First time visiting Hanoi, stayed in the Old Quarter, very crowded and chaotic

It was my first time in Hanoi. I chose to stay in the Old Quarter. I went out for a walk in the afternoon. Oh my god, it was so crowded and chaotic. Cars, motorcycles, bicycles and rickshaws drove randomly on the narrow streets of the Old Quarter. People were sitting on small benches outside and eating on both sides of the street (many were drinking tea and eating melon seeds, and some were eating snails). The drivers kept honking their horns, and the whole street was very noisy.

I always felt like I was going to be hit by a car when walking on the road, and there was a lot of garbage on the ground. When I got to the coffee apartment and the Hoan Kiem Lake, it was a pedestrian area, which was much quieter and safer. But maybe because it was Christmas Eve, many people took snacks and sat on the roadside to eat (really on the roadside, sitting on the ground), and some people were quite uncivilized. They left their garbage on the roadside after eating.

It was hard to walk to the cathedral, and it was so crowded. We had to stay for a few more days, so we just went back to the hotel. Along the way, I couldn't get a car at all. Grab had to wait for 20 minutes, and then after waiting for a long time, the driver said, there is no way to go, so cancel it. I tried to call a taxi on the road, but none of them would take me.

To be honest, this place is very different from Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. It is also very different from other cities in Southeast Asia. It feels very similar to Nanchang when I was a child. The ancient city is like our Wan Shou Palace. We haven't seen such a scene for a long time. We were a little surprised. My mother even said that she would never go to Hanoi Ancient City Street again.

It was still very good to return to the hotel. The hotel had Christmas afternoon tea and cute little gifts for us. The food here is also delicious. I wonder what Hanoi is like in your eyes? Is it just like this because it is Christmas Eve + weekend?