Xin chào, food fans! Francesca here, officially reporting in from our first full day in Vietnam — and let me just say, it did not disappoint. There was food, fun, heat, horns, trains, storms and possibly the most satisfying tree-removal operation we’ve ever watched.
Hold onto your iced chocy — this was a day to remember.
🥐 Breakfast: Buffet Bonanza
We started the day strong with a hotel breakfast buffet (our fav!), and let me tell you — we did not hold back.
There were:
- Western options (hello pancakes and eggs),
- Japanese dishes (Ted was thrilled to find miso soup and rice back on the menu),
- And enough fruit, pastries and juice to keep Lucia bouncing until lunchtime.
I think we managed about five courses between us. The goal? Fuel for the day ahead. Mission: accomplished. 🏆
🚂 Morning Tea: Coffee, Chips & A Train That Took Its Time
After breakfast, we hopped in a taxi and headed into Hanoi’s Old Quarter to soak up the local vibes (and sweat through our shirts).
We chilled at Tranquil Coffee where:
- Mum and Dad had… coffee ☕
- Ted and I had an iced chocolate (choco-lovely), and
- Lucia did her best Mini Mouse impression with a set of coasters 🐭
Then it was time for the main event: TRAIN STREET — the legendary, slightly terrifying alley where a train passes right through just inches away from the cafés lining the tracks.
Scheduled for 11:30am.
Reality? 45 minutes late. 😅
The heat? Unforgiving.
The vibe? Kind of sweaty but electric.
Meanwhile, Lucia devoured a plate of chips like a woman on a mission. 🍟
And finally… WHOOOSH! The train came thundering past — loud, close, massive. Lucia cackled like a tiny train-loving gremlin. Mum flinched. It. Was. Awesome.
Then it was back to the hotel to cool down and regroup (and dry off a little).
🥖 Lunch: Street Food and Storm Spectating
Mum took one for the team and ventured out into the steamy Hanoi chaos to hunt for food while we lazed in the aircon. Hero move. She returned with:
- A selection of bánh mì (YES PLEASE)
- And chicken & fish pho soup from a few street vendors that smelled so good we nearly clapped.
We munched our way through it and then hit the hotel pool to cool down, just in time for… a thunderstorm of epic proportions. 🌩️💨
Lightning! Wind! A tree fell onto the road, flattened a car and took out a power line. Absolute drama. But instead of panic, local crews appeared like magic, chopping the tree up while traffic just… kept going. Casual chaos. Hanoi style.
We stayed poolside and watched the whole thing like it was the best TV show we’d ever seen.
🍽️ Dinner: Five-Star Flavours at Sente
For dinner, we braved the rain and walked to Sente, a lovely Vietnamese restaurant inspired by the lotus flower.
Every dish was a piece of art — beautifully presented, full of flavour, and completely devoured.
Here’s the delicious rundown:
- Jicama salad with grilled sous-vide chicken and lotus root 🥗
- Grilled “fruit” salad with yoghurt and balsamic glaze
- Grilled Angus beef flap with brown rice cakes & Vietnamese basil sauce 🥩
- Grilled chicken with ambarella leaf sauce
- Brown rice pad Thai with stir-fried beef shank
And then… dessert.
- A silky lotus purée crème brûlée 🔥
- And the star of the show: black sesame ice cream — nutty, rich, and totally unlike anything we’d had before.
Lucia tried to eat both, but we fended her off. Barely.
🌟 Final Thoughts from Francesca
If today was anything to go by, Vietnam is going to be wild, wonderful and very, very tasty.
We had:
- A train fly past our faces,
- A tree fall across the road,
- And a meal fit for royalty to wrap it all up.
And that was just Day 1.
Stay tuned for more flavour, fun and maybe a few more close encounters with public transport.
Love from Hanoi!
– Francesca (plus Ted, Lucia the Chip Queen, and Mum the Bánh Mì Hunter) 🇻🇳💖🥢
P.S. Ted still thinks the train was cooler than the storm. Lucia says the chips were better than both.
Ted Tastes Francesca Feasts 
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