Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam is officially nuts. Official in our book anyway, having spent some time hanging out there we know it is bonkers.

In Hanoi, the motorbike is king, it is everywhere, there are NO Rules when it comes to driving, walking, and crossing the road. It is a  Man eat dog, sorry I mean dog eat dog world out there (literally, though the Vietnamese do eat them) and you had better be ready for one massive culture shock. Not that this is a bad thing (well apart from the dog eating that is) Vietnam, and Hanoi in particular gives back that little bit of travel sparkle in an increasingly globalised world. It is inescapably different, so different that you know you are travelling, you feel it in your bones that you are somewhere new and exciting.

Just a quick stroll through the streets reveals lots of little fun travel moments, be it seeing a bicycle loaded up with an incomprehensible amounts of crap, char grilled chickens feet served in an old coke can or just the stench of salted quid jerky.

If you dare cross the road you have bikes and people at your from all sides, who might even attempt to sell you something as they drive by.

It is a wonderful experience, even if visiting Hanoi is a mental one.