Golfing in the Lake

I started taking golf lessons at Hanoi Club last year though my record as a student has been errmm.. not that good. (I stopped learning for 5 months before resuming recently). Hanoi Club's driving range is quite popular amongst the expatriates and locals because it is right next to the West Lake (or "Tay Ho" in Vietnamese). So each time I hit the ball, it goes right straight into the water. The amazing thing is these balls (called "floaters") are designed to float in water. In the evenings, you can sometimes catch the sight of small boats rowing out into the lake to "fish" out the balls.

In winter, learning golf is quite enjoyable because the weather is fantastic and with each shot, you enjoy the pretty sight right ahead of you. (I can't say the same for summer though because the blazing sun just kills me..) Near the driving range is Hanoi Lakeview Apartment, which was one of our earlier top choices for serviced apartments. Can you imagine waking up every morning with the lake right in front of you? WOW! Unfortunately, the rental was too high and the apartment comes partially furnished (which means we have to get our own furniture and that, I find really troublesome).

There's also the sight of large boats floating in the West Lake. These are actually restaurants catering to tourists. There's a famous dish in Tay Ho called "Banh Tom" (or prawn biscuits) which is sold at all boat restaurants. We tried it once and it was very much like the prawn pancakes sold at Indian Rojak stalls in Singapore. But the sauce dipping is quite different in Hanoi, consisting of a sweet vinegar and garlic mix. Another activity that one can try in West Lake is boating. There are little "swan-like" boats for rent at 20,000 VND (or SGD 2) for one hour. I tried it once with my brother and it was really fun pedalling around, except that we were both really tired at the end of the ride. Believe me, this is cardio exercise.