The morning started out well on Day 3, but the first order of business was to drop my laundry at 9:20 AM at Fast N Clean laundry. They told me it would be ready between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM. From there, I started off towards, Bancong, a breakfast spot I had seen the day before.
Once there at 9:28 AM, I checked the information and once more discovered that by chance, I had come across another one of the famous eateries in the area. I was starting to think that all around the Old Quarter, there are iconic spots just waiting to be rediscovered. At first, I had thought that eating on the balcony would be fun, but the sun was a bit too bright, so I ended up moving inside.
There’s no denying that the breakfast was nice and the ambiance amazing. After a leisurely breakfast experience, I paid the 198,450 VND ($7.50 USD) bill at 10:52 AM and headed back to my nearby room to grab my bag before heading to the gym.
When I arrived to X-Men Fitness at 11:25 AM, I was initially concerned that I might have been mistaken about the walking directions, but then I realized that it was actually located on the fourth floor. I used my Moreta app to pay the 50,000 VND ($2.00 USD) day pass fee and was pleased to see that this also included a locker rental. As I had forgotten to bring one, I also bought a large bottle of water for 20,000 VND ($0.75 USD).
The gym wasn’t especially fancy, but it certainly was on par with most standard neighborhood gyms. So, if you are looking for a place to work out while on vacation in Hanoi, this is definitely a good option. Things went well, and at 1:23 PM I had finished up and was back out in the street.
While I was out walking, I decided to buy one of those pairs of fake North Face pants that they sell everywhere in the old quarter. If I had been interested in more intense bargaining, I could possibly have paid less, but 300,000 VND ($11.50 USD) seemed fair for a spare pair of traveling pants. After that, I stopped in for a vermicelli with egg, colon and hot soup and special combination banh mi at 3:02 PM; I forgot to write down the name of the place. The cost for my late lunch was 95,000 VND ($3.60 USD).
I left there at 3:37 PM, and went to pick up my laundry, paying 48,000 VND ($1.80 USD). I picked up a plug-in mosquito repellant device which I plugged in back at the hotel room at 5:37 PM and then once again went out to see if I could catch the special evening light show on the lake which I had heard was going to start at 7:00 PM. As I was waiting, at 6:35 PM I decided to get some coffee and ice-cream in a convenient and comfortable spot where I could watch the show.
The view was certainly pleasant, but as of 7:50 PM the show still had not started. I had already had two cups of coffee, and it didn’t seem advisable to drink more, so I paid the 260,000 VND ($10.00 USD) bill and decided to move to a different vantage point. Fortunately, there were still benches available around the lake, and a lot of other people seemed to be waiting, so I figured that I must be on the right track. However, it was annoying that there was not a clearly defined start time. After a long, but not completely unenjoyable wait, the show finally started at 8:12 PM.
The show was nice, but perhaps a bit underwhelming after so much waiting. However, on the plus side, I had struck up a conversation with another solo traveler from Japan named Joe, and we made a tentative plan to do some museum visits together the following day. Upon leaving at 9:25 PM, I had initially thought to go to a club which I had read about, but the traffic was overwhelming, so I ended up just walking around.
At 10:45 PM, I decided to try to check out the area near the cathedral. The energy, the crowds, and the Christmas performances were amazing, but it was perhaps a bit too intense. The nearby park was also an unexpected surprise.
So, despite being on my own in a strange country on Christmas Eve, I think that in the end, it was a perfectly delightful festive experience. What do you think? Is this a way you would like to spend your Christmas Eve? If so, then remember that Hanoi is always an option. As always, I look forward to reading your questions and comments in the section shown below.
Travels with Jay 