What to do in Hanoi?

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Hello my dreamers,

Today, I will begin a series of stories about my fabulous month-long trip to Vietnam in 2016! If you are interested in my tips for traveling there, you can read this article. Here, I am going to tell you about my trip and what you can do in Hanoi.

The context of my trip

Between the end of my end-of-study internship and the signing of my contract as an employee, I had a month of vacation, an opportunity that I could not pass up without traveling. I immediately thought of Vietnam, where I had only been to a few times as a child and had not set foot again for about 10 years. I missed Vietnam, I wanted to go back there to see how much it had changed, reconnect with my roots, get to know my country better, and see part of my family again. No one had enough time off and/or money to go with me so, three years after South Korea in 2013, Vietnam was my second big and long solo trip. Finally, not totally alone because I was with guides and other tourists during my tour organized across the country for the first 10 days but then I was alone in Phu Quoc and finally I was with my family in Ho Chi Minh-City. So I start my story with Hanoi …

“In Hanoi, I had a culture shock”

I have to admit that in Hanoi I had culture shock because I had never been there and it was so different from what I had experienced in Ho Chi Minh-City in the past. I thought there were too many people in the streets, too many motorbikes, that it was swarming everywhere with also lots of food stalls with lots of people sitting on little plastic chairs a few inches off the ground, that nothing was new or beautiful except the hotels. The traffic flow was impressive and everyone honked their horns nonstop. My first impression of Hanoi was not very good and although I didn’t know what to expect exactly, I was disappointed.

“I ended up liking this city”

Near Hoan Kiem Lake there were plenty of shops, restaurants, and people, mostly families. When I got away a little bit, it was completely different. In the small streets around, it was dimmer, quieter, and almost empty by comparison. It was older, it was the authentic side. Finally, I ended up liking this city which has its little charm, and wanted to stay there longer to get to know it better. I would describe it as very touristy (there are especially a lot of Americans), very populated so stifling at first glance and very exotic but ultimately friendly because there is a lot of entertainment and life in the streets of the old quarter, a family and festive atmosphere where people come together and mingle. Finally, I felt safe there even though I went out alone at night.

What to do in Hanoi?

• Admiring a water puppet show.

• Strolling to the Dong Xuan Night Market where they sell little gadgets, cute little things, clothes, etc, and where you might get to see a stage show.

• Visiting pagodas like the Trấn Quốc pagoda near West Lake.

• Going to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum (the first president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam).

• Entering the site housing the former Palace of the Governor of Indochina, the house on stilts of Ho Chi Minh, or the one-pillar pagoda (Môt Côt pagoda).

• Buying souvenirs in an artisanal lacquer painting workshop, at Thu Huong Lacquer Arts for example, where the paintings are made with seashells or eggshells and lacquer. At the back of the workshop, there was a shop with lots of beautiful and varied souvenirs including superb paintings. I fell in love with a magnificent golden painting with cherry blossoms, at around 55€.

• Visiting the Temple of Literature, a beautiful place with lots of greenery, which was Vietnam’s first university, inaugurated at the very beginning of the 11th century.

My hôtel :

The Church Lan Ong Hotel, 5 minutes walk from the center of the old quarter. I had a huge bed as I had never seen before and a little balcony that overlooked the street. I spent one of the best nights of my life there, the bedding was so comfortable 😍

Some restaurants where I ate to:

I list them even if I don’t know if they are still open but you never know …

• Avalon Cafe Lounge, a good restaurant, quite chic, with a floor that overlooked Hoan Kiem Lake where I had a salad and a Coke for 6€.

• La Place Hanoi in the square of Saint Joseph Cathedral. I ate a delicious “mango chicken” there, a dish with rice, chicken, mango, tomatoes, peppers and onions, a real delight! It was a nice restaurant with colored pencils available to be able to draw on the paper tablecloths.

• Orchid, a very good restaurant which also offered cooking classes.

To find out how I organized my 10-day tour from north to south Vietnam, go here to the “Planning” section.

And you, have you ever had a big culture shock? If so, did you end up enjoying this place?

See you soon for my next article about the mountains of Sapa!

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