First 24h in Hanoi – an introduction to the city by English-Students

“Are you busy?“, she asked us, and 6 more pairs of eyes were looking at us.

We arrived in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam. We just slowed down from our first wander around the old town of iconic Hanoi. We got a first glance of the city, and tested the waters for buying a motorbike in Hanoi. After all, this is the plan: getting two motorbikes and drive them from the North to the South of Vietnam.

We just bought a soft drink, and sat down at the famous Hoàn Kiếm Lake, when these 7 young Vietnamese approached us.

“Are you busy?“, she asked. “Well…“, we replied only hesitantly, looking into the excited eyes of young men and women.

“We are students, and we want to talk with you. In English. We are looking for foreigners we can talk to.”

“oh, yes, sure“, we replied. They sat down next to us, and we started to chat about so many topics. Hanoi, food, our heritage, their heritage, their language school, motorbikes, and they even shared the legend of the Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

– – –

We are Anna and Matt, the two founders of Hostelgeeks. Together with our team of writers we are collecting the worlds most amazing hostels, the 5 Star Hostels.

Our new project took us all the way from North to South of Vietnam, visiting hostels, Vietnamese homestay, and meeting people along the journey.

In Hanoi, we visited the brand new homestay “Momento – My Little Vietnam“, a carefully design hub of creatives.

The little homestay features 4 detailed decorated rooms, kept in different themes of Vietnam, and they even offer workshops like glass painting, leather goods handmade, and embroiderer.

– – –

More travel stories from Vietnam

Read: my last impressions from Saigon changed everything

Read: drinking Rice shots with Vietnam War Veterans

More guides on Vietnam

We have traveled around Vietnam for more than 3 months.

On our journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, we have experienced so many wonderful things.

Our travel tips Vietnam here:

27 Best Things to do in Vietnam – including motorbikes, tractors and monkeys

24 BEST Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City/ Saigon (including understanding the cities history and name)

The coolest and best hostel in Ho Chi Minh City with roof top terrace and fun vibes

109 travel photos from Vietnam

a guide to Sa Pa Vietnam, how to get there and have a great time with the locals villagers

last but not least, a guide how to find coffee shops in Da Nang