Rise and Shine for Day Two in Hanoi was easy as we list down (and plan ahead) what we intend to do for that day. The friendly reception at Serenity was super helpful in planning out our last day in Hanoi. We agreed to visit the BIGGER and more Luxurious (supposedly) hotel down north (outside Old Quarter-OQ) in the morning then to attack the streets again by night (since the glaring sun was adamant in joining us that day). We got ourselves a cab going to Vincom City Tower which was around 30 minutes away from OQ. It did not disappoint much as it was similar to KLCC in Malaysia - an office tower with commercial spaces below.


We browsed through each floor and finally sense a decent normalcy with the brands that they house and the set-up they had (comfort zone!). We made our way to the top most floor where all the food was *wink* and our tummies started growling with anticipation of the feast that was to come :D There were a number of choices and it took us quite a while to choose one. We even saw this restaurant where the conveyer line serve shabu-shabu entries instead of the usual japanese fare you see on these belts :)


We settled in comfortably amidst the mad lunch rush hour inside Seoul Garden where there is eat-all-you-can yakiniku and shabu-shabu! Best of both worlds indeed!*bUrp*



After a filling lunch (imagine our wide grin by this time), we took our sweet time strolling around the mall. There were admirably a variety of shops inside the mall catering to kids, young adults, and parents (?) hahaha! We did not buy anything though since everything was a bit on the high side ;) Since the sun was still high and up, we decided to lounge around more before heading out. Good thing there's Highland's Coffee inside the mall! An interesting trivia you should know about Vietnam is that they grow their own local coffee and promote & protect this industry by not allowing the giant killer Starbucks Coffee to enter its territory (clap! clap! clap!). Highland's Coffee is one popular chain of local coffee brand in Vietnam :) I got my usual dripped coffee and opted to reserve my vietnamese coffee experience where it is more authentic ;))) We also got slices of cakes to along with our drinks. By the time we emerged out of Vincom Tower, a near-perfect breezy weather greeted us a we begin to walk.


Walking in Hanoi except for the security risk in crossing the streets is very pleasant. The unpredictable and surprising good shop finds from block to block elicits smiles from us as we shoo away our body's insistent call for a cab. By walking also, you get to immerse your senses fully to your surroundings - sight, smell, noise, feel - and also witness local peculiarities such as... :)

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