I think we can all agree that being mean to Canada is the geopolitical equivalent of kicking a puppy. I’m not saying that when I planned this trip last summer I knew early 2025 was going to be a shitshow (well, I mean, I did) but I’m just as happy to be sleeping during the chaos.
Day two in Hanoi, and I’m feeling pretty settled. I cleverly neglected to pack any underwear, creating a great chance for a cultural excursion right away yesterday. Yesterday was the last day of Chinese new year, so not everything was open – I wandered up to Đồng Xuân market, but many of the stalls were closed. I ended up visiting Uniqlo, so my crisis has been averted. I also got the necessities for the apartment – snacks, a phin filter for making coffee, and some more snacks.
The cafe scene in Hanoi seems to grow exponentially, and I’ve been having fun visiting some of the ones near my apartment. I don’t really understand the economics, but I love the options!
This morning, I got up and went to a gym near my apartment, then grabbed a breakfast bánh mì and worked from the apartment for a while. In the evening, I had some phở while chatting with a nice Chinese couple.
Even though we were in Hanoi in 2023, that was just a brief visit. My last extended visit was 2017. I’m starting to notice more of the changes in the city. It’s important to remember that Vietnam has been ascendant – it thrived during covid, is playing a critical role for companies doing a “China+1” strategy, and has a range of domestic champions in spaces like automobiles, banking, telecoms and home goods.
Hanoi still has the intensity that I love, but things are feeling cleaner, and just a little more organized. There are a lot more traffic lights, including with pedestrian signals, and thanks to a new law people are actually obeying them. Most of the time, you just wait for the signal instead of weaving through the scooters. Safer, but a little less fun. The sidewalks are also far more open – plenty of scooter parking, but very walkable.
The demographics are also unavoidable – everywhere you look, there are 20-somethings out loving life. The median age in Hanoi is around 27 (the US is 39). These are young people who’ve only ever known Vietnam as a thriving middle income country, with opportunities unimaginable to their parents. It feels distinctly different from the population when I was first here 12 years ago.
Over the next few days, I want to check out some of the climbing gyms, and get up to the big lake (Tay Ho) to see the really modern developments – the last time I walked around the north end, it was dusty construction sites. Hooray for progress!
Hooray for Hanoi donuts!