lang: en

lang: en

lang: en

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Arriving at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 23:15, we finished dealing with the visa stickers close to 1:00 in the local early morning. Yawning and dragging our luggage along with our offline brains, we finally made it out of the arrival gate.

There was no one holding up a sign to pick us up as expected. The vehicle booked by the hotel to pick us up was supposed to be there by 23:15. Realizing we were already two hours late and with no way to directly contact the driver, it seemed that they might have left.

After exchanging some money in the arrival hall, we were prepared to take a taxi to the hotel. But as soon as we stepped outside, we saw a driver holding a sign with my name. It was a sudden mix of shock and joy, genuinely touching.

In a mature business society, there are numerous solutions to handle the information confirmation. For example, I suggested the hotel could have added my Telegram or Zalo (Vietnamese WeChat), or even sent me emails in time. But they didn’t.

This insensitivity to confirming details is in everywhere of Vietnam’s service industry. However, it’s also understandable; Vietnamese people are just starting out in business, and they still have a long way to go in terms of specific service processes and efficiency. But on the other hand, it’s this belief in making a deal even after waiting for two hours at the airport.

During this four-day trip to Vietnam, we stayed in the old city area, which was much more bustling than before. The streets filled with bicycles, electric scooters and motorcycles, interspersed with some cars. The entire city has benefited from the upgrading of transportation options, with everyone moving faster and more efficiently. In this rapidly moving city, municipal construction is far behind the roar of motorcycle engines and exhaust fumes.Traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, traffic police, and even street lights are severely lacking. But people have their own way of dealing with it.

They rely on courage. By the third day in Hanoi, I could calmly cross a crowded intersection filled with cars, electric scooters, and pedestrians amidst rhythmic honking. I could even calmly observe some foreign tourists performing a special show of crossing the road. A sturdy white man who had just arrived in the city, carrying two children across the road, looking serious, his eyes wide open. An elderly couple hesitated before crossing the road near the Hanoi Central Prison ruins; the man held his wife’s elbow tightly throughout the crossing, only letting go once they were safely across. A group of backpackers, unrecognizable as belonging to any particular nationality, cheered as they crossed the road in the evening, the girls shouting “yes!”

In Hanoi, crossing the road relies on courage.

With a bit more courage, you can ride a motorcycle taxi in the old city of Hanoi. Grab provides a reliable platform, and the transportation fees of 3 to 5 dollars can be standardized into deals.

At first, I was terrified of taking motorcycle taxis. From the perspective of a city dweller accustomed to a more regulated traffic environment, riding a motorcycle taxi in a city where traffic is primarily self-regulated felt like a huge risk. But from a coffee shop to the Imperial Citadel, I successfully completed my first ride. With good weather, sitting on the back of a motorcycle, I could enjoy passing through the Hanoi Train Street, the Lenin statue, and the embassy area. The Grab driver seemed to be riding a steady high horse, maneuvering freely through the dense traffic, with the wind brushing against my face, feeling exhilarated. After that, I took my second and third rides. I even took a motorcycle taxi to the AEON supermarket on the other side of the river. My butt was sore afterward, but feeling the wind on the bridge was the most liberating sensation. I don’t know the actual accident rate of this mode of transportation, but at least in my biased sample, I experienced the carefree joy of riding.

On New Year’s Eve, we took a stroll in the old city to celebrate. There was a New Year’s Eve performance at Tiger Crystal, and the surrounding area was packed.

Young boys and girls rode in groups, parking their electric scooters in three layers beside the narrow streets.

The streets were filled with young faces, happy and excited. Even those who were just sitting with us on the small steps by the lake, next to the Hoan Kiem Lake, were excited and joyful. Beautiful girls enjoyed the happiness of being surrounded. Their young, bright eyes, sparkling with the belief that everything would get better, were unforgettable.

On our way back, we passed by the Yen Mountain Temple memorial temple. A young Vietnamese man prayed devoutly in front of a pillar, on which an emperor holding a sword was depicted, ready to return it to the golden ghost.

It seemed like everyone in this city believed devoutly that everything would get better. They were full of hope, as if they had never considered any other possibility.