The roar gets closer. In a few seconds, the waiters fold the tables against the walls, the tourists press against the facades and the train crosses the alley a few tens of centimeters from us. Welcome to Train Street. It is here that we discover Hanoi for the first time, among the cafes set up along the rails and the cameras already ready to immortalize the passage of the train. We then wonder if this attraction reflects the image of the city, or if Hanoi has much more to offer than this now famous decor.
For this first day, we start with the great classic. With an egg coffee in our hands, we wait for the train to pass on Train Street in the north, the more famous of the two. This Hanoi specialty, however, is not an egg coffee as its name might suggest. It is a Vietnamese coffee topped with a whipped foam made from egg yolk, sugar and condensed milk, the texture of which is almost reminiscent of a tiramisu. The one we drink here is okay, nothing more. The place mainly focuses on spectacle. Fortunately, we will taste several others during our stay, much better this time. And almost every day, we will return to a Train Street, sometimes to the north, sometimes to the south, much quieter, simply to watch the trains go by while having a coffee.
Very quickly, another discovery takes over. Vietnamese cuisine. Before this trip, many dishes were completely unknown to us. We discover bun cha, composed of grilled pork served in a broth with rice vermicelli and fresh herbs, banh cuon, thin rice pancakes garnished with meat and mushrooms, or even chè, a Vietnamese dessert which comes in a multitude of versions, mixing beans, fruits, jellies, coconut milk or even tapioca. Each meal becomes a new curiosity, and it is probably one of the countries where we have broadened our palette of flavors the most.
At nightfall, there is a complete change of atmosphere. Head to Beer Street. As soon as we enter the street, touts approach us from all sides. Each terrace wants to convince us to sit at their place. For Europeans unaccustomed to this level of intensity, it is frankly disconcerting, almost aggressive at times. Then we quickly get into the game. We settle in, and this is where we also discover a first travel lesson: the displayed price is never the final price. The glasses that we were told cost 180,000 dong ended up costing 100,000 after a few exchanges (Matthieu proved to be a fine negotiator). A gin and tonic placed on the small table, we spend a good part of the evening simply observing this street where there is always something happening.
And then there is this now iconic scene from Beer Street. Small plastic stools invade the sidewalks even though they are, in theory, reserved for pedestrians. The police regularly carry out checks to enforce this rule. As soon as she appears at the end of the street, everything accelerates. The employees quickly fold the chairs, the customers get up, the sidewalks become spotless again... until the agents disappear. A few minutes later, the stools reappear as if nothing had happened. We watch this perfectly practiced ballet with a drink in hand, almost as amused by the scene as by the atmosphere of the street itself.
The following days, we also take the time to discover another side of Hanoi. We visit the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, where the former Vietnamese leader rests, then the imperial city of Thang Long, witness to nearly a thousand years of history, before joining the Temple of Literature, the country's first university. Between two visits, we often prefer to simply stroll through the streets of the Old Quarter, get lost in the random alleys, stop at a café, try a new restaurant or discover a new Vietnamese specialty.
If there's one thing that stands out to us as much as Train Street, it's the traffic. Crossing a street in Hanoi almost becomes a combat sport. Scooters and cars never seem to stop, even at pedestrian crossings. The first few times are frankly impressive. Then we quickly understand the rule: move forward slowly, without hesitation, keep a constant pace and let the vehicles slalom around us. We even end up adopting the local technique, which consists of raising a well-filled water bottle in an ostensibly threatening manner to signal one's presence and clear a path. Said like that, it seems completely crazy. However, after a few days, we almost end up finding it... natural.
Ultimately, this is perhaps the true face of Hanoi. A city where chaos seems to reign everywhere, but where everyone ultimately finds their place. Trains pass through cafes, scooters contour