I decided to visit Hanoi this Easter. In the beginning, I was a bit skeptical, but Hanoi surpassed all expectations. Its quintessentially a city stuck in the past, especially the Old quarter. Women still carry stuff to sell on their shoulders wearing straw hats, the best food is the one you eat by the roadside, noone feels the need to follow traffic and its a cheap shopping paradise !!! Its chaotic but there is an amazing beauty to that chaos which leaves you breathless.
Halong Bay, on the other hand is a place MADE for a postcard. 3000 islands, numerous fishing villages and amazing rock formations. You need to see it to believe it.