6 days in Hanoi, Vietnam | Local food, Coffee shops, Day trip to Ninh Binh | Travel VLOG

0:37 we’ll be spending the next 6 days exploring Hanoi it’s my first time visiting

0:52 Vietnam it’s definitely a loud and vibrant city egg was used in the past

1:53 due to a shortage of milk at the time it tastes like custard

2:02 with a shot of coffee I arrived quite late last night so we’ll just be taking

2:25 it slow getting a feel of the city today first we’re getting some

2:44 lunch we’re at this spring roll place

2:52 that comes with freshly grilled meat skewers

2:59 and this beef in wrapped in leaves which is a must try you wrap

3:11 the meat skewers and veggies to make

3:15 your own spring roll I’m just copying what people

3:25 around me are doing the peanut sauce was so savoury and almost like

3:47 a soup this was my first meal in Vietnam and one of my favorites there’s

4:07 a shop I want to check out next I wasn’t expecting it to be

4:36 inside a barber store this is a second

4:45 hand eyewear shop I wanted some sunglasses

4:51 for the trip and I heard they had quite a good range they have

5:04 both sunglasses and glasses actually had some

5:10 good finds here time for a second coffee

5:37 this cafe looks like it’s out of a fairytale each floor has its own

5:49 design it feels like you’re in a little

6:05 rustic cottage the coffee wasn’t the best,

6:20 it’s definitely one of those places you come more for the vibes

6:32 but it was a nice place to have a break there’s so

6:46 many little snack carts on the street I wanted to try

7:03 these deep fried doughnuts taking a little break at the hotel they were

7:15 freshly made and still warm it surprisingly had this savoury meat filling

7:31 going to spend the afternoon just editing some videos I was also

7:40 a bit tired from all the travelling we’re out to get some

7:55 dinner the nights here are just as lively there’s so many food stalls

8:09 along the streets of course we need to try some local

8:41 pho this small phở shop is tucked away on a side street

8:50 but I think it’s well worth the effort to find it this fried

8:58 dough is popular paired with the pho I got the special bowl

9:07 with a variety of beef I love to add heaps of lime

9:29 the broth was so rich and aromatic the fried dough was a game

9:47 changer time to try some Vietnamese desserts it was so refreshing and not

10:31 too sweet it seems like a lot of cafes are tucked away

10:54 at the back of these buildings this is a specialty coffee shop

11:12 that uses Vietnamese beans they seem to have a lot of awards

11:25 and certificates they use a traditional

11:31 phin slow-brewing method which needs precise

11:38 extraction time so each order takes some time the coffee is topped

11:57 with this coconut cream the sweet coconut cream with the coffee was

12:26 so good it’s another sunny day in Hanoi I love all the vibrant

12:39 colours of the city the streets are filled with sounds of motocycles

12:50 and these iconic shophouses today we’ll explore Hanoi’s Old Quarter by foot

13:10 a typical shophouse uses the ground floor as open commercial space

13:17 and upper floors as living quarters there’s this lake right in the middle

13:47 of the city it’s a little peaceful break from the bustling city

13:56 it looked like many locals come here for some rest time for some

14:24 lunch the meal comes with fresh bánh mì this is sizzling steak

14:49 and eggs dish topped with pâté and sauce the bread was crispy

14:57 on the outside and soft and chewy inside so good dipped with the sauce

15:08 and pate on our way to find another hidden store it’s like

15:44 another world in here with these huge trees growing between the buildings

16:06 and right at the end lies this little bookstore this charming little

16:29 bookstore feels like taking a step back in time you can feel

16:38 the rich history every nook and corner is filled with books most

16:54 of the books are in Vietnamese but I think it’s still worth

17:03 a visit they also serve some beverages although the bookstore is free

17:26 to roam around you can support the store by ordering a drink

17:37 it’s also nice to have some tea surrounded by books this is one

18:10 of the best places to see the sunset in Hanoi you can

18:19 see the sun go down across the lake the whole lake turns

18:36 this golden hue there were also a lot of other setting up

19:00 their cameras for a photo we’re at this small local restaurant for dinner

19:43 been loving fresh coconut water this is a sticky rice dish

20:00 that you can top with various meat and pate this was so savoury

20:15 and flavourful it was even better with the added egg and cucumber

20:32 salad the weathers been so good so far starting off with a coffee

20:55 as usual most coffees here are separated into robusta or arabica arabica

21:07 is a bit more light and fruity while robusta is intense and rich

21:15 I personally prefered the robusta beans we’re taking a grab to our next

21:36 stop which is the incense village in Hanoi all the houses

21:48 here had incense drying outside this village has been producing handmade incense

22:07 for more than 100 years and is said to produce approximately 50

22:15 tons of incense each month the incense is laid out to dry

22:29 each day and it’s open to visitors from 7–4 pm the incense bundles

22:45 are made into different shapes and patterns which makes them great

22:56 for photos the staff were really nice and showed me the making process

23:24 before the machine everything used to be rolled by hand and then

23:33 layed out to dry the colours become so vibrant at the end

23:55 of the day the dry incense are then collected we’re back

24:13 in the city these markets open from Fri–Sun extending from Hang Dao street

24:55 to Dong X uan market but I was most interested in Hang Ma

25:05 Street which is famous for traditional

25:11 paper goods& decorations you can find lanterns,

25:22 flowers and all seasonal celebration goods if you come around D ecember,

25:28 the streets are filled with christmas decorations it feels like a christmas

25:35 market I heard Vietnam goes all out for christmas it was so

25:45 fun looking through all the shops each with their own unique items

26:26 at the end of the street we found this vintage light store

26:35 and we were drawn in by all the pretty lights it feels

26:49 like a store that has a story like the kind you’d find

27:01 in a fantasy book the owner was also really enthusiastic and told

27:16 us about the different lights it’s a place where you can find one

27:26 of a kind souvenirs we’re at this steamed rice roll place for dinner

27:54 the rice rolls are made fresh after ordering the rolls were thin

28:04 and soft and filled with pork and mushrooms everything was so delicious

28:27 another day another coffee shop there’s so many coffee shops to check out

28:45 Vietnam is said to be the second largest coffee producers globally the coconut

29:02 coffee is what won my heart I’m going to have to try

29:14 and make it when I get back home we’re taking a grab

29:29 to the next location grabs have been so affordable and easy a 35

29:44 minute ride was like 152k dong (around 6 USD) I knew I

30:01 had to visit when I found out there was a pottery village

30:07 in Hanoi the building is inspired by traditional pottery wheels and clay

30:13 forms inside you can find 1,000-year-plus

30:24 pottery heritage it was interesting to see

30:35 all the different glazes and pottery designs and at the end you can

30:46 actually make your own pottery they dry it for you on the spot

31:00 I made a little plant pot the village itself is filled

31:16 with ceramics stores every store was

31:24 selling ceramics/ kitchenware and each store had

31:31 it’s own style some were more classic ceramics while others had more

31:56 contemporary ceramics if you love unique kitchenware like me this place is

32:12 like a dream most shops were closing around 4-5 and there’s so

32:28 many shops to look around so I suggest coming early but if you

32:52 can only visit one store I’d suggest this one it had

32:58 a collection of all the different designs that I saw in other stores

33:09 and everything was reasonably priced the shop spreads across 3 floors they are

33:28 said to distribute ceramics to different

33:33 restaurants in Vietnam highly recommend a visit!

33:56 it’s a rainy day in Hanoi this is a cafe

34:11 and kitchenware store with this spacious and airy design the second

34:26 floor is this open terrace and cafe I loved all

34:34 the green and wood tones but the drink took almost 20

34:41 minutes and the coffee was quite average the first floor

34:55 is the kitchenware store which actually had some really unique items

35:09 like these coffee filters I think a lot of people

35:25 were here just for photos but I think the shop is

35:34 worth a visit we’re having Bánh cuốn again for lunch

36:06 didn’t even realise this shop was Michelin recommended the place was

36:18 so busy I got their orignial banh cuon it’s recommended

36:32 to eat it together with the mint and greens the rolls

36:47 are incredibly smooth and melted in your mouth it looks

36:53 like it will rain the whole day this is the country’s

37:14 first university you can walk through the courtyards and learn about

37:31 vietnam’s academic history the temple was built in 1070 even today,

37:41 students visit to pray for success in exams you can enter

37:59 the main temple area it actually ended up being quite a nice

38:19 rainy day activity we decided to join a coffee workshop

38:44 for the rest of the day you can learn to make 6 different

38:53 Vietnamese coffees as well as learn a bit more about coffee

39:06 in Vietnam and it’s history the workshop was quite hands on it

39:24 was fun to learn how to use the phin filter the highlight

39:35 was definately the egg coffee it’s a mix of egg yolk,

39:49 condensed milk, honey and mung bean powder which is then

40:04 blended into a cream this egg coffee was 10 times better

40:31 than the ones in store it was recommended to have

40:44 it with a biscuit the combination tasted like tiramisu we’re starting

41:22 of at Trang An which is an UNESCO World Heritage

41:36 Site and is often refered to as "Ha Long Bay

41:43 on land." there are 3 courses you can choose

41:49 from for the river cruise most of the staff recommended the third route,

41:59 so we’re going with that the canoe route runs

42:17 through a landscape formed over hundreds of millions of years

42:31 the boats are all non-motorised to protect the ecosystem

42:42 each canoe is operated by a local licensed rower many

42:51 of whom are farmers from nearby villages the views

43:01 from the river were spectacular each of the 3 routes

43:15 goes through different caves and view spots many

43:30 of the caves were created by underground rivers which shaped tunnels

43:43 and narrow passages beneath the mountains there’s only a few

43:59 lights guiding the way along the route you can

44:30 stop by some of the hidden temples since these temples

44:45 are only accessible through the river it was relatively

44:54 empty you can really enjoy the area without noise

45:01 or disruption the cruise can take from 1.5-3 hours if

45:37 you’re looking for a day trip from Hanoi I

45:44 think a trip to Ninh Binh is 100% worth it

46:02 this place is meant to have one of the best

46:07 panoramic views of Ninh Binh it also has

46:25 this huge lotus field although lotus season has well passed

46:35 you can still see some of the flowers the steps

46:58 to the viewpoint is quite steep there’s approximately 500 stone

47:08 steps but it offers this spectacular view of the river

47:18 and mountains you can see how huge the lotus

47:27 fields really are on the other side you can

47:41 see the river and the boats floating by found

48:25 this cute little mountain goat on the way down

48:34 the heart-shaped nose <3 heading to our last stop

49:08 the town is lit by colorful lanterns at night we were

49:24 originally going to visit Hoi An but had to cancel

49:34 because of the floods this town also has similar

49:48 lanterns you can also enjoy a lantern lit boat ride

50:05 this brings us to the end of our Hanoi trip