There is something else to say about Hanoi. And it is not just how people get on with their life, but also how they can rest, what they do when they have free time...How they entertain themselves...This was another eye opener for me, as I have not come across anything like this on the Little Island.

Where I live people have to be made, almost forcefully, to be interested in public gatherings by the means of organised events, they have to have a "purpose" to get out of the house and just take a walk in a company of other people...

In Vietnam - they don't. I happened to be in Hanoi over weekend. And one of the famous places in the city centre is a Hoan Kiem Lake. (Lake of the Returned Sword). It is right at the edge of the Old Quarter and that's where I ended up on the Saturday evening.

At first I thought, it was a public holiday, something being celebrated or else...the area was so alive and buzzing! Lots of people strolling around the lake, street musicians, opened cafes and restaurants...In UK this would be fully qualified as a "street fair".

In Hanoi this is how locals spend their weekends - going out with the family, kids, meeting friends, taking pictures, listening to the music, watching the light show on the lake, which happened to be every weekend night! The atmosphere of wonderful togetherness of community, a perfect place for people watching...Everyone enjoying themselves...

Few more things to mention about wonders of Hanoi, and it won't be even closer to all the things I've seen and I've learned about this amazing city!

The Temples...Spiritual places dotted into every day's life here and there, literally, like next doors to the houses, between the houses, inside the house courtyards...

temples and pagodas are there for everyone to come and say a little prayer or to leave your offerings to honour deities and ancestors...

They are opened all day and there are no strict rules to enter. As long as you're covered decently and let the others to do what they came to do...

These places are like bridges between the physical and spiritual realms...Available whenever you might need them...

The Train Street. This is not just a street. It's an experience. If you are in Hanoi, you really HAVE to do the Train street!

As the name suggests, it is a street with the trains...literally, actually. A street where trains run through it instead of the cars. And a lot of keen visitors gather daily to watch the train go by sitting in one of the many little coffee shops scattered along the train line.

When the train comes, it doesn't stop or even slows down, it's just carries on in its track, passing by the tables with cheering onlookers.

And I have to say - it is an adrenaline experience, as you can literally reach and touch the train from your chair, where you sit, with your beer...Though I can think of quite a few reasons not to do this...Health and Safety here is your own responsibility.

The Water Puppets Theatre. A bit of culture - a traditional Vietnamese art form dating back to the 11th century, originally performed by farmers in flooded rice paddies.

Water Puppet Theatre - Hanoi's Must Do List - ticked.

A Note Cafe. Sticky thoughts from all over the world...The whole interior décor consists of...post it notes...literally, that's all.

Walls, ceiling, tables and chairs, steps, lights and even outside of the windows...you name it - it's got Post It note on it! Fun place to have a cup of coffee and add your own note to the experience...

it is difficult to include every sip of that intoxicating drink that Hanoi is...

And while I didn't visit a single museum due to the lack of time, I've seen a lot, I've learnt a lot, I even managed to fit in a visit to a local Tango group and had a few amazing dances and made a few new friends there...

But, honestly, you can spend a couple of days or a week in Hanoi and get a gist of it still...but to learn, to truly learn about it, you need much more then that...

Alas, I didn't have the luxury of time...

To Be Continued...