During my few days in Hanoi, I managed to explore quite a bit and find some good places to go and things to see that I thought id share with you all…
1. Eat at Tamarind restaurant. It’s all vegetarian food, but don’t let that put you meat-eaters off…everything is absolutely delicious…especially the desserts.
2. Go for a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake…it’s beautiful and tranquil and it’s a great way to see some of the city, using the lake as your base in the centre.
3. Go to Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of the lake…serene and spiritual, this is a great place to come to just hang out and reflect on your travels.
4. Go on a day trip to Halong Bay (check the weather first though)…it is absolutely stunning when you get there, especially at the floating village, which sits right in the centre surrounded by the broken cliff tops. There is a cave that most tours will take you to as well, which is spectacular.
5. When booking trips and bus/train tickets make sure you shop around as pretty much every travel agency (and there are a LOT of them) will give you a different price
6. Buy some sugar cane…yum.
7. Have breakfast at Gecko restaurant…Best. Pancakes. Ever.
8. Attempt to cross a major intersection to further value your life…the trick to it is confidence. You just have to stroll across the road at a steady pace and let the cars and motorbikes go around you.
9. Go to Don Xuan Market. It sells pretty much anything you can think of…and smells a lot like fish.
10. Get a Vietnamese Iced Coffee from one of the many street vendors…I don’t really like coffee and even I thought it was delicious.
Roo Around The World 
I am proud to say that I managed to do most of these things when I was there a few years ago. I completely agree with your tip about crossing the street. You just have to walk and let the traffic surround you. Great post!
haha yeah…im terrified every time i cross any road, but im still alive so it must be working so far!