From the airport we took a taxi to the Sunline hotel. Whenever I visit Hanoi I stay in this hotel, because for me it provides the perfect value for money, with great service, an abundant breakfast and a very good location right in the center of Old Quarter.
Above I write whenever I visit Hanoi, which by now has been six times during two travels to Vietnam. You might ask, why so often? Although I like Hanoi a lot, it's also quite loud and hectic, which can become a bit too much, if you stay too long. So I never stay more than two nights.
I think the perfect way to explore Hanoi without getting annoyed by the noise is to mix it with some exploration of the countryside of northern Vietnam. Since it's located in midst of many beautiful areas, I usually start and end such tours in Hanoi.
This is also what we did after arriving from Hong Kong. We spent two days exploring Hanoi before heading of to Cat Ba and later Ninh Binh. Then after coming back to Hanoi for another two days we went to Mai Chau. Before we left Vietnam we spent another night in Hanoi. Those tours into the countryside will be the topic of one of the next articles.
The streets in Old Quarter are full of life. There's something going on at every corner, which makes it the perfect place for street photography. But also, if you are not interested in photography, Old Quarter has a lot to offer: There are great restaurants, bars, a night market and also many tour agencies are located here.
I'll now leave you with a few photos I captured of the street life in Old Quarter. See you in the next article.
