Into the chaos – Đại Nghĩa to Hanoi

I had an interesting night’s sleep. First up, there was a guy stacking bricks at about 11pm, then later, two people started arguing and then at 6:30am, there was singing and speeches broadcast through the loud speakers opposite. It’s always entertaining here.

Consequently, I fell asleep again until nearly eight o’clock, woke up, ate and packed at world record pace to meet the agreed 8:30am departure time.

The Omerta was a nice hotel with a nice owner who spoke good English. The receptionist even fetched drinking water for us before we set off.

Leaving town was very relaxed as we followed the river, which looked really beautiful and relaxing, except for the floating garbage. It’s a recurring theme and a great shame about this country. To be honest, garbage is an issue in Thailand and Laos as well, but somehow on this trip, I didn’t notice as much.

The day was fun. We had some quiet roads to start with, then some nice urban roads, some canal-side cycling and finally the madness and mayhem of Hanoi. I loved the Hanoi section. People are considerate and they accommodate all ages, vehicles and skill levels.

We’ve got an Airbnb for four nights and I’m looking forward to eating, sleeping and washing some of my gear.