Hanoi was disappointing
It’s supposed to be a megacity with like 9 million people, but when it comes to places worth actually going to, it doesn’t have much to do something.
The Old Quarter and the area around Hoan Kiem Lake are basically all there is to see, and you can walk around the whole thing in like 30 minutes.
And all they sell is the same cheap, fake shit every stalls and shops.
I didn’t like the aggressive touting on Beer Street either. Instead of having exciting energy, it felt shady and uncomfortable, especially if you were walking through there with your family and partner. Train Street was worth seeing, although the drinks were pretty expensive
When I asked where I could go when it was raining, rocals recommended Lotte Mall.
So I went to what’s supposed to be one of the biggest malls in Hanoi, and there was no interesting Vietnamese restaurants, local shopping, random local goods.
I visited several museums too, but they weren’t well put together. Some were decent, but most didn’t have many actual exhibits and weren’t well maintained.
A lot of the displays were just photos or pamphlets instead of real, and the air conditioning barely worked.
People say Hanoi feels more traditional than Ho Chi Minh City, but I didn’t get that impression. The north and south definitely do feel different though. Anyway, I don’t think I’d visit again.