There you are, waiting on the edge of the sidewalk.
In front of you, a wide, recently painted zebra crossing, and Hoan Kiem Lake on the other side. Swarms of motorcycles occupy the road side to side, between them just a handful of boxy spaces occupied by cars driven by men with intense glares and tense forearms.
The Old City seems to be built around Hoan Kiem Lake, and I can't even imagine how many laps I have done around it, camera in hand, taking surprise family portraits or shots of vendors and making self-aware cops feel uncomfortable.
The thing I love the most about Hanoi? The people: the honest, bold, funny, cigarette smoke-filled, interesting and unapologetic characters.
