My fourth day in Hanoi might seems modest like any normal day. Delicious breakfast as always, enjoying the view from the Highland Coffee in West Lake, a long walk to let the food down a bit in the West Lake, ate lunch in very pretty neighbourhood (my favourite actually), visited the most famous church in Hanoi, walked around the busy Old Quarter, went to a bookstore, and ended the day with a coffee.

Day 4

It started with a legendary Steamed Rice Cake (Buan Cuon) in somewhere I don’t know. The delicious taste and small portion of the steamed rice cake deceived me and convinced me I might can eat another portion. Not until I was munching the sixth steamed rice cake into my mouth. Well, it is made from rice, pretty heavy ingredient for me. But I love how I have to dip it into the fish sauce and eating the fresh vegetables just not to feel too much of steamed rice cake. This dish is my second favourite after Bun Bu Hue. It’s soft and easy to eat it. We ordered egg in steamed rice cake too, but it was ‘meh’ for me. I was also impressed by the way they made the Steamed Rice Cake. It’s like making crepes, but instead, it was rice cake.

Two lakes that is mandatory to be visited when in Hanoi, the Turtle Lake (Hoin Kiem Lake) and the West Lake (west Lake). The Turtle Lake is very much the centre of everything and you will pass by it plenty of time if you’re based in the Old Quarter. On the other hand, the West Lake is really huge. Nothing much in there, but you can go to the Highland Coffee in there. If you’ve been to Hanoi, you might see several Highland Coffee than Starbucks. I can’t say it is a special place but a franchise because it is what it is, a franchise. I love the Lemongrass Tea, though. And they seems to have great locations.

Along the road between the West Lake and the Trúc Bạch Lake, there are many vendors who sells Bo Bia Ngot. It is a sweet snacks with a honeycombs, coconut sprinkles, and sesame seeds wrapped in small pancake. The result of all of that combination is crunchy, sweet snacks that fastly become an addiction. Oh, and this snack is inexpensive.

Next stop was lunch in a small, dense neighbourhood. At that time, I can’t eat anymore because the time when I was having my breakfast, it was 10 or 11 am. I didn’t eat anything for lunch but I will just put the pictures and I’m sure it’s very tasty. While I wait for my friends who were eating their lunch, I was walking around the neighborhood and old buildings are definitely charming in their own way.

We then walk back to the Old Quarter and take pictures in front of the Cathedral and have a little snacks just across the Cathedral. I really love the whole situation of busy streets Hanoi and just the way it is.

At night, we were hanging out in Cong Caphe. A very cool, Al Fresco cafe with a street as the view and quite good Vietnamese coffee. I like the way they use the ceramic tiles as their tables and just love the rustic feels in Cong Caphe.

All in all, I was having a full schedule and I ended the day with a full tummy.