Global Gary

Hanoi is in the north of Vietnam.  It is the country’s capital and second largest city with a population of around 5.5 million people. Hanoi was full of life, noise and colour and its Old Quarter seemed chaotic with narrow streets criss-crossing each other.  In the past most streets in the Old Quarter were arranged by trade and some of that still exists today. Scooters and motorbikes are everywhere, even in the pedestrian areas of the Đồng Xuân Market! Hanoi at night is a cacophony of beeping horns and very persistent offers of massages, food, drink and rides in bicycle rickshaws. It reminded me a little of the medina in Marrakesh, but busier and noisier. 

The weather in Hanoi is much cooler than in the south of the country.  Whilst Ho Chi Minh City was basking in mid 30s Celsius, Hanoi barely reached 20 degrees Celsius when we were there.

Magnificent 7 // Hanoi, Vietnam

1. Take an excursion to Halong Bay
2. Stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake
3. Marvel at the Water Puppet Theatre
4. Do time in the Hai Lo Prison Museum
5. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ho Chi Minh Museum
6. Shop at the Night Market
7. Explore the Vietnamese Women’s Museum

Getting there –

We flew from Hue, a short uneventful flight of around 60 minutes. Hanoi airport was a breeze and we were reunited with our bags and out of the airport in no time at all. We had arranged a taxi transfer through our hotel, which worked perfectly. On the drive to the city centre we were surprised to see so few motorcycles. However as we got closer to the city there were just as great a concentration of them as in other cities, with a particular concentration in the Old Quarter.

Where we stayed –

The Tunger Grand Hotel was in a central location in the Old Quarter. This has its good points as the streets around it are teeming with colour, street theatre and life. The downside is that it can be noisy at night. Our room was small, and just looked tired. The hotel desperately needs a refresh. On the bright side the shower was good and we never ran out of hot water. Our room was a “Superior Queen” room, not sure what an inferior one would look like, but it was reasonable value for money. We would not, however, recommend it and are not sure how they got the rating they had on Booking.com.

As in the rest of Vietnam, there is no shortage of excellent, inexpensive and tasty street food.  We also ate at an Italian and an Indian restaurant as well as a Vietnamese restaurant overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake.  The variety of coffee options at all the cafes we visited were superb.

Magnificent 7

1. Take an excursion to Halong Bay

This is a must do, although it is not in Hanoi!  We took a 2 day, 1 night cruise on an 18-berth ship. Our cabin was magnificent, and we had fabulous views of the scenery from the floor to ceiling windows. There was also a private balcony.

It was an early start from Hanoi, around 0830 and there was a lot of waiting around. On both the outward and return journeys, all tours stop for 30 minutes to give you the opportunity to buy a coffee, or if you were feeling extravagant, a pearl necklace, earrings, pendant etc. On entering the harbour we had a 30 minute wait for our tender boat and a 45 minute journey to our ship. On arrival we had lunch and an introduction to the events over the next two days.

The scenery was stunning, rivalling Milford/Doubtful Sound in New Zealand. Unfortunately the weather was a little unkind, unusually chilly at 14 degrees Celsius. On the first day we went kayaking, had a cookery demonstration and after dinner, squid fishing. On the second day we visited the Dark and Bright Caves by bamboo boat. There was Tai Chi at 0545, but sadly we overslept (no not really, that’s far too early) and missed it! The food was terrific and plentiful. Brunch was at 0945, so that we could get back to Hanoi by mid-afternoon.

2. Stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake

This is minutes from the Old Quarter and it is a pleasant walk to circumnavigate. A nice level path runs around the lake with lots of places to sit and people watch. We saw an impromptu Tai Chi class take place and there are good views of Turtle Tower on an island in the middle of the lake. The main attraction on the lake is the red Sunbeam Bridge which leads to the Den Ngoc Son Pagoda, which houses some impressive turtles.  This lake itself plays an important role in Vietnamese mythology. Le Loi, the founder of Hanoi, was boating on the lake when a giant turtle surfaced and asked him to return the magical sword, given to him to defeat Chinese invaders.  The turtle took the sword in its mouth and disappeared under the water.  The lake is sometimes referred to as The Lake of The Returned Sword, or Sword Lake

3. Marvel at the Water Puppet Theatre

4. Do time in the Hai Lo Prison Museum

This is a terrific museum. The prison was built by the French in 1896. All displays are in English and French as well as Vietnamese. The clever juxtaposition of the French administration’s treatment of the Vietnamese prisoners rebelling against French colonial rule and the treatment of American airmen captured in the Vietnam War is stark. The French do not come out well. There are some great displays and enough information to pass a few hours. We learned a lot during our visit to the “Hanoi Hilton”.

5. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ho Chi Minh Museum

Uncle Ho, as he was affectionately known, is probably the most important figure in Vietnamese history in the 20th Century. The mausoleum has unusual and very limited opening times, and photography inside the mausoleum is not allowed. The Museum is interesting and worth a visit. Focusing on the life of Uncle Ho, his legacy and his struggles, it is unashamedly partisan but nonetheless fascinating.

6. Shop at the Night Market 

Situated in the Old Quarter from Hang Dao Street to the Dong Xuan Market, this market takes place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays after 6.30 pm.  It is allegedly vehicle free.  When we were there for the first hour or so we had to avoid motorbikes driving through the pedestrian areas in front of the market stalls.  Later in the evening there were far fewer vehicles.  The market itself was fun and sold what you would expect; it was colourful, noisy, crowded and a great place to browse and soak up the atmosphere.  I enjoyed negotiating prices, although some stalls (a small number) worked on the principle that if you didn’t buy something at their (higher) price, somebody else would later on!

7. Explore the Vietnamese Women’s Museum

This museum is divided into three main areas: Marriage and Childbirth, Women in History, and Fashion. I particularly liked the Women in History section which highlighted the vital roles played by women in the wars against the French and Americans as well as the achievements of some prominent present-day Vietnamese women. Sue enjoyed the Fashion floor, which had examples of traditional dress from Vietnam’s different ethnic groups. I must admit to going to the gift shop instead!

Of Note

There are many famous markets in Hanoi and all are worth visiting, it depends on how much time you have and your interests.  Long Bien Market is a food market situated under Long Bien Bridge.  The biggest market is the indoor Dong Xuan Market in the Old Quarter. It has multiple floors selling everything from food to clothing to handicrafts.  If you love flower markets there is a wholesale market that opens at 2 am, yes really. There is also the Hang Be Market in the Old Quarter which is renowned for its food section.  These can all be looked up online.

One of the major reasons for the congestion in the Old Quarter is the proliferation of rickshaws.  There are simply too many and they cause significant congestion as well as a constant barrage of offers of rides.  We did not like them as they seemed to us to have somewhat colonial overtones.  It’s not hard to walk around the Old Quarter.

To balance the above note, if you have mobility issues, and you want to visit the Old Quarter a rickshaw may be a good option as the pavements are crowded with people and parked motorbikes and scooters.

Hanoi airport did not have a great duty-free selection, or indeed much in the way of shopping, so it’s probably best not to save your souvenir/gift shopping for the airport.

Fun Fact

The Long Bien Bridge of Hanoi was designed by Alexandre Gustav Eiffel, creator of the Eiffel Tower.