After a couple of hours sleep at the Sama Sama Hotel, it was off to breakfast with Mike & Joy at 7.15am, before heading back over to the KL Airport for our 9.45am flight to Hanoi. Overall we were impressed with the hotel, and the few hours sleep we did get, aided by a healthy breakfast managed to have us all in pretty good spirits for the flight.
The flight left on time in light rain and a bit of bumpy cloud on ascent. It is only a 3 hour flight, so it went quickly and the seats were a bit more comfortable than those on our flight from Sydney.
Arrival at Hanoi corresponded with a few other arrivals at around the same time, and the arrival hall was full, with immigration procedures being a little slower than we are accustomed to. Nevertheless , we eventually cleared immigration and customs and were met by a driver from Indochina tours, who took us to our hotel, The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel.
Outer Fringes of Hanoi
Hotel Entrance
The Hotel is part of the heritage of Hanoi, a lovely old building very much in the style of Raffles in Singapore. The rooms are large and tastefully fitted out and service is excellent. There are reminders of the past colonial era of Vietnam's history every where, including a couple of vintage Citroen's that are available for tours.
Once checked in, we decided to head to the bar for a well earned beer. The bamboo bar, which adjoins the swimming pool seemed the perfect choice.
After a relaxing drink, we decided to venture out on the streets of Hanoi and explore the immediate area around the Hotel, hopefully surviving crossing the roads in chaotic traffic where pedestrians are seen as sport. Crossing at marked pedestrian crossings affords no protection.
We are located in the French Quarter in the old part of Hanoi, so are surrounded by stunning colonial architecture everywhere you walk, and we are a short distance from Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter.
The Opera House
Many of the old buildings are now Embassies or residences for Foreign Diplomats.
As we walked around the streets, immediately near the hotel, we found we must have arrived in wedding season, as we saw a number of couples having their photos taken against the backdrop of this area.
We had a quick walk down to the lake and a short walk around there, before deciding to head back to the hotel. We can have a much longer look around tomorrow.
Hoan Kiem Lake
Vietnamese food was naturally our proffered cuisine for dinner, so we decided to try a restaurant just behind the hotel, Club Opera.
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