The first time I saw Hanoi was last Christmas when I came on holiday with my wife from where we were then living; Seoul.  We left Korea just as the temperature plummeted below zero and snow started to fill the streets.  I swapped heavy overcoat and scarf for t-shirts and linen trousers (I have never been able to wear shorts).  

Our first impression of Hanoi was that it seemed to be a city of manic noise and complete traffic chaos – with motorbikes buzzing around us from all directions we wondered how we were going to survive the week.  It was only after a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast that we really started to understand the city more.  

After a few false starts, we finally mastered how to cross the road (watching old people jogging across the streets helped to enlighten us) and we managed to get out of the old quarter.  It was at that point that we started to see the real Hanoi – a remarkable city of true elegance and exotic beauty.    We saw as much of the city as we could and even managed to find the time to go on an adventurous trip to Ba Vi national park.  Things didn’t quite work out on the trip as we had planned though.  

A taxi driver dropped us near the top of the mountain so we could walk to the peak and we tried to communicate that we wanted him to drive us back down – we thought he had understood.  After a scenic but very strenuous walk, we came back down from the top hoping to find the taxi driver.  

To our horror there was no car waiting for us.  We started to walk knowing it was an awfully long way to the bottom.  Just as we were starting to feel as if we couldn’t walk any more, a car full of young men stopped and offered us a lift.  We gladly got in only to discover the other passengers were teaching their friend how to drive.  The short journey was a hair-raising experience but our hosts made us feel very welcome – they shared their food and joked with us.  Despite some near misses with the surrounding foliage, we got to the bottom in one piece and were immensely grateful for the hospitality of our rescuers.

The warmth of the people in Hanoi really made a really deep impression on us, as did the atmosphere and pace of the city. We had intended to visit so many places outside Hanoi but in the end we found there was far too much to do in the city.  At the end of our time in Hanoi we headed for Ho Chi Minh city knowing that one day we had to come back.

So when I saw an opportunity to work here in June, I jumped at the chance.  After having worked for the British Council for five years in both Istanbul and Seoul, I knew all about the difficulties you can have moving to a new country and getting used to a new environment.  This time though the transition has been very smooth, it has felt like meeting an old friend again.

I am very pleased that we chose to come back to Hanoi.  It is everything that I had remembered from the Christmas holiday and more.  My only hope is that our friends and family will take the time to come and visit us so that we can let other people experience a taste of Hanoi, a truly unique and graceful city.

Written by Richard Frost, a British Council teacher