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Published: March 8th 2024
Hoan Kiem Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake, great way to start your Hanoi exploration I reached Hanoi late evening and headed to the Old Quarter, where I was staying.
The first thing I noticed was the cooler weather, after the heat of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, North Vietnam at 14 degrees was a sudden, but welcome change.
The next morning I did what I enjoy doing in any new big city - take a walking tour. My guide was a young, enthusiastic Vietnamese guy who couldn't wait to delve into the intricacies of Hanoi.
After a walk at the Hoan Kiem Lake with its beautiful greenish water, the famous red bridge and the Ngoc Son Temple, we headed to the Dong Xuan market, the largest indoor market in Hanoi. Selling products of every kind, the most noticeable thing was the wet market where I saw seafood of all varieties. Later on, we headed to the Long Bien Bridge, which our guide fondly called as the supine Eiffel Tower.
Last on the walking tour was trying Vietnamese Coffee and I tried Egg Coffee for the first time. A concoction prepared during the time of shortage in Vietnam when milk and sugar was in short supply (and the egg yolk was used as
Cafes of Hanoi
Great coffee, beautiful cafes in Hanoi substitute for milk), this drink is a delicious coffee one has to try.
Later that evening, I ended up meeting some friends from the morning tour at Beer Street, a street well known for local beer and revelry. Cities are usually alive, but Hanoi and Beer Street are at a different level. There is hardly space to stand, but everyone is having a good time.
The next day I headed to Quang Phu Cau village, which is about 35KM from Hanoi. Public buses were very convenient and timely.
Quang Phu Cau is known for its incense sticks and the way the local villagers decorate them while drying. The bright red, pink, yellow, green colors just make the place looks like a flower garden.
While people visit for the beauty, the smell is intoxicating and the process of creating these incense sticks is hard work. The bamboo takes about two monthsnfor preparation and the incense itself is prepared from natural ingredients like saw dust, risk husk and cinnamon powder. The red color is used mostly as a sign of luck and pleasure.
While it's meant for tourists, it's a great local craft that needs to be
Beer Street at Hanoi
Beer Street at Hanoi can get busy, but it's always fun encouraged and I was happy to have visited.
Back to Hanoi that afternoon, I rested a bit and stepped out to just explore the old quarters.
Hanoi is amazingly photogenic, small temples, beautiful cafes, people eating on the streets, or just going about their daily lives, it's all happening at all times. I loved taking a stroll and exploring without a purpose.
Next day I headed to the Temple of Literature, a temple dedicated to Confucius is a serene but popular place. The various courtyards, the gardens are lovely to walk, especially if you stay away from the crowds. And here (and later in other parts), I enjoyed watching the Bonsai trees across the temple.
After some more exploration of nooks and corners of Hanoi, I headed out the next day to explore more remote parts of Vietnam.
A 1,000+ year old city, Hanoi reminded me a lot of India.
People find its traffic crazy (and hard to cross roads), for me it's same principle as always - when walking across the road in heavy bike traffic (Hanoi has 6-7 Million bikes for 8-10 Million population), just ignore everyone and go (or put a
Incense sticks at Quang Phu Cau
Incense sticks at Quang Phu Cau hand up and go).
The street food (everyone eats almost every meal on the street), the small chairs and tables put up for temporary stalls for food (and they are that way because they aren't legal and can be removed easily if there is any issue) are all a way of making a living.
Hanoi is a very lively city, has great vibes and is worth exploring for a few days. I enjoyed my time here a lot.
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