Hanoi Travel Guide

Hanoi is Vietnam ’s political capital and is located in the north of the country, about 1000 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City . It has a population of more than 3 million and is a strange mix of an Asian capital. It has broad boulevards, lush trees, ugly governmental institutions, and dozens of lakes and temples. Add a touch of French colonial architecture to that and you have quite a unique city, with a lot of charm.

To visit HANOI is to steep yourself in history, tradition, and legend in a capital that has been inhabited continuously for almost a millenium. Visitors often note that the city is quieter, greener, and "cooler" than other big cities of Vietnam. Indeed, Hanoi itself, and the Northern Vietnam, have quite clear four seasons, and October to March are lovely pretty cool months whilst other towns southward just have dry and rainy times. It probably influences in the mentality of the inhabitants and the city seems attract more intellectuals and artists, while Saigon is great for entrepreneurs and hustlers.  

Hanoi's present architecture is mainly from the 19 th and 20 th centuries, and the French-built section of the town is largely intact. Yet, the city preserves many old religious temples and shrines dedicated to the nation's heroes or deities, who supported the farmers to cultivate and protect the fertile land on the Red River right bank and gather the first commercial guilds to form what later became an exciting urban town. Hanoi street life now is fascinating. In the early morning, you can see people both young and old practicing "tai chi quan" or martial arts in the parks and joggers along pretty lakes. Outdoor barbers with mirrors simply hung on the street walls and women selling great French baguettes and flowers are also at every street corner. If you go for a walk, the motorbikes and cyclos may make you wonder a bit which directions they move on, but as soon as you get a chance to try one of them, you could say they are not so risky like they seem to be, as the local drivers have extremely special skills to avoid one another (!).

The best place to start exploring the city is  Hoan Kiem Lake ( Lake of the Restored Sword ) which is right in the center of the city. Off and around this lake is the Old Quarter that is worth taking a long walking tour to enjoy and experience the hustle and bustle of this district. Each street ( Pho ) concentrates in doing business in one specialty, be it silk clothing, ceramics, motorbike seats, coffins and other art crafts. It also provides a very interesting insight into the Hanoian’s way of life.

Taking a ride in motorbike taxis ( xe om   ) is a must. Be sure to negotiate the price before you get on the motorbike. The drivers are known to severely overcharge tourists. A cyclo ride is also recommended although not during rush hours as the pollution from a myriad of motorbikes on the street can be a big letdown.

There are many museums in town related to the hero of the nation : Ho Chi Minh. He is much more present here than in the city that was named after him - Ho Chi Minh City , formerly known as Saigon . Warning to visitors of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: Don't wear red - it may be taken as an insult.  

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Yummy Hà Nội!

Yummy Hà Nội is a concept long existed. No Hanoian is unfamiliar to “yummy” dishes, although the numbers of people who can cook them is limited.

According to a recent research by an American newspaper, Hanoi is one in ten cities has most delicious dishes in the world. That’s a good news. However, that fact was proved hundreds years ago.

That proudness inspired famous writers to produce works such as "Hà Nội 36 streets" (Thạch Lam), "Hà Nội’s gastronomy", "Noodle", "Lean pork paste", "green rice" (Nguyễn Tuân), etc.

Chicken Vermicelli – a special dish

When saying about the top dish of Hà Nội, it’s a big mistake if you don’t mention chicken vermicelli (bún thang), especially Mrs. Ẩm chicken vermicelli. Vermicelli is a popular food of Việt Nam and there are many types of vermicelli, for instance crab vermicelli, rib vermicelli, grilled chopped meat vermicelli.

“Thang” in Bún thang means soup, which is the most essential part of this dish. It is cooked with dried prawn, chicken and pig bone. During cooking process, one must pay attention to remove foam so that the soup water is clear.

Main ingredients of bún thang must include: white vermicelli, thin-sliced fried egg, chicken, lean pork paste, salted shredded shrimp. In addition, the typical flavor of that dish would be lost without dried turnip, flagrant knotweed, coriandrum sativum and onion. Before serving customers, sellers use a magic to make it taste special. The secret is named belostomatid attar.

There were many kiosks selling bún thang in Lãn Ông street or in markets. However, none can compete with Mrs. Ẩm chicken vermicelli.

Grilled meat vermicelli

Hàng Mành street is famous for grilled meat vermicelli. Previously, girls used to peddle this dish and it was sold like hot cake without advertising. People would be aware of it when seeing smoke from grilling meat. Nowadays, this dish is sold in fixed restaurant.

Many people who ever tried Hà Nội grilled meat vermicelli couldn’t forget that special taste: the softness of vermicelli, flavor of grilled meat, vegetable crops and green papaya. The sauce is comprised of water, fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, chilly and pepper.

People can eat this dish with spring roll, or nem. Nem was originated in Sài Gòn with the name chả giò. Hà Nội Nem proudly came to the dictionary of Larousse. Famous restaurants selling nem lie on Hàng Cót, Hàng Vải Thâm (now is Thuốc Bắc) Street and other markets.

The journey of Phở

There is a dish, very “Hanoian” that is reserved to be mentioned last. It is noodle (phở).

French call it soup Chi noise, which means Chinese porridge. Vietnamese say it was originated in Giao Cù ( Nam Định). That’s the reason nowadays you see many restaurants having sign of Nam Định traditional noodle. In fact, the following legend is the most popular. Poor overseas Chinese made a bowl of rice noodle added buffalo meat and soup to eat at night. As time goes by, many changes happen and now we have delicious phở with some kinds: beef, chicken and pork. It’s the long journey of development, not only of phở but of the nation.

Nowadays, there are some famous noodle restaurants at Lê Văn Hưu , Nam Ngư Street. However, people eat noodle with fresh eggs instead of belostomatid, which affects its original flavor.

Hà Nội also has many other tasty dishes which cannot be fully mentioned in this small article. Yummy Hà Nội is a concept that has been existed for long time. No Hanoian is unfamiliar with yummy dishes, though numbers of people who can cook them are limited.

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