Next week, I head off to the Maldives and Sri Lanka for an exciting trip, it's inspired me to finally write my Vietnam post. An oldie but a goldie, one I feel I should write because so many people are visiting Vietnam nowadays. I wasn't going to publish this post because I visited Vietnam quite some time ago and have therefore, featured it more than enough times on my blog, however, back in May I headed back to Vietnam and have decided to share a little photo diary of my week in Hanoi. I also think it's a nice comparison point with my 2014 trip too. I'm sorry this is so late by the way. On our Asia trip, we chose to do one whole week in Hanoi because I enjoyed it so much last time around, so let's see what I thought this time. Also, I've put some Hanoi tips and tricks in too so you can have the best time ever if you do go!
We stayed in the Hanoi Pearl hotel, it was good for Vietnam but not the best because we found bedbugs which was pretty off putting. Vietnam isn't really about the accommodation though, it's about the experience. The staff were delightful and apart from the bedbugs, we had a really good, comfortable stay there. It was in a prime location, bang in the middle of everywhere. We headed out for food.
We met up with my local friends who were born in Hanoi, they took us to eat here which was actually incredible. There's a reason it was rammed full! Vietnam is famous for its amazing food, the vegetables are to die for. There's a reason I put Vietnam as one of my favourite destinations in the world (so far). If I'm honest, with Vietnam, once you've seen the photos, you'll totally understand the place, words cannot describe it.
Hanoi is crazy loud and after sometime in paradise, Halong Bay, Hanoi really does feel a little bit too dirty and loud. I'd definitely recommend breaking up your Hanoi trip with a trip to Halong Bay. The beauty of Hanoi is that there are so many hotels, hostels and places where you can organise day trips - it's a really good base. We did a day trip to Yen Duc Village and it was honestly a life changing experience. 
I'm all for luxury breaks, but give me the hustle and bustle of a Vietnamese street and I'm a happy girl. I love exploring places properly and whilst Hanoi has got reasonably more touristy since I last visited, it's still an authentic place to visit, yet to be spoilt by tourists. 
Note Cafe is my favourite, grab a shake or a cup of tea and watch the busy world go by as you leave a sticky note.
My playsuit is from Glamorous. 
We had quite a muggy trip, grey skies but super warm. After one week in Hanoi, as m
uch as I love it, I did start to get pretty ill, I felt the pollution here way more than I did in China.
We headed to a famous coffee shop for a Vietnamese coffee. Delicious.
The markets in Hanoi are epic, beautiful, fresh things everywhere you look.
Walking through the busy streets, I somehow stumbled across an image of myself from my first trip to Hanoi, used to advertise Halong Bay! I obviously didn't tell them they could use this, it just goes to show how far images can circulate!
The night markets in Hanoi are the best, make sure you visit them and fill up on the delicious food. I personally stay away from the meat as I feel like it's cooked in dirty conditions. 
One week in Hanoi is quite a long time, you could easily see everything there is to see in 5 days but it was nice to have leisurely time rather than to be rushing around. 
You've gotta make sure you go for a little guided tour with one of these guys!
and end it with cake by the river.
On our final night, we ate at the best place yet, Little Hanoi. I used TripAdvisor this time whilst in Hanoi, to make sure I was always going to little hidden gems, the best places and Little Hanoi was well worth the visit. We filled up on fresh greens (I became obsessed with morning glory whilst in Vietnam) and yummy rice.
It was time to kiss goodbye to Hanoi, probably for the last time. I feel honoured that I was able to visit Hanoi twice. The first time, it was magical and it was my first 'big, major' long haul flight and my first time out of Europe so naturally it was crazy exciting. Back then, it was pretty much unknown to tourists but everyone seems to visit Vietnam nowadays. You can read about my 2014 Hanoi trip here. I'm happy to say that this time, Hanoi still wasn't overtaken and it was still as fun, loud and crazy as ever, oh and the food was just as good.
You can read all my travel posts here. You can watch my Hanoi vlog below.
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