Hanoi, part 1

After our night train, we had a delightful breakfast at a restaurant called Koto (know one, teach one). The restaurant is set-up as a training center for street kids to teach them skills in the hospitality industry and to give them a better life. The food was amazing (we went back for dinner that night, as well as breakfast again on our last day in Hanoi), the place seems very well run, and the kids seemed happy to be there.

Next we headed to an orphanage where we played with a bunch of kindergardeners and got to see the homes in which they live. The place was set up really cool, with ~16 houses, each with a house "mom" and ~8-9 kids to form a family for their time until they reach adulthood. This helped the kids to develop a sense of family community that so many would not otherwise have.

For lunch, we went to a noodle shop near the cathedral that was recommended by our friend, Chad Brown. The place was fantastic, and the iced lemonades were awesome! Next was the Hanoi Hilton prison where John McCain was held as a POW. The museum was set up nicely, although some of the descriptions and stories presented a biased Vietnamese perspective on events.

The next morning, we were off to Halong Bay for an overnight boat trip after an ~4 hour drive.