I love long hugs
I’m a barrel of emotions
I just want to bring positive energy
I appreciate every little thing in life
I’m more of an introvert
I’m a listener
On a beautiful day I could be a bit of a daydreamer
I’m not perfect but I’m growing 💙

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet interesting people. To explore and have amazing adventures. To learn and challenge myself. To experience different cultures. To not look back one day and wonder, what if?

Interests

• traveling
• cycling
• camping
• trekking
• jogging

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I started my adventures by cycling across my country since I was 18, since then countless of amazing experiences have been done. Those also have built the person I’m now and I’m more than grateful for that

What I Can Share with Hosts

Update: Can’t host now, I’m traveling

OK, You may be a bit confused if this is your first time in Hanoi, let me help you out with my list of local recommendations😉

Good local foods in Hanoi
Mostly of these are near Old Quarter, some are touristy bc they’re very popular, but locals do eat there.

1. Bun cha - must try, good places mostly serve only for lunch
- Ngoc Xuan: 102 Thuy Khue
- Tuyet: 34 Hang than
- Hung Lau : 6 Ngo tram
- Dac Kim: 1 Hang Manh
- Hang quat: 74 hang Quat
- Coi phố cổ: 57 Nguyen Huu Huan
- Que tre: 33 Hang giay

2. Banh mi
- Banh mi co ba: 24 phan dinh phung
- Banh mi 25: 25 hang ca
- Banh mi Hoi An: 98 Hang Bac
- Banh Mi Nhe: 9 Hang voi
- Bit tet Ngoc Hieu: 18 hang cot (Vietnamese style steak and bread)

3. Pho ga (chicken pho, pho is for breakfast but can be found at any meal)
- Pho ga Nguyet: 5b phu doan
- Pho Hanh: 65a lan ong
- Pho ga 26: 26 luong van can
- Khanh beo: 22 hang hom

4. Pho bo (beef pho pho broth is special, the restaurants that have both chicken and beef pho are big NO)
- Pho Khoi: 50 Hang Vai
- Pho Lam: 48 Hang vai
- Pho Tu Lun: 34 Au trieu
- Pho Cuong: 23 Hang muoi
- Pho Thin: 61 Dinh Tien Hoang or 1 Hang Tre

5. Banh cuon (Savory steamed rice roll)
- Banh cuon phuong: 68 hang cot
- Ba xuan: Hoe Nhai
- Thanh Van: 14 Hang ga
- Banh cuon ba Hoanh: 66 To Hien Thanh

6. Xoi (Savory sticky rice)
- Xoi ba Hong: 2 hang than
- xoi ba thao: 41a duong thanh
- Xoi may: 31 ly thuong kiet
- Xoi ba Thu: 57 Tho nhuom
- Xoi Yen: 35b Nguyen Huu Huan

7. Nom (Vietnamese salad, this recommended version is with papaya, herbs and beef jerky)
- Nom Lim: 63 hang bun
- Nom lim: 17 pham hong thai
- Mai Nga: 25 ham long
- Long vi dung: 5 hang giay

8. Spring rolls (rice paper wraps in different styles)
- Nem nuong que hoa: 23 ho hoan kiem
- Nem lui: 153a doi can
- Pho cuon: 31 Ngu xa
- Co hoan: 20 hoe nhai

9. Vietnamese traditional family meals
- Mot ngay moi: 72 ma may
- Com nha le: 18 the giao
- Com le: 34 nguyen truong to
- Com viet: 63 pham hong thai
- A Ban Mountain dew: 76 Tran Phu
- Quan an ngon: 18 Phan Boi Chau
- Tam Vi: 40 Yen The (Affordable Michelin restaurant)

10. Cha ca (grilled fish with exotic dipping sauce from shrimp paste)
- Cha ca thang long: 6b duong thanh
- Cha ca phan: 14 nguyen binh khiem
- Cha ca anh vu: 120 giang vo
- Cha ca ha hoi: 20 ha hoi
- Cha ca hang son + vua cha ca (many places, they are the chains)

11. Vegetarian or vegan
- Chay food: 66 nguyen huu huan
- Katze: 43 hang be
- Vejo: 46b bat dan
- Vegan banh mi: 66b tran hung dao
- Vegito: 55 ngo thi nham
- Veggie cattle: 7 yen ninh
- Sadhu: 87 Ly thuong kiet

12. Café trung - Egg coffee (coffee with custard cream)
- Cafe Giang: 39 nguyen huu huan
- Yen cafe: 184 Quan thanh
- Cafe pho co: 11 Hang Gai
- Ca bop: 22B hang bo
- Hidden gem: 1 Hang Mam
- Salt mate: 5 ly thai to
Coconut coffee is also veryyyyyyyy nice

13. Vietnamese desserts
- Caramen + coconut ice cream: 29 hang than
- Che 4 mua: 4 hang can
- Che dung: 95 hang bac
- Che xoan: 29 hang giay
- Che loc tai: 76 hang dieu
- Huyen Vi: 5 Dinh Liet

14. Drinks and bar
- Bia hoi – draft beer is everywhere and very cheap. It’s a go-to refreshment, a culture.
- Instead of going to the bars/pubs, Vietnamese frequently hang out at the café (with lots of creative beverages, not just coffee), Cool cafes with amazing designs are basically everywhere.
- Bars and pubs are normally considered more fancy options here, price can be a bit high, they’re nicely decorated with different styles. Some good ones are: The Haflington, The Alchemist, Jigger Cocktail, Lang Thang, Hidden Alley, 3Pias, Cinebar, Nọt, Sicily Chamber, The Other room, Đào - Philosophy Bar, Hummingbird, etc. SHOULD CONTACT TO BOOK RESERVATION IN ADVANCE
Rooftop bars with nice view: Top of Hanoi on Lotte building, Summit bar on Pan Pacific hotel, Serein Café & Lounge

Where to visit in Hanoi and things to do
- Hoan Kiem lake and the pagoda in the lake + Old Quarter
- Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
- Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
- Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum
- Hoa Lo Prison Relic (the night tour is interesting)
- Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (not in the center but interesting)
- Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum + Temple of Literature (nearby each other)
- Tran Quoc Pagoda, and walk the nice street of Thanh nien in the afternoon especially sunset time, visit the area of Truc Bach lake for a stroll and coffee (Ma Xo is a nice café there and Lang Thang is a good cheap bar)
- Train street
- Hanoi cooking class tours
- Long Bien bridge and banana island, very local, used to be the slum area but totally safe now, a hidden off-beat destination,
- West lake (most tourists don’t visit this huge lake, 20km, very local, full of cafés and bars around, nice viewpoint)

Trips near Hanoi (can be touristy, but worth it)

- Ninh Binh (1-2 nights): a picturesque and accessible mix of nature, history, and typical northern Vietnamese village life: cycle around the rice fields, take the paddleboat tour passing the cave, and jungle-covered karsts, or hike the national park for wildlife, and prehistoric caves.

- Ha Long bay or quieter, less crowded Lan Ha Bay (1 night on the cruise) nice and very affordable experience, the sea is normally always calm but depend on the season when you can have good weather.

- Ha Giang loop (3-4 days - or even more, don’t rush): Rent a motorbike or get a tour with an easy rider. Drive through stunning scenery, gigantic mountains, glorious rivers, and stunning rice terraces. Ha Giang simply has it all.

- Sapa (2-3 days) Stay at homestays among ethnic people, trekking, hiking, biking on off beaten tracks. If you like adventures, you can even make it to Y Ty (100km from Sapa) or Bach Moc Luong Tu for 2-3 days trek in the mountain. (STAY AWAY from the city center if you don’t want to be disappointed and expect an authentic experience)

- Pu Luong (1-2 nights): A quiet alternative to Sapa with lush rice terraces, authentic Thai & Muong ethnic culture, jungle trails, waterfalls, unspoiled nature, better not to be done during weekends bc of the possible loud karaoke from locals :)

- Ba Be - Cao Bang-Lang Son (4-5 days): a nice route with through northern Vietnam, offering stunning landscapes, limestone mountains, mystical caves and rich biodiversity (Ba Be Lake, Nguom Ngao cave, Ban Gioc Waterfall,…) It’s a rewarding road trip but I would not recommend it if you don’t ride motorbike and have plenty of time.

If you have read till here. Wowwwwww, thank you, hahaa. Welcome to Hanoi and enjoy!!!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, France, Gambia, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Laos, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Scotland, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Viet Nam