Considering that within the first 10 minutes of landing, the border guard attempted to scam me into paying for another visa.. me & Hanoi were not off to a good start. I have never been to a place where "chaotic organization" would make more sense. It takes a while to get accustomed to the locals' mannerism, traffic's flow and overall atmosphere that is Hanoi. But your trip would not be complete without tackling this crazy jungle.
Hanoi (2.5 days):
ETA: September 25 1225
ETD: September 28 915
Paramount Hotel
28 Ngo Huyen Street, Hanoi
Sights
Hanoi Hilton
Hoan Kiem Lake
One Pillar Lake
Presidential Palace
Temple of Literature
French Quarter
Old Quarter
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Another city where I feel I need a re-do. My guard was constantly up given the many terrible stories shared by others + our own rough experiences. We never felt comfortable to take a taxi and were nervous to eat all the street food. Hoping to have a local bring us around, next time!