I arrived yesterday morning Vietnam time, +6 hours relative to Denmark. The trip was a bit rough, mostly because I couldn’t fall asleep on my 10-hour flight from Kastrup to Ho Chi Minh City. On the short leg from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi I finally fell asleep, but could of course be woken up again quickly since the trip only took 1.5 hours.

To fix my circadian rhythm to Viet time, the plan was to stay awake until early evening. A plan my body wasn’t exactly eager to cooperate with.

To keep myself going I decided to head out and see the area. My hostel is in what’s called the Old Quarters. Small, tight streets and alleys with shops and food stalls. Along the streets there are scooters, or Vietnamese people sitting on small stools in front of their shops. In the middle of the street there’s a stream of cars and scooters, and you constantly have to watch out for whether you’re about to be hit or clipped by a side mirror. You’re in no doubt, though, if you’re in the way, since horns blare loudly and insistently the moment a driver suspects you of stepping out in front of them.

Hanoi is a busy city, and the Old Quarters takes that busyness and squeezes it into even less space.

I’ve arrived in Vietnam right at the tail end of their New Year. “Tet” is a big celebration that spans a week. I’ve arrived on the last day, when the decorations are still up, but the festivities are winding down. The city is covered in red flags, either with the Chinese yellow star or a yellow hammer and sickle. I haven’t figured out the connection between the flags and New Year yet. Even though I could probably quickly google my way to the answer, I’ll let it stay a little mystery I can chat about with a local.

Once you get out of the Old Quarters, the city opens up a bit more. It’s still busy, with a constant hum of motor traffic and people, but with a population of just under 9 million, that’s to be expected. There’s a bit more room on the sidewalk, though you still have to zigzag around scooters and trees. Along all the bigger roads, trees have been placed on the sidewalk. Not alongside it, not next to it — right in the middle of the sidewalk there are gaps in the tiles with trees planted in them. As a pedestrian you’re constantly walking around them.

I feel a bit underdressed. In sports shorts and a training t-shirt, I stand out from most others in the city. Shirts and suits, or nicely embroidered blouses with matching skirts, can be seen everywhere. My guess is that there are relatively many Chinese people in the city to celebrate New Year, and that they’re the ones raising the dress code. But fashion aside, people generally walk around in long sleeves and trousers. Even though the sun isn’t out, it’s still around 27 degrees with fairly high humidity, given that it’s not raining today. It could of course be that I still haven’t acclimatized, but right now I’d have a hard time walking around in more clothes than I’m wearing now.

My plans are still very open. I’ve decided to travel south instead of north. That means I’m saving Ha Giang and Sapa for another good time, maybe later in March/April when the weather is better. That leaves me with the question of how I want to move south, and how fast. I could choose to fly down to Ho Chi Minh. Alternatively I could take the train/bus down through Vietnam and make a few stops along the way. To decide, I’m talking with some of the locals at the hostel as well as other travelers. My luxury is that I’m not in a hurry. I have time to let the journey become part of the experience. So I’m leaning mostly toward taking it slow down through Vietnam.

For now, Hanoi gets 2-3 more days this time around.

Want to support the journey? Read more here.