days. But that’s probably not going to happen so fast. Unlike every other trip I’ve been on, there’s no big deadline, no trip home, that means I have to be done with a place within a few days. So I’m giving myself some more time in Hanoi and the surrounding area. I’m taking one more week in Hanoi, but with the intention of taking some day trips to some of the places close to Hanoi.

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