Imagine a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of new Asia.  Where the medieval and modern co-exist.  A city with a blend of Parisian grace and Asian pace, an architectural museum piece evolving in harmony with its history, rather than bulldozing through like many of the region’s capitals.  Hanoi is where imagination becomes reality (lonely Planet).

Couldn’t sum it up better ourselves – throughout our stay we have dodged the swarms of crazy motorbikes, weaved our way through the tangled web of streets in the old quarter, watched synchronised t’ai chi along the Hoan Kiem Lake and got a real taste for cafe culture while sipping bia (beer) and sometimes coffee with the locals.  Hanoi has it all, you couldn’t but enjoy this great city.

For us above all else was the buzz and character of the old quarter – you will see by the photographs - it has a real mix: an ancient history, a colonial legacy and a modern outlook.  We wished we could stay longer than five days but we must move on.  The further north of Vietnam you go the better it gets for sure.

This about sums us the motorbike scene, sometimes as many as four children are transported by a guardian, madness!