Last step of my trip in Vietnam: Hanoi. According to what other travelers I met who for some had preferred Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi, especially because of the more important cultural aspect of Ho Chi Minh (Museums, architecture, traces of the French presence), I expected not to appreciate the city much.
It is the opposite that happened. I greatly preferred Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh, I found the old quarter of this city very pleasant, very lively, a bit like in the old quarter of Bangkok. I should mention that I was very lucky since I arrived in Hanoi on a weekend of festivities, including the city marathon and the temporary pedestrianization of a very large part of the old city.
I made some nice encounters in this city, I really appreciated the atmosphere around the marathon but also the very lively animation of the old quarter: a lot of young people in the streets having fun, laughing, eating on those tiny chairs so typical of Vietnam. 
Sometimes it feels like you are evolving in a miniature universe.
It is true that there are fewer interesting buildings and museums than in Ho Chi Minh, but I nevertheless visited a very interesting museum of the women of Vietnam.
Like all cities in Asia, Hanoi is also a permanent market, you can buy excellent quality clothes at unbeatable prices which, moreover, are always negotiated.
