Frenetic, electric, & hectic - the current capital of Vietnam is a city whose energy gets into many a traveller’s blood. The city itself has been playing a key role in Vietnam’s culture since the 11th century, and most notably so during the mid 20th century when it was the capital of communist North Vietnam. Nowadays, Hanoi is a city of winding avenues, yelling hawkers, speeding scooters, steaming street food, hidden temples, and piping hot coffee. Take a wander through its Old City and see the marriage of Vietnamese and French culture and architecture, and just allow yourself to get lost. Adventures await!
Most visitors centre their time around Hanoi’s Old Quarter, which has most of the tourist sites and the backpacker districts, but which still retains an air of the ‘authentic’ Hanoi. Traditionally, the 36 streets and guilds of the Old Quarter were named after what the artisans sold there, so that you now encounter avenues whose names translate to ‘Jam Street,’ ‘Silver Street,’ ‘Noodle Street,’ etc. Though not all of the old-fashioned industries remain, you can still go for a wander and distinctly see where ‘Baking Supplies’ Street ends and ‘LED Lighting’ Street begins. Because of these old guilds, Hanoi’s Old Quarter lends itself beautifully to long, exploratory walks. If you get hungry, there’s always a woman in a conical hat walking down the street with street snacks piled high in a bamboo basket. It’s just that picturesque.
After having gotten your bearings through a stroll, check out some of Hanoi’s most famous sites: the Temple of Literature, a beautiful, garden filled university where ambitious young scholars crammed from as early as 1070 AD; Ngoc Son Temple, suspended over Hoan Kiem lake; and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where you can pay your respects to an embalmed Ho Chi Minh along with throngs of other residents. There are quite a few other museums and sites of interest, such as the Museum of Ethnology and the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, though you’ll need a xe om (motorcycle taxi) ride to some. Pepper your adventures with a break or two to plop down on a tiny plastic stool on the sidewalk and have a cup of Vietnamese coffee - Hanoi specialises in the curious ‘egg coffee,’ known in Vietnamese as ca phe trung and in English as ‘heart attack deluxe.’ It's a mix of coffee with condensed milk and a deliciously frothed egg cream - and so worth it. After sightseeing, make sure you attend a Water Puppet Theatre show by Hoan Kiem lake, as the performances in Hanoi are rated as the best in the country. And don’t forget the nightlife at the end of the day - Hanoi doesn’t shy from Vietnam’s tradition of fresh brewed beer, known as bia hoi, available most places for cheap! Just make sure you’re awake enough to dodge all that scooter traffic in the city the next morning - you’ll need all your wits about to cross these streets.
Travel tip for beer enthusiasts: The "bia hoi" is brewed and delivered to bars daily. Every region has its own blend, so taste your way through the country with some Vietnamese beers.
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Most visitors centre their time around Hanoi’s Old Quarter, which has most of the tourist sites and the backpacker districts, but which still retains an air of the ‘authentic’ Hanoi. Traditionally, the 36 streets and guilds of the Old Quarter were named after what the artisans sold there, so that you now encounter avenues whose names translate to ‘Jam Street,’ ‘Silver Street,’ ‘Noodle Street,’ etc. Though not all of the old-fashioned industries remain, you can still go for a wander and distinctly see where ‘Baking Supplies’ Street ends and ‘LED Lighting’ Street begins. Because of these old guilds, Hanoi’s Old Quarter lends itself beautifully to long, exploratory walks. If you get hungry, there’s always a woman in a conical hat walking down the street with street snacks piled high in a bamboo basket. It’s just that picturesque.
>> Others topics:
After having gotten your bearings through a stroll, check out some of Hanoi’s most famous sites: the Temple of Literature, a beautiful, garden filled university where ambitious young scholars crammed from as early as 1070 AD; Ngoc Son Temple, suspended over Hoan Kiem lake; and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where you can pay your respects to an embalmed Ho Chi Minh along with throngs of other residents. There are quite a few other museums and sites of interest, such as the Museum of Ethnology and the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, though you’ll need a xe om (motorcycle taxi) ride to some. Pepper your adventures with a break or two to plop down on a tiny plastic stool on the sidewalk and have a cup of Vietnamese coffee - Hanoi specialises in the curious ‘egg coffee,’ known in Vietnamese as ca phe trung and in English as ‘heart attack deluxe.’ It's a mix of coffee with condensed milk and a deliciously frothed egg cream - and so worth it. After sightseeing, make sure you attend a Water Puppet Theatre show by Hoan Kiem lake, as the performances in Hanoi are rated as the best in the country. And don’t forget the nightlife at the end of the day - Hanoi doesn’t shy from Vietnam’s tradition of fresh brewed beer, known as bia hoi, available most places for cheap! Just make sure you’re awake enough to dodge all that scooter traffic in the city the next morning - you’ll need all your wits about to cross these streets.
Travel tip for beer enthusiasts: The "bia hoi" is brewed and delivered to bars daily. Every region has its own blend, so taste your way through the country with some Vietnamese beers.
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