From Christmas Eve to New Years Eve, I spent a week with my friend in Hanoi, Vietnam. We spent a few days wandering around the city, and discovered a few great restaurants. We also saw the outside of a few monuments like the Ho Chi Minh Masoleum. For a couple of days, we took a boat cruise around Halong Bay (a UNESCO world heritage site). The views were absolutely gorgeous! After we got back, we took a night train to Sapa, and trekked to a few Hmong villages. The surroundings were just beautiful!
I really enjoyed my vacation, but I have to say that I don't especially want to go back to Vietnam. All the native Vietnamese we talked to only seemed to be after our money. I don't know how many times we were warned to guard our things, or how many times we heard the phrase "buy from me," but it was definitely enough to wear us down. Nothing seemed really genuine.
My absolute favorite part about Hanoi was a local ice cream shop just a few doors down from our hostel. We discovered it mid week, and went back at least 4 times! If you can believe it, it tastes even better than it looks!
