We left Hanoi on February 6, and we arrived back in the city on March 2. Our 24-day journey took us through the backroads of Northern Vietnam, west and north to Sa Pa, east and north to Hà Giang, and then further east to Cao Bằng. We met a multitude of friendly people, ate tasty food, and learned a lot about some of the ethnic minority people in Northern Vietnam. Here’s the full list of posts:

• Northwest Vietnam: Hanoi to Sa Pa
• Puttering around Sa Pa
• Sapa O’Chau and the Excellent Motorcycle Tour
• Mrs. Soi’s Homestay (near Sa Pa)
• Hà Giang, Vietnam’s Northernmost Province
• Northeast Vietnam: Cao Bằng and Bản Giốc Waterfall

Jake and I constructed a list of things to do while we were in Hanoi:

Things to Buy

• new road map (or 2) or tape: our current map developed a large hole due to heavy use
• external hard drive: the laptop was very quickly running out of space, since we’ve both been taking many many pictures
• rain covers for our bags: our old covers (useful for their mud and dirt protection, since we try not to ride in the rain) were ripped and torn beyond repair
• Ibuprofen: my supply was running low, and there are many pharmacies in Hanoi

Things to Do

• get bike maintenance done at Style Motorbikes: get an oil change, fix the broken luggage rack, address the rear wheel’s brake squeak, tighten the frame, and get a professional opinion on the new gear ratio
• visit the Museum of Ethnology: this well-regarded museum is about the 54 government-recognized ethnic minorities in Vietnam
• find a post office: in addition to shipping things back to California, we wanted to mail back our room key for the nhà nghỉ we stayed in in Chợ Mới, on the way from Cao Bằng to Hanoi
• get laundry done
• get the bike washed
• get Jake a haircut: he wanted to fix the not-quite-symmetric haircut he’d gotten in Sa Pa

We didn’t accomplish everything we originally set out to, and we ended up staying three days instead of the originally planned two. However, we enjoyed relaxing in a familiar city; Hanoi, even the touristy Old Town, as an incredibly warm and friendly place. We visited the night market for window shopping and trying a multitude of tasty snacks (we ended up with chè for dinner at least one night). We joined the throngs of people wandering the streets surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake, as those streets are closed to all cars and motorcycles on weekend evenings. Before we left, we took a trip down (not-so-distant) memory lane; we revisited the corner restaurant that served us our first ever lunch in Vietnam (mỳ vằn thắn — wonton noodle soup).