I came to Vietnam as part of a Crop Trust-supported genebank review team and after five days here I thought I’d only see a slice of Vietnam between our hotel and the plant resource center.

But the team was able to wrap up its work by mid-afternoon on Friday so we all travelled to Hanoi’s Old Quarter to get a taste of the city and unwind a bit.

And there’s no better location to immerse yourself in Hanoi. The Old Quarter is vibrant and bustling with people constantly dodging motorcycles and scooters. We walked along Hoàn Kiếm Lake and watched photographers staging shots of women in flowing dresses and then relaxed on a balcony pub with a cold Hanoi beer while watching the activities on the street below us.