Exploring Hanoi on Two Wheels

After finishing my time on the island, I looped back to Hanoi to spend my final two nights inside the capital. Stepping into the city after being out in nature was an incredible shift in pace. To truly experience the city like a local, I went ahead and hired a motorbike. Weaving through that famous, chaotic traffic on two wheels gave me the absolute freedom to explore random, unmapped corners of the city on my own watch. I rode down to Hoàn Kiếm Lake right in the heart of the city centre and walked across the bright red wooden bridge to check out Ngọc Sơn Temple sitting peacefully on its own little island.

I also made sure to track down the famous Train Street, watching the local train squeeze right through the incredibly narrow residential alleys where people live their everyday lives. Between exploring, I spent a lot of time checking out the local markets and shops. It blew my mind how cheap everything was. I spent those last 48 hours completely immersed in the city, wandering, shopping, eating at random street food stalls, and soaking up the raw energy on the ground.

That first trip completely hooked me. I actually ended up returning to Hanoi a couple of years later, in June 2025, with a brand-new impulse to head even further north and ride the Ha Giang Loop. Hanoi has become more than just a destination to me; it’s the gateway to every great story I’ve experienced in Vietnam. Below are the honest records, photos, and footsteps from the specific corners of the north I have tracked through so far.