Quiet Times in Hanoi over Tet
Quiet times in Hanoi: taking it easy and playing ‘Chinese’ Chess on the railway tracks
This is now our third Tet that we have spent in Hanoi. Unlike most of the expat crowd, who use the time off to get out of Hanoi, for us it is the one time of the year where it is difficult to find care for Tala, so we have decided to always stay and just make the most of a slightly quieter Hanoi. Now on the 5th day of Tet things are beginning to pick up and I fear the slower days with sidewalks free of motorbikes will be over until next year. Below are some photos from the last few days – walks with Tala, people around Hanoi and some of the festivities on New Year’s eve.
Tala was dismayed by the conversion of her favorite neighborhood dog friendly restaurant into a Joma, a ‘doggist’ cafe…
Tala checking out an illegal cock fight happening on the grounds of the convention centre…
Finally we reached the big Lenin Park – blissfully empty save a few dog owners and three Sudanese going for a stroll. Piers had a chance to use his Arabic again!
After the long walk Tala was ready for bed so Piers and I left her at home while we had a nice new year’s eve dinner at Moose and Roo followed by a cocktail at the Metropole. We headed back out onto the crowded streets at about 11:50pm – just in time to catch the fireworks and the throngs of people watching them and capturing the moment on their phones!
After the fireworks we headed home down Hang Gai and Hang Bong, where it was incredible to watch all the people burning votive offerings on the street including quite a few horse effigies!
We’ve had very mild weather so everyone has been out enjoying themselves for Tet.
Young men have been celebrating and drinking coffee as well as stronger stuff around town. These guys were clearly enjoying the mild weather and their tofu hotpot – vodka bottles were under the table…
A girl in a tutu waiting for her ride
Chuc Mung Nam Moi – Happy New Year! I hope everyone living in Vietnam has had a great holiday whether they stayed here or went abroad.