We weren’t leaving Halong until 11:30am, so after a bit of a disappointing breakfast, we headed to the beach.

We ordered some iced coffees and soaked up the atmosphere.

It was a Saturday, and a lot of the local girls were coming to the beach and taking photos of themselves – so we decided to do the same.

Then it was time to go back to the hotel, pack up some bits, and head back to Hanoi.

Once we got back to the Bespoke and Trendy Hotel, Mandy and I checked in to our room. Karen, Zoe, Gill and Tracey were leaving later in the day to get the overnight train to Hue. They took their suitcases to our room and we left them in peace to sort out all of their luggage.

Mandy and I wandered through the side streets of Hanoi. They were very colourful and interesting. All the shops in one street sold the same kind of item. So one street had lights and lanterns, another one had clothes and another one stationary.

We headed to the station and the famous Long Bien bridge.

The bridge is 2.4km long and was the first steel bridge in Vietnam. It is often referred to as the horizontal Eiffel of Hanoi. Construction started in 1899 and it was completed in 1903, ahead of schedule. 3,000 Vietnamese workers built the bridge, using up to 30,000 cubic meters of stones and metals.

The bridge was attacked several times during the Vietnam War, and large sections have had to be rebuilt. The bridge is open to mopeds, cyclists, trains and pedestrians, and it is a left-hand drive road.

We found a rooftop bar that had a really good view out over the bridge, and as luck would have it,a train departed whilst we were up there.

Looking down from the rooftop bar, you could also see a part of the long mosaic in Hanoi. The ceramic mosaic runs along the dike system of the Red River and is around 4km long. It started in 2007 and was completed in 2010 as part of the celebrations to commemorate the millennium anniversary of Hanoi.

The cocktails we had were really strong, so after just one of them, we headed back to the hotel.

We met the others at Tang’s Kitchen, a lovely little restaurant not far from the hotel. I had a delicious meal of beef in bamboo, which the waitress showed me how to make into lovely fresh wraps.

It was quite sad as it was our last meal all together.

After dinner, we said goodbye to the others, who were getting a taxi to the train station, and Mandy and I went for a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake. Karen, Zoe, Gill and Tracey were all spending another 2 weeks travelling around Vietnam, and after that, all of them apart from Tracey, were spending 2 weeks in Thailand – I was a little bit envious.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the roads around the lake are closed, so it becomes a pedestrianised area. This means that there are a few bands playing and shows going on in the streets. There is also a night market with lots of stalls along the roads.

We took some photos of the Turtle Tower on the lake as it was all lit up. The tower has been standing for almost 150 years. It used to be a resting place when the King went fishing and was based on an older structure called Ta Vong Temple.

During the French occupation, the revolutionary flag of Vietnam was hung on the top of the tower, which always reminded the Vietnamese people to rise up and fight against invaders. Today, the structure stands as a sign of loyalty and patriotism.

We also passed the Monument of King Le Thai To. This is believed to be one of the oldest preserved monuments in Hanoi. In 1418, Le Thai To and his men rose up against Chinese Ming invaders. Nine years later, his resistance movement successfully drove the Ming armies out of Vietnam and restored Vietnamese independence. King Le Thai To is also the king who received the sword from the Lake.

Lots of the stalls were selling fruit, spices or insence. We came across a lot of Durian fruit.

We walked through the streets for a bit longer before it started to rain.

Although we both bought an umbrella (for £3 each), we decided to take shelter at a rooftop bar. We ordered a bottle of wine and watched the world go by.