Train Street
We both had about four hours sleep due to jet lag, so we got up quite early and got on with the day. I opted for the breakfast pho today with plenty of fresh chilli followed by some watermelon and passion fruit. Dave went for the savoury buffet.
We planned out our route for the morning and headed off along streets flanked by huge banyan trees which had grown up through the pavements. By 8.30, we were settled in the famous ‘train street’ having been coerced into having a coffee by a local café owner! Train street is a narrow railway line which runs through residential areas in the old quarter. The train passes very close to the front of the cafés so it is a popular spot to stop for a coffee. Dave chose a Vietnamese speciality of egg coffee this time and I went for a cocoa coffee. We had a prime spot near the level crossing.
It was perfect timing as we only had a 15 minute wait before the train passed by – close enough that we could have reached out and touched it! It was a very fun experience and the buzz of the crowd was impressive, especially after the train had gone by and the gates were lifted again!
Sam had recommended the quirky Beezknees 1920s speakeasy bar for cocktails. We didn’t think we’d have time to go there but strolled by to have a look at it as we were in the right part of the city – even we thought 9.30 was a bit early to start on the cocktails. 
It looked like a really interesting venue as you had to place a book on a particular shelf for the bookcase to shift and allow you access into the bar!!
From there we went to Hang Gai street which is famous for the clothes shops where you can have tailor-made garments made in silk. I (Sue) fancied a browse around the area but did not make any purchases! Dave meanwhile had another strong black coffee to strengthen his resolve.
We headed on to Ma May Ancient House which is a restored, two story traditional 19th century house in the old quarter. It’s a typical narrow, deep design of house with a ‘skylight’ open courtyard. It’s a mix of traditional and French colonial styles of architecture. It shows how merchants used to live in Hanoi.
https://hanoifreeprivatetourguide.com/ma-may-ancient-house-preserving-the-rich-heritage-of-hanoi/
We then visited the 11th century Bach Ma temple, (white horse temple). Due to the reverential atmosphere we took no photos but have included a few from the internet below to give an idea of the decoration. The temple is one of the most sacred in Hanoi and is dedicated to the ancient deity Long Do. It’s the oldest temple in the city and was dedicated as a national historic relic in 1986.
https://www.vietnam.vn/en/den-bach-ma-dau-an-nghin-nam-cua-ngua-than-tran-giu-phia-dong-thang-long
Having checked everything off our list for the morning, we started the walk back to our hotel, stopping for a matcha latte (I didn’t like it!) and mango jasmine tea en route. We bought a few souvenirs and then rather unsuccessfully attempted a siesta before showering and readying ourselves to meet the rest of the group and our guide at 6 pm. At this point we had enjoyed exploring by ourselves so much over the last couple of days that we were wondering why we had opted for a group tour!!! 
At 6 o’clock, we met our very cheerful and enthusiastic Vietnamese guide,Thin, who ran us through the basics for the trip and introduced us to the rest of the group. We all decided which additional activities to opt for. It was at this point that we realised just how much more we would get to see as a result of having a local guide!! We then went out for dinner which was Bún Chá – a speciality from Hanoi of grilled pork and green papaya with mint and chilli in a dipping sauce along with crispy spring rolls filled with mushroom, minced pork and glass noodles. This was all washed down with local beer. Thin led us through the lively part of town with many bars, music blaring and dancers.
We were very happy to meet our group, all of whom seemed really lovely and one of whom is an American professional food writer with many tales to tell! This is one of her recent trips:
https://www.foodandwine.com/huset-restaurant-longyearbyen-norway-11860354
We’re looking forward to reading what she has to say about this trip! Tomorrow is a 7.30 start, by which time we have to be all packed up and ready to go, so we hope we will sleep better tonight!!
