Hanoi
Umbrellas as outdoor decoration at Cafe Nola in Hanoi’s Old Quarter
This is version 2.0 of this post. Once upon a time, I started a draft that was never finished and apparently never saved because I cannot find it anywhere. Anyway. I’m on a three hour layover at Tokyo Narita airport and decided that was the perfect time to get caught up on my writing. It’s all going to be retrospective and delayed, but perhaps a month of reflection will allow me more insight. Doubtful, but I’m staying hopeful.
Right, so after arriving in Hanoi late at night and having an awesome dinner from a convenience store, I went on a coffee bender. Everyone else that was travelling with our group went on scheduled trips to Sapa (hill tribes and hiking) or Halong Bay (fun on the water). I opted out of Sapa for financial reasons and Halong Bay because I’ve been there twice already and nothing can beat three nights on Cat Ba Island and kayaking with Katie and Andrew, which ultimately resulted in us breaking our kayak paddles and kind of getting stranded.
But Justene, surely there are historical sites of note in Hanoi that you could have gone to is the next question. There are and I did, but again, I’ve seen a lot of them already (multiple times even!) and didn’t really care to go back. Others I ignored this time in favor of coffee (Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, Lenin statue).
So back to the coffee. Vietnam has quite the coffee industry. My favorite is cà phê sữa đá. It’s basically a shot of espresso-like Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk and it’s all poured over ice. The coffee is typically individually brewed with a tiny filter placed on top of the cup and from there the coffee drips directly into the glass. Heaven. This stuff is delightful and pretty much available on every street corner, but my absolute favorite place to drink it is at Cafe NOLA purely due to the environment. See what I mean? The whole cafe looks like this. It’s spread over multiple floors with a mix of indoor and outdoor seating. It’s cozy and quirky and guests are even greeted by a suit of armor upon entering. It’s also located a bit of a way down a narrow alley-like entrance, which possibly puts some people off of visiting, but it’s my belief that all the good things in Vietnam are down tiny alleys.
Egg coffee at Cafe Giang on Nguyễn Hữu Huân street (I think) in Hanoi
Another cafe I visited for the first time ever on the recommendation of my friends Katie and Susannah. This place is called Cafe Giang and I was there in pursuit of cà phê trứng đá (Iced Egg Coffee). Once again, I found the address and small sign and then followed a nondescript alley-like hallway. Up a small set of stairs which then opened onto a lovely garden patio and other indoor seating. The tables and stools were tiny and I couldn’t put my knees under the table, but the coffee was good. Really good. While the concept of egg coffee is brand new to me, apparently egg coffee is also a Scandinavian thing and is often served in Lutheran churches in the Midwest. It’s not the same though. Church egg coffee involves mixing grounds, egg, and water then boiling it. The end result is that the coffee is less bitter because the bitter chemicals bind to the protein and then settle out. Sounds like it’s nice for people who want their coffee weak. Vietnamese egg coffee is regular Vietnamese coffee. Then the egg yolk is whipped with sweetened condensed milk and a touch of brewed coffee. Next, the frothy sweet egg mixture is poured on top of the coffee. Presto! Beautiful delicious treat! If I ever make egg coffee at home, I will be forced to ignore my Scandinavian forebears and Midwestern roots in favor of my wannabe Vietnamese side.
The other cafe I visited in Hanoi is the Highlands Coffee shop that overlooks Hoan Kiem Lake. The only thing special about it is the view of the lake, which is nice. And that’s it. Aside from a short visit to Hoa Lo Prison and some aimless walking, I quite literally drank coffee and rotated through these three cafes for the four days I was in Hanoi. I did manage to eat some meals, drink bia hoi, and nearly complete my ESL workshops for the VHP project.
