I arrived Hanoi very early morning, via the soft sleeper night train from Nanning, China. And slept well on the train, especially after drinking half a Coke Zero bottle of red wine chatting with a young Frenchman who’d traveled by train all the way from Europe. The trans-Siberian express was an excellent experience, he told.

Unfortunately we twice had to troop out of our sleeper cars hauling luggage for two inefficient border crossings.

Showing up at Little Hanoi Diamond hotel at 5:30an is normal. All kinds of tours arrive and depart the Old Quarter Hanoi early morning. I found this one hotel amongst hundreds of alternatives with Tripadvisor. Booked with Little Hanoi directly. $15 / night including a wonderful breakfast and all the Vietnamese (hot) coffee I can drink all day long.

Sweetened condensed milk is the dream ingredient.

After breakfast I headed over to Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

Only 400km from modern Nanning, old Hanoi feels far different. A nice change.

I’m living large on this trip. Check my room.

In 2014, Hanoi ranked #8 in TripAdvisor’s list of World Best Destinations (by Travellers’ Choice).

I’m going to have trouble leaving. 🙂