Báo Khánh Alley in the Morning @ Hanoi [Vietnam]

Báo Khánh Alley was the street in Hanoi that I walked through every single day when I was in the capital city, as it was the location of Bonsella Hotel, our choice of accommodation! 

It was a nice street, aside from the many hotels along the stretch, you can find massage parlors, souvenir shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and even a branch of Pizza 4P's.

Late at night, you can even find people playing chapteh (also known as shuttlecock / featherball) in the middle of the road! I am guessing they were hotel employees who had some free time closer to midnight when most hotel guests would be sleeping / getting ready to sleep. 

Scene in the morning along Báo Khánh Alley was different though; with many shops shuttered, it's transformed into a mini market where you can secure fresh produce like fruits and vegetables! 

It's like bringing the locals to the touristy precinct and feel so authentically local! Thing is, I don't think Báo Khánh Alley or its immediate surroundings had that many local residents to patronize this makeshift market.

Raw meat in the rawest form without any refrigeration! It's okay in the first few days when we were in Hanoi since the temperature was relatively cool in the low 20s degrees celcius.

Towards the last two days, the temperature had risen quite a bit to almost the 30s degrees celcius and that's when I noticed a lot more flies hovering around raw meat. Sanitation is definitely not up to Singapore's standard and hence, might appear a bit revolting to some.

Be mindful when you walk along the street in the morning though. In this case, the fishmonger actually had a few live fishes in the pail and they were struggling like mad, resulting in splashes of water that almost hit us! 

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Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes @ Vietnam