Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and has been continuously settled for more than a thousand years.  Like any ancient city, it has its “old town” with its warrens of narrow, maze-like streets and bustling commercial activity.  I was struck by how alive and, surprisingly, pretty the old city was.  I loved the energy and the graceful framework of French-inflected architecture under a jungle-like canopy of trees.

Property was traditionally taxed based on the width of the facade. Not surprisingly, this led to extraordinarily narrow buildings.

As far as traffic is concerned, the rule of law was nowhere to be seen.  Seriously, these streets are one big free-for-all.  It’s intimidating at first, but once you dive into the fray you realize that an assertive but good-natured sense of give-and-take moderates what otherwise would be a chaotic brawl, and the result is a fun and exciting dance with a thousand partners.  Not gonna lie — I loved it.