HANOI: STROLLING INTO CULINARY HEAVEN

My friend Sulu and I showed up here on a cold and foggy day back in March 2014. We hadn’t really known what to expect from this city, our only exposure to it having come from the writings of Somerset Maugham.

We started the visit with much spontaneity. Two girls with their heavy backpacks turned up at their intended hostel only to be told there was no place. So we crossed the street and headed to the delightfully named White Palace Hotel, where we were promptly furnished with a rather small, cold and smelly room. But hey, at least we had a roof over our heads. 

Hanoi old town is full of very narrow buildings that are glued together. These often come with balconies covered in plants, drying laundry and even caged birds. The town buzzes with life. To your left, that small empty space by a wall serves as a pop up barber’s and a young man is getting a shave. Next second a lady walks past you balancing a long pole from which dangle baskets covered in fruits. Another woman cycles by, with a pyramid of woven baskets attached to her bicycle. Two men squat on the curb of the road, in deep conversation while close by an elderly lady snoozes on a stool, pots of tea brewing on tin stoves by her side. You could spend an entire day sitting on a small plastic stool watching people go by without ever getting bored. There are people on motorbikes everywhere, and the absence of traffic lights make crossing roads quite the adventure. 

Over the next few days, Sulu and I meandered around the town and made friends. Two kind girls took us in and showed us around. We travelled on the back of their motorbikes, feeling very authentic. We went to see the Museum of the Revolution with its impressive collection of Vietnam War memorabilia, including a number of downed American fighter planes piled up into a victorious statue. I had never considered the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese point of view, so this was quite an educational display. We also saw temples with beer, money and cigarettes offered to the statues of deities.  We explored the Literary Temple dedicated to the teachings of Confucius. At it’s centre is a gigantic pool of water called the Well of Heavenly Clarity, and it is surrounded by bonsais. A serene place to quietly reflect on life.  We roamed the streets of the old town, buying the odd communist era souvenir - and checked out the night markets with their abundance of counterfeit merchandise. Want a Hermes belt or a pair of Gucci shoes? Look no further than Communist Hanoi. And don’t forget that nice Vuitton watch to complement your new look.

But what surprised us the most here and became the highlight of our trip was the food! Mouthwatering, delicious food that we consumed at every opportunity with glee. We had Pho for breakfast everyday because we chose to. A dinner in town would be made up of numerous courses, each eaten at a different place. The night would start at a street stall selling a Vietnamese pizza, with shredded green mango, spring onions and prawns. The four of us would huddle around a small plastic table, on our small blue plastic stools. This arrangement repeated itself on the pavements of all the nearby streets, creating one gigantic outdoor restaurant, teaming with people chatting and eating under the weak glow of street lamps. Next stop was the man two blocks down who sold Bahn Goi, a type of Vietnamese empanada that we munched on as we walked to the next stop to have some Mi Quang, a variety of noodle soup. We finished the meal with desert in a little cafe tucked away down a side street. This place was famous for its egg coffee, one of the richest and most delicious hot beverages I’ve tasted to date and a calorie bomb. The cafe was full and we were lucky to get a table. All around us people were chatting and playing cards while eating sunflower seeds and sipping their egg coffee. The floor was littered with sunflower hulls. This was a place to stay for hours and we did just that.  

Our favourite food was Bun Cha - a typical Hanoi speciality consisting of pork balls barbecued on a charcoal brazier served with nice noodles, broth and a variety of grassy herbs. I have since tried to find this dish in numerous Vietnamese restaurants in Europe but the food has never matched what we ate while on those little plastic stools under the Hanoi sky. 

To this day my stomach yearns to go back to Hanoi and indulge in its culinary delights.