There are many things to dislike about Hanoi. To wit, it’s ceaselessly noisy, often chokingly hazy, and negotiating the traffic during rush hour is a treacherous endeavour.

But there are even more things to like about Hanoi. I’ll name just three here.

  • Alleyways. As a child, my curiosity was always piqued by narrow lanes and paths that twisted out of sight. Inconspicuous shortcuts and secret passageways were the ultimate discoveries. In Hanoi, I’m a child again. There are countless alleys leading off of major roads into the unknown. Centuries of unplanned construction have left giant mazes within city blocks.
    I love it when a narrow alley unexpectedly leads to a large and elaborate village gate, or to a small pond with a bridge extending to an island pagoda. I am invariably the only foreigner around, and the ‘discovery’, if I can use that word to convey childlike wonder rather than colonial pretension, is deeply rewarding.
  • Sidewalk welding. I cannot tell you why I find the sight of men welding pieces of metal in front of their shops so compelling. But cycling home in the early evening dusk, the sudden flashes of brilliant light in my peripheral vision lend an element of surrealism to my surroundings that I find exhilarating. Perhaps it reminds me that I’m half a world from home.
  • Chestnuts roasting on open fires. At night, the road along the To Lich River is lined with women selling “hạt dẻ nóng” which I learned just the other day means ‘hot chestnuts’. Then there are the vendors on bicycles with fluorescent lights illuminating cotton candy, and metal carts pedaled around with steaming corn on the cob. I have yet to buy any of these, but I find myself grateful that they are there.