Photos: Hanoi, Vietnam

Though many trips to Vietnam involve journeying to beachfront areas, I, instead, chose to center on Hanoi, not visiting tourist-thronged sites, but rather focusing on contemporary art galleries and bucolic parks and gardens. Though these are all steps away from a chaotic traffic scene where you take your life in your hands, these are pockets of tranquility by just attempting to cross the street, each of these are pockets of serenity. For example, the
little visited Botanical Garden is a delight. In one section, a web of roots emanating from a 19th-century tree becomes a magnet for those who want to meditate. And circumnavigating around West Lake, you'll find a section blanketed with lotus blossoms.

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Hanoi, Vietnam In Pictures

My week in Hanoi was wrapped up with visits to contemporary art galleries and bucolic parks and gardens. (All of these were steps away from an ulta chaotic traffic scene where crossing the street was  an adventure that I preferred to avoid.) The little visited Botanical Garden was a delight with the web of roots emanating from a 19th-century tree becoming a magnet for both people who want meditative solitude as well as those who just want to snap a selfie. The coffee culture is vibrant with whitewashed shops displaying edgy art, such as giant ants crawling up columns. A trip to expansive West Lake reveals a section blanketed by lotus blossoms as well as a shoreline mostly ringed by a pedestrian path. Pagodas and anchored boats acting as a combination restaurant, coffee shop,  and bar dot the periphery. And when I wanted to get above Hanoi's often frenetic vibe, I took the elevator to the twentieth floor Summit Lounge at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel. This short YouTube video slideshow provides a window into my one-week trip in Hanoi. 

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