We’ve spent ‘millions’ during our first month in Vietnam

One million Vietnamese Dong
One million Vietnamese Dong

HANOI, VIETNAM – Let me first state that our lifestyle in Hanoi is anything but lavish, and I’ll go into more detail about those “millions” in just a minute.

We’re currently living in a one-bedroom second-floor apartment on a busy residential/commercial street about a block away from a small lake. Our apartment is modest in size, roughly 600 square feet.
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What’s for lunch? I have no idea, but we’ll take two…

A typical streetside cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam
A typical streetside cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam

HANOI, VIETNAM – After a stimulating morning at the Museum of Ethnology and a “quick stop” at the gigantic VinMart supermarket that turned into an epic hour-plus meander over the entire store, we were finally back on the street, and more than ready to find something to eat.
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Southeast Asia – Come for the weather, stay for the fruit

Fresh fruit salad in the morning, including black-speckled dragon fruit.
Fresh fruit in the morning, including ripe mango, banana, grapefruit and black-speckled dragon fruit.

HANOI, VIETNAM – For most of the three-and-a-half weeks we’ve been in Hanoi it’s been around 70 degrees during the day (except for a brief cold spell, and a few days that were near 80) — a far cry from the chilly weather we experienced just before we left the Pacific Northwest.

Skipping winter from now on was one of my main desires when we were looking for a place to stay for a while. That and easy access to a market where we could buy fresh food.

So far we’re winning on both counts.
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Hanoi Old Town Hotel – A great place to stay!

Hanoi Old Town Hotel staff members David, Oanh, Giang, Chi, Sarah, James and Lily
Hanoi Old Town Hotel staff members David, Oanh, Giang, Chi, Sarah, James and Lily
Lisa handles the front desk with excellent service
Lisa handles the front desk with excellent service

HANOI, VIETNAM – We are not getting paid for this plug and that is just fine. This hotel in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Town was a really great place to stay – great breakfast, great helpful staff, great location, and all around good safe choice. We stayed here for 9 days so we got a good feel for everything about the place.
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