Back to Hanoi

Hi all,
Well, I used to live in Hanoi, Tay Ho (Au Co 399) from 2005 to roughly 2011 and after almost 12 years I'm planning to visit my Beloved Madness again! Looking forward to see what happened in the mean time and wondering if there is any platform / forum where the expats gather. I read that the New Hanoian is dead, too bad, but is this the new place or are there any other more locally oriented online hotspots or message boards?
I'm wondering if any of the Ta Hien Street Bia Hoi crew of those days might still be around (Ian from Scotland, Hugo from Canada, Janny from Finland?), but, also, if anyone knows where an old (125CC) Minsk in decent running condition could be found. I'd love to buy/rent/use one for a week or so. Also, if that won't work, where to rent a xe moto (any) at local prices without too much of a paperwork fuss.

Plus, anything that might be of interest to an old Hanoi veteran after being away for all these years? I read that the Noodle is still alive?

Looking forward warmly to any suggestions, tips, tricks and what ever that might be useful or fun.

Cheers,

Niels (Ha Lan)
-@Niels Dieleman

Welcome to the Vietnam forum on Expat.com, Niels.

Historically, we haven't had as much participation on here from Hanoi expats as we have from people living further south, so please feel free to start new threads whenever appropriate.

The lack of 90 day visas has significantly reduced the long-term expat population throughout Việt Nam, so prepare to be disappointed when looking for the same type of regular expat activity you've known in the past.

We were in Hà Nội in September and didn't cross paths with many foreigners, but maybe we were just unlucky?

Doing monthly visa runs from Hanoi appears to be quite difficult, with no established companies providing the same regular service as happens in Đà Nẵng, HCMC & elsewhere, so your best option to get a new 30 day evisa when the first one expires might end up being a flight in and out of Laos or Thailand. 

Best of luck to you with your planned visit.

Cheers!

O.B.