Hanoi is the old bustling city in the north of Viet Nam; on the one-hand it reveres Uncle Ho and his socialist ideals, and on the other embraces regulated-market capitalism. There are storefronts and food stalls on every square inch of block in the old quarter of Ha Noi, sidewalks included, it makes it’s NYC equivalent Greenwich Village look like a ghost town.
This is where I encountered the ubiquitous vietnamese staple, a hot slurpy noodle dish called Pho. I became instantly addicted to Pho and after spending almost three days in Hanoi, I must have eatin’ it five times. Hanoi was also where my obsession with motor scooters took on mythic proportions as walking in Vietnam is as endangered as the rare sight of a car. Mopeds are everywhere and with businesses set up on the sidewalk, you really need eyes in the back of your head, to be able to walk down the street and not get hit by the schools of gliding mopeds. To feel the near-miss of a scooter’s handlebar against the side of your arm is a constant sensation.
