Hanoi: You Are My Fire, My One Desire

Little things can jolt your brain about the places you've been, the people you meet and the memories that were made on that trip. 

 Sometimes, it's a particular smell you associate with a place like how The Body Shop's strawberry body butter always reminds me of Hong Kong. Or how Lanvin's Eclat d'Arpage became my signature perfume while in Singapore.

Other times, it takes only a song to make all the memories from that trip come rushing back. Akon's I Wanna Love You takes me back to the party beach of Puerto Galera, Black Eyed Peas' Meet Me Halfway reminds of the nights we camped on Anawangin Cove. Zuring and I made a music video of Katy Perry's Hot and Cold on my happy beach, Calaguas. Miley Cyrus' 'Party in the U.S.A'' reminds me of Macau and the Venetian because another music video was made there.

There isn't one song that I can associate with Vietnam. It actually has a full OST in my mind, most especially for the city of Ha Noi.

Backstreet's Back Alright!

You are my fire, The one desire
Believe when I say, I want it that way

It's funny how something ridiculous and normally trivial can become the catalyst to creating something truly epic.

We don't know how it started or who sang the first few lines. Before we knew it, we had sung all the songs from their first album and googling all the other songs as we went along.

The next day, my new BSB singing partner from Norway announced that the boys (sans Kevin R) will actually be coming to Vietnam on March 26th. Ha Noi will be their 117th and last stop on their This Is Us world tour. You can probably guess what happened next...

'They're a bunch of crazies!' says the girl with glasses on the right.

6 twenty-something mature backpackers from all over the world (Germany, Canada, Norway and the Philippines), who all should've outgrown the boy band phase at this point, bought concert tickets faster than you can say 'I want it that way'. It was as random as buying a motorhome insurance while backpacking. Who would've thought?

If you squint hard enough, you'll see Nick, Howie, AJ and Brian.

Is it illegal to take these posters from the streets?

The events after the concert were a blur of shrieking err singing, Bia Hoi (Vietnam's fresh beer) and buckets at a bar near our hostel. That night, I went to bed ridiculously happy, giddy and humming BSB songs all the way into dreamland.

Around Hanoi:

Lookin' back on the things I've done
I was tryin' to be someone
I played my part, kept you in the dark
Now let me show you the shape of my heart

Hanoi, oftentimes called the 'City of Lakes', is the bustling capital of Vietnam. We found that just by walking around the central area, you can see a lot of interesting places. And let me just say that if you can cross the mayhem that is the street of Hanoi, with all its motorbikes, cars and cyclo, then you can cross any street in the world with eyes blindfolded!

The Sole Sisters weren't expecting Hanoi to be cold. Brrr!

Hoan Kiem Lake or the Lake of the Returned Sword

There is only one place to stay in Hanoi, the Hanoi Backpackers' Hostel. They have $6 dorm rooms with free breakfast, clean and modern interiors, custom-made bunk beds, great staff and lots of chill-out places to meet other travellers.

Photo from Hanoi Backpers Hostel

Tam Coc:

Photo from Google Images

I don't know what he does to make you cry
But I'll be there to make you smile
I don't have a fancy car
To get to you I'd walk a thousand miles

Tam Coc is located in the province of Ninh Binh, about 2 hours from Ha Noi. It means three caves in Vietnamese. That's exactly where the boatman will take you on the front seat of a row boat.

Fellow BSB fans from Hamburg

This area was once part of the sea which is one of the reason why it's sometimes called Halong Bay on Land.

To get to Tam Coc, you can book a tour from any travel agency in Hanoi which will cost around 12-15 USD. Or you can DIY like Hutch by going to the local bus station that will take you to Ninh Binh.

I can no longer find any words or adjectives for Hanoi so I'll let my boys take it away...

And how you got me blind is still a mystery
I can't get you out of my head
Don't care what is written in your history
As long as you're here with me

BFF (BSB Fan Forever),
Sole Sister Chichi