Day 1 - Hanoi

We've arrived in Hanoi today. The plane landed at 04:45 in the morning - roughly 23:45 middle european time - but it took another hour to get going. We got on the bus to the hotel - the drive from Hanoi Airport takes roughly 45 minutes, and dropped off our bagage at the hotel (Hanoi ICC).

Now, there're two things to say about Hanoi - You can buy everything for an extremely low price, and there is a -lot- of motorcycles. And by a lot, I mean 20-30 per intersection. That, and the traffic "rules" (If you need to cross the road, you start walking, and the trafficants will either stop or drive around you (it's very interesting to watch) ) makes Hanoi one of the busiest cities I've visited yet.

(that's an ordinary road above.)

The Vietnamese are a people stricken by poverty, and this is apparent when you visit Hanoi - the streets are lined with one-room shops selling anything from souvenirs to clothes over snacks. Most food is sold on markets. Street merchants also patrol the city, trying to sell  bananas, hats or souvenir fans. The economic culture in Vietnam is based on haggling - merchants will usually name an overly high price, which you're supposed to negotiate down (even though one can be discouraged from haggling - a difference in 10,000 Dong (ordinary street-level wares cost from 20,000 to 100,000 Dong) "translates" to roughly 3 DKK, or 0.5 euro). As mentioned, everything is extremely cheap - a two-course meal at a good restaurant costs roughly 60 DKK, or 8 euro...

Most of today passed with walking around the city / going on Sightseeing. I'll be back tomorrow with a more detailed experience (we're due to visit a few more specified locations). See you then!

~Kristoffer