Another of my favourite things about Hanoi is the old men on bicycles wearing berets, cycling leisurely down the middle of the road, apparently unconcerned by the mania around them. It's like Hanoi's grown up around them, and they haven't really noticed. It makes me imagine what it was like here 50 years ago, without the motorbikes and tower blocks and noise and supermarkets and pollution and foreigners, just old men smoking pipes in winding streets. According to Wikpedia, "at the beginning of the 20th century the city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now part of the old quarter" which pretty much blows my mind.
It kind of shows the dichotomy in Hanoi's character: on the one hand, it's this hectic city with a booming economy, 6.5 million residents and almost as many motorbikes; but at the same time, it still has this old-worldy charm, with crumbling buildings, smelly meat markets, men playing draughts in the street, and tiny alleyways that meander but never seem to lead anywhere. It's like Hanoi hasn't quite caught up with the city it wants to be, or something.
Anyway I reckon it's rad.
Spotted: hysterical shopkeeper lady beating a rat with a metal pole.
