My friends arrived around 10 AM today, but their first impression of the place was far from great. They were already disappointed with the accommodations, so we decided to look for somewhere else. We walked through the streets of the Old Quarter in search of a better hotel. While the new place wasn’t perfect, it was certainly more convenient and comfortable than the current one. After booking a room for the next two days, we canceled our original stay and got a refund.

With that sorted, we decided to try something new and headed to a famous café to try egg coffee. Afterward, we wandered around and stumbled upon a unique café called the “Note Coffee” place. The walls were covered in thousands of sticky notes, which looked fascinating from the outside. They only served coffee and a few beverages, so we decided to skip going inside and continued our exploration.

By now, it was late and we were hungry, so we made our way to BanhMi-25, a popular spot known for its delicious banh mi. I had the chicken banh mi, and it was by far the first food I genuinely enjoyed in Vietnam. With our hunger satisfied, we headed to the Temple of Literature, a peaceful and historic spot that offered a bit of a cultural change of pace.

After spending some time there, we decided to head over to the famous Train Street, where trains pass through a narrow passage flanked by cafés. The train was due at 3:30 PM, so we had some time to kill. We stopped by an Apple Store again to check for the iPhone, but the communication was still difficult, so we decided to skip it and arrived at Train Street by 3 PM.

Sitting at one of the cafés along the tracks, we ordered some drinks while enjoying the lantern-filled ambiance. At 3:30 PM, everyone was asked to step back from the tracks as the train approached. It was an intense experience, with the large train, complete with AC coaches, passing just a foot away from us.

After the excitement of Train Street, we headed to the Cathedral, where we admired its exterior. We wandered the streets, picked up a few souvenir magnets, and tried some local noodles with soup. The dish wasn’t particularly to my liking, but it did the job of filling me up. One interesting observation was how many food places had small stools and chairs outside for people to sit and eat—definitely a unique experience. We ended the evening with some ice cream and a leisurely stroll around the lake before calling it a day.