You must have heard a lot about Hanoi – The capital is more than 1000 years old. Not only famous for its long history, rich in identity, traditional culture, this land is also known as one of the places that attract many domestic and foreign tourists.
After being expanded, Hanoi is in the top 17 capitals with the largest area in the world with 3,324.92 km2. With this favorable geographical location, this city easily becomes an important economic, political, cultural, and scientific center of Vietnam.
Main things to do when you travel to Hanoi include:
- Explore The Old Quarter
- Take a cyclo, then travel around Hanoi Streets.
- Enjoy the famous and unique Egg Coffee.
- Drink beer at Ta Hien Street
- Visit the Train Street
- Going to Hang Ma at Mid-Autumn Festival
- Watch the flag-raising ceremony at 6 am and the flag-lowering ceremony at 9 pm at Ba Dinh Square.
- Enjoy Green Sticky Rice – a specialty dish containing the autumn of Hanoi.
- Eat pho early in the morning.
- Drive under the canopy of Phan Dinh Phung trees
Must-Do
Hanoi has so many things to do, and to get a sense of what Hanoi is like, explore The Old Quarter. Hanoi 36 streets of Old Quarter still retain the breath of history and architecture from the 19th century. The houses and street corners are familiar with many prominent items carrying names such as Hang Bac (silver), Hang Bong are still kept by people for generations. The feeling of wandering and looking briefly at the architectural lines, inhaling the familiar atmosphere will eat up every day without you being bored.
What I like best about Hanoi
The ancient streets in Hanoi are always the best thing.
The Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem Lake, features the street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. In the early 20th century, the city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now part of the Old Quarter. It has become one of the most popular attractions in Hanoi for tourists as they can witness the combination of ancient and modern beauty of Hanoi here and enjoy a wide variety of shopping and lots of local specialties.
Due to its long history, with many ups and downs, Hanoi also stands out with many different museums and historical monuments. Currently, there are 3840 historical monuments in Hanoi, the most in the country.
Best Walk
Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street is a tourist highlight of the capital. Since 2016, many streets around Hoan Kiem Lake have been organized to serve tourists and the people’s entertainment needs.
Hanoi Walking Street officially operates every weekend. Walking street time starts from 7 pm Friday to 00:00 a.m on Monday in Hoan Kiem Lake and the surrounding old town.
The interesting point in Hanoi pedestrian street is the various activities, including folk games, street art music, portrait painting, shopping, etc.
Best Restaurants
You MUST try Khoa Ngan restaurant, which is known as the specialty dish of Hanoi. Even the famous and fastidious chef Gordon Ramsay had to fall in love.
The best dish to mention is Ngan roast. Savory meat with natural golden skin is carefully processed by the chef little by little. When you eat, dab a piece of Ngan with the “god of melancholy” sauce only available in Khoa Ngan and put it in your mouth, making sure that much fatigue and anger dissolve into that delicious piece.
Best Music / Festival
Being considered the cultural center of Vietnam, Hanoi is where many cultural and music festivals occur. However, to fully enjoy the culmination of traditional culture and Hanoi’s artistic beauty, it is impossible not to mention Ca Tru – Intangible Cultural Heritage. You can enjoy Ca Tru on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday nights at Heritage House No. 87 Ma May, where artists of Ca Tru Thang Long start their singing.
The singer’s voice, the loud sound, and the bass sound of the house’s ancient house make the audience feel like they are back in the past.
Best Nightlife
Talking about nightlife in Hanoi, I will divide it into two categories. One is for those who like to relax at bars or clubs. Notice that if you are an extrovert, love bustling, and burn, going to the bar, a club in Sai Gon will be more fun. Best Nightlife in Hanoi is to explore the night market, enjoy delicious food, and watch Hanoi’s tranquility and ancient town. Vietnamese people often have a saying: “Hanoi is the most beautiful at night” because of that.
Best Day Trip Out Of The City
Ba Vi National Park and Duong Lam ancient village is a destination for landscapes and the countryside. You can combine these 2 points to go in 1 day or go each point in 1 day. Should ride a motorbike to enjoy a free adventure. You ride your motorbike to the top of Ba Vi mountain, climb the mountain to Thuong Temple and Uncle Ho Temple, on the way down to visit the fallen Church and enjoy the pure taste of the mountains. Afternoon visit Duong Lam old village, park a car, walk around the village, visit some 300-year-old houses, visit Cane pagoda and 2 tombs of King Ngo Quyen, Phung Hung.
Something that not many travelers would know about Hanoi
Located on the banks of the Red River, Hanoi still retains traces of rivers flowing through the time as famous lakes such as Hoan Kiem Lake (Hoan Kiem), West Lake (West Lake), Thien Quang Lake ( Halair / Halais Lake), Truc Bach Lake, Mau Bay Lake (Bay Ham Lake), Thu Le Lake (in Thu Le Zoo) only to mention a few. Therefore, Hanoi is sometimes called the City of the Lake.
Poetry, songs, and literature will tell you that the best times to visit Hanoi are in the fall (September – December) and spring (March-May). This is the best time when the weather is cool, mild, and perfectly suited to the city scene. If you go at this time, you will feel that Hanoi’s cuisine is much more delicious and wonderful.
Hanoi is very congested during rush hour, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Besides, if you want to experience a Hanoi feeling without people or traffic, you should go out on the 1st of the lunar calendar. It was quite an enjoyable experience.