Hà Nội ơi!

Last night, I arrived in Hanoi for my fifth visit. I have many fond memories since my first adventure in 2006 and my love for this country has kept me coming back.

Returning to Hanoi is like meeting a good friend you haven't seen for a long time. Any initial fears that you will no longer have anything in common soon melt away. You recognise all the  familiarities, quirks and things you liked in the first place. The friendship grows and evolves as you reminisce about the good times and create new memories.

Shortly after arriving I felt comfortable and happy to be back. Although I realised that learning Chinese has had a negative impact on my Vietnamese skills. My head just isn't big enough to contain all the tones and vocabulary.

Visiting Hoàn Kiếm Lake (also known as Hồ Gươm) instantly puts a smile on my face. People may believe that seeing a turtle in this lake will bring you good fortune, but just walking around the lake makes me feel very lucky. (Incidentally, I have seen a turtle there on at least two separate occasions. I should probably start playing the lottery).

Today I met with Anh Minh. We started off the day with cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese iced coffee with sweet condensed milk).

For lunch, I was overjoyed to eat bò bít tết. I have been craving this meal for an eternity! Sizzling food makes me happy. The steak is served (sizzling)on a hot plate and comes with egg, chips (fries), meatballs and vegetables. You also get bread to mop up the juices.

Afterwards, we went to a rather cool cafe where I had a cupcake with lime frosting washed down with a hibiscus and honey tea.

Later, following a quick reunion with Chi Dung, I had dinner with Chi Nhung. Dinner involved bánh đúc (a soft rice cake in fish sauce with garnish) and bánh xèo (pancake stuffed with bean sprouts, onion and shrimp).

It has been great to catch up with friends.

I am glad that the most popular method of transport in Hanoi is still on two wheels. The experience of travelling around the streets by motorbike; taking in the sights, sounds and smells whilst feeling the cool breeze could not be recreated from inside a car.

After an evening tour of The Old Quarter and surrounding area, Nhung and I went to a cafe on the rooftop of a building and drank sinh tố chanh leo (passion fruit smoothies) while taking in the views of the city. A wonderful first day back in Hanoi.

Có những lý do tại sao tôi yêu Việt Nam. Tôi yêu văn hóa, phong cảnh và con người Việt Nam.
Tôi là một người ghiền món ăn Việt Nam.
Vào năm 2006, tôi dạy tiếng Anh tình nguyện ở Hà Nội. Lúc đó, tôi không biết làm thế nào để trở thành giáo viên giỏi O_o

Mỗi lần trở lại Việt Nam, tôi có những kỉ niệm không thể quên.

Bây giờ, tôi không phải là tây ba lô. Tôi là tây va li! O(∩_∩)O