Egg in My Face (Vietnam Travel Diary #7)

The Vietnamese are morning people. Many seem to start their day with strong coffee and/or Red Bull. The latter is seen everywhere in these yellow 250ml cans. I wondered if this highly caffeinated culture accounts for the morning frenzy! Many locals crash by early afternoon, often seen laying on their bikes.

I headed for a secret-sounding café during my morning walk. It has a tiny sign with a long and narrow, unassuming entrance, but it was PACKED! I read that the best egg coffee could be found here, but I retired to have one elsewhere on a little street stool. It was very average in my opinion – overly sweet and frothy, and I don’t trust sugar. When in Nam though. Gotta try it once. For those wondering, egg whites were used as a substitute for milk during times of shortage and has stuck as something unique and albumen.

I thought I might have a holy start to the week and marvel at St Joseph’s Cathedral, but there is construction happening along the main highway. Google Maps hates unreported route changes. I crossed an over hanging bridge twice, but couldn’t seem to get on the right path, but I did end up in a big morning market. I bought some Vietnamese ground coffee and a simple, old-school drip thingy. One bag of powder is made by the family who own the shop. Any leftovers will be backpack-stuffable, so I was happy with the purchase!

I’m not sure if it’s part of the holiday spirit (with the extra-long weekend on account of Vietnam Independence Day), but it does seem like all the Hanoi’ian entertainment is geared towards children. The puppet show had a lot of comedic and childish moments. There are also clowns everywhere, and magic shows. The kids often get on stage. Poodle hoop jumping is common, but there was one cringy (and sad) performance with someone manhandling three massive pythons… I had a weird movie idea/dream that night, which involved various scenes of wildlife fighting back during such performances.

I can’t say that I’m entirely enjoying Hanoi. It is exhausting, in both the streets and the brain. I’m really tired of someone trying to stuff a pastry ball in my mouth or shove a menu in my face. I sometimes fantasise about tearing up my clothes a bit to look like a poor hobo to get harassed less. Damn these Western-looking features I have in the shape of a US dollar sign!

In comparison to Thailand, Father said it well: “Thailand is much gentler than Vietnam”. So true. A final observation which is testament to that, is the emoties used when texting. The Thai use my favourite “thank you” emotie while the Vietnamese use the “nice doing business with you” one

I’m looking to head south to Da Nang and Hoi An next week. The ocean blue is calling.

Next: Vietnam #8 – The Legend Ho Chi Minh

Previously: Vietnam #6 – Peacock-Chickens

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