How is Hanoi?

vicokhang wrote:

HI guys, I moving there soon.

How is life over there?
Always open to meet new people.

Your profile says (among other things) that you:

"love the gym, travel, meet new people, eating clean, routines and meditate"

You should like Hanoi.

You'll have no trouble finding a gym. You can hit it after you rise early for a variety of group exercises at one of the many lakes. Hoàn Kiếm was my favorite, and I was always meeting new people there.



Hanoi is a great hub for quick travel to national and International destinations.

Like any Vietnamese city, get to know the restaurants that are fastidious about using the fresh ingredients found in local markets, or frequent the markets yourself if you plan to cook at home.

Here is a thread where I posted some of my favorite restaurant recommendations:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=426615

The GRAB (like UBER) rideshare app is available there and worked very well for me when I needed a car. Traffic can (usually) be a nightmare, so I avoided GRAB bikes.

The rail system departs from Hanoi in five or six different directions.

Whenever I would walk a new neighborhood I would stumble across a pagoda, a great option for meditation. Or you can visit St Joseph's Cathedral when there isn't a service scheduled:



Most everyone else is fixed to a routine there, so you should enjoy the orderly pace of things.

The creative arts scene is exploding there; very exciting.

Wonderful museums and tourist attractions will give you plenty to do.

For more photos of the surrounding region, check out the photo album here:

Hanoi Photo Album

If you need a great hotel with very helpful staff, or a trustworthy visa agent/tour guide, send me a private message (click on my avatar and use the link on my profile). I'll share my recommendations with you that way.

Welcome!

Actually, HN's not looking so great these days

As clouds of polluted air enveloped Hanoi on Wednesday, a hazy atmosphere descended onto the capital.

https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/201 … 49449.html

can't be that bad for a town with only 1 million population.

vicokhang wrote:

can't be that bad for a town with only 1 million population.

More like 7.782 million (Google it)

vicokhang wrote:

can't be that bad for a town with only 1 million population.

The last time Hanoi had 1 million people was in the mid '70s, before the war ended. 

Two years ago (2017), the government estimated that if unregistered residents were counted, the actual population of Hanoi would've been more than 9 million.  Five years ago (2014), Hanoi was ranked as the 17th most populous capital city in the world.

Is the pollution from all the cars, motorbikes, grill pork chops, bun cha or are they still burning coal?

How is Hanoi... compared to what? 

qnbui wrote:

......or are they still burning coal?

Not still, more than ever before.  https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Vietna … oal-energy  Vietnam seems to be going exactly backwards in the push to reduce carbon fuel usage.  This may be the natural consequence of a rapidly growing economy, but it's still not a good thing.  Ha Tinh Province mentioned in the article is south of Hanoi but it does indicate the trend.

qnbui wrote:

Is the pollution from all the cars, motorbikes, grill pork chops, bun cha or are they still burning coal?

My sense (no scientific knowledge) is that geography plays a role in the air pollution problem.

Perhaps something similar to the geological "basin" which entraps the smog in Los Angeles, California?

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Perhaps something similar to the geological "basin" which entraps the smog in Los Angeles, California?

I remember the Los Angeles smog in the 80's. These days, there isn't that many smog alerts in Los Angeles.

Perhaps you need to ask better or more specific questions regarding living in Hanoi. This would enable those with the relevant knowledge or experience to better assist you with better quality information.

Enjoy your time in this fantastic City - cheers!

vicokhang wrote:

HI guys, I moving there soon.

How is life over there?
Always open to meet new people.

Wunderlust wrote:

Perhaps you need to ask better or more specific questions regarding living in Hanoi. This would enable those with the relevant knowledge or experience to better assist you with better quality information.

I hear you.

However...

This forum is overloaded with people asking Left-brained questions seeking data.

The OP's post asked "HOW is life...?"

Since (unlike many members) he has left some good breadcrumbs in his personal profile, it's not hard to click on his avatar, see his interests, and attempt to give him a right-brained response (I feel; my experience; etc) containing left-brained data.