I think one of the best ways to experience a new city is to just go outside and walk around in a densely-populated area. I applied that philosophy during my trip to Hà Nội, Việt Nam by one day heading over to the Tây Hồ District, which translates to the West Lake District, and going for a leisurely stroll around the touristy area.

… It didn’t exactly stay leisurely, but at least it started pretty peacefully.

I started my day at Double B’s Specialty Coffee and Brunch. It is right on Hồ Tây, which translates to West Lake; here is the view of the lake from the restaurant.

While deciding what to eat, I ordered some of their “must-try” signature juice. The juice was very unique and unlike most juices in the United States. It wasn’t too sweet, which allowed the rich flavors of the fruits and vegetables come out. The flavor combination was also interesting and gave the beverage a multi-faceted element to it.

The banana bread was relatively mild compared to what I usually have in the United States, which I actually preferred. I often see banana bread made closer to being a thicker cake, but this banana bread at Double B’s was special in that the outside was denser and thicker like banana bread, but the center was much softer and more supple in texture.

I also sipped on some egg coffee. To be clear, this isn’t regular coffee with an egg cracked into it or anything; I believe the significance of the “egg” is closer to what eggnog would be, as this was a very rich, creamy, and custardy coffee.

This is what the front of the restaurant looked like. The idiot sitting on the bench in the covered patio started smoking a cigarette while I was eating, so although I enjoyed my brunch, I ended my meal with a horrific headache.

Afterwards, I started walking southwest on a pedestrian walkway in Phường Yên Hoa, which translates to the Peace Blossom Ward.

I approached Chùa Trấn Quốc, which translates to the Tran Quoc Pagoda; unfortunately, they appeared to be closed due to some parades and celebrations that were happening for Cách mạng tháng Tám và Quốc khánh nước Cộng hòa Xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam, which is the August Revolution and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

I crossed over Đường Thanh Niên and took some more photographs of the buildings surrounding West Lake.

Đền Thủy Trung Tiên was also closed, but I managed to peek inside through the spaces in the door. I believe that name roughly translates to the Temple of the Fairy in the Middle of the Water.

I believe this was the Nhà Hàng Bánh Tôm Hồ Tây, which roughly translates to West Lake Shrimp Cake Restaurant. There was a dog randomly roaming around.

Here is Nhà Ga Thủy Phi Cơ Hồ Tây, or the West Lake Seaplane Terminal.

I eventually made my way over to Vườn hoa Mai Xuân Thưởng. In the center, there was a statue of Mai Xuân Thưởng, the man after whom the flower garden is named. He was known as a leader of Phong trào Cần Vương, a movement that roughly translates to “Support the King” which aimed to expel French colonial forces from Vietnam.

Here is the đài phun nước bông sen, or the lotus fountain, inside the aforementioned flower garden.

At this point, more and more roads were closing in preparation for the parade and celebration. I wanted to make my way back to my hotel soon, so I slowly started walking away from the busy area and tried to find a decent spot to get picked up by a Grab driver.

Unfortunately, the more I walked, the more I realized that the scope and breadth of the road closures was a lot greater than what I expected.

Comically, I would find a spot on my Grab app that was available for pick-up, so I would walk over there, but by the time I made it over to that location, the road closures had expanded even more and Grab no longer permitted pick-ups from that area anymore.

Eventually, after over five kilometers of walking, I made it far enough away from the busy area that I was able to call a Grab driver.

It obviously wasn’t the most pleasant experience having to trek a long distance in the heat and humidity, but I actually really enjoyed my walk through and around the West Lake District. It also made my shower feel extra refreshing after getting back to my hotel.

I feel like having all these road closures and celebration preparations greatly enhanced my day of sightseeing, and it allowed me to get a much more genuine and special Hanoi experience. I didn’t stick around for long enough to actually see the parade’s dress rehearsal or anything else that was happening that evening, but I did have an opportunity to see some helicopters flying overhead, presumably carrying some important government figures.

The scale of this parade seemed astronomically large. I’m glad I was lucky enough to have the timing line up with my trip, because I’m pretty sure I would not have been able to see anything quite like this in the United States.