Visiting Hanoi, Vietnam could be the most exciting or miserable thing you could ever do. So many things to see and do, it might get too overwhelming. In this post, I want to list out all the places that we went to visit and hopefully will help you narrow down places you would like to visit in Hanoi.
1. Hồ Hoàn Kiếm (Hoan Kiem Lake)The name Hoan Kiem lake literally means Returned Sword lake. Why? you might ask. Well, according to my mother, there was a Golden Turtle that lived in this lake a long long time ago. When the country was in trouble, the Golden Turtle gave the king a powerful and mysterious sword (ohhh…ahhhh…). With that sword, the king was able to fought off the enemies and restore peace to Vietnam (yay!). And while the king was boating on the lake, the Golden Turtle reappear to reclaim the sword. You can choose to believe the story or not but I think it is pretty awesome since my nickname growing was turtle. I love walking around this lake because even though you are in the middle of the busy city, it really doesn’t feel that way. It doesn’t matter if it’s 2pm on Tuesday or Sunday, there is always an array of people walking around, chilling, and relaxing. Some time you might see older couples doing waltz next to the lake…how cute! You will also catch a lot of couples taking their wedding pictures around the lake if you are in the wedding season. We seriously saw like ten couples while we were walking around.
2. Kem Tràng Tiền (Trang Tien ice cream)
I am so excited to tell you about this place. I have been eating ice cream at this place since I was a little kid. The ice cream is smooth and has just the right sweetness. My favorite flavor is Cốm (I’m salivating just talking about it!) . Not only was it delicious but a bar of ice cream there cost 7,000 VN dong (which equate to 30 US cent!). It is actually right next to Hoan Kiem lake. You can plan your trip so that after you stop by the shop, you can leisurely walk around the lake to work off that three ice cream bar you devoured. Another neat thing about this place is that you can drive your motorcycle into the shop, get your ice cream, and then eat while sitting on your bike. I was too busy chowing down the ice cream that I forgot to take a picture but trust me, it was delicious!!!
How to get there: This place is located on the corner of Tràng Tiền street and Ngô Quyền street.
Ok ok, maybe you didn’t come all the way to Vietnam to go into a plaza but if you want to get away from the heat after you walk around Hoan Kiem lake, this wouldn’t be a bad place to stop by. This plaza is actually a very historic landmark in Hanoi. Located right next to Hoan Kiem lake and Trang Tien ice cream. The building itself has been there since 1901 and was recently renovated. Now it houses some of the most luxury brand name companies, something you don’t find very often in Vietnam. For me, I love the architect both inside and outside. It has quite a different feel compare to other buildings in Hanoi.
How to get there: the building is at the corner of Hàng Bài and Tràng Tiền street.
This is a theater that feature water puppet show. The show include short stories about the lives of Vietnamese citizens back in the day, the tales of the Golden Turtle, and the mystical sword. This is a live performance show meaning that there are musicians playing and singing traditional Vietnamese song while the puppeteers bring the puppets to life. It is all in Vietnamese but it is a cute and funny show that would be worth checking out. Prices for the tickets range from 60,000 to 100,000 VN dong (3 to 5 US dollar) depending on how good you want your seat.
How to get there: The address is 57B Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Hà Nội, Vietnam. And just like everything I have mentioned in this post, this theater is right next to Hoan Kiem lake! How convenient!
Phở, the food that ignite my soul. The one food that makes me content with life no matter how crappy the day has been. I have eaten so many different food in my life but nothing compares to how phở makes me feel every time. Everything about that dish is perfection. From the tender beef that has been cooked for hours, the broth that was so carefully flavored, the noodles, to the garnishes. That is one of the two Vietnamese dish I know how to make right and a lot. It is also worth mentioning that there is also Phở Gà (Chicken Pho). I personally do not like Chicken Pho because I think that Beef Pho has more flavor. One place that we went to when we were in Vietnam was called Phở Bò Thành Long. According to my family, this place has one of the best phở in Vietnam. And after eating there, I have to agree.
It is kind of crazy to thing about it though, these people make a living by making one dish. ONE! Day in and day out, that is all they do! I don’t know about you, but I think that if you can make a living by making one type of dish, you must be pretty freaking good at it!
Again, I have to apologize, I was too busy eating that the thought of taking a picture of my phở bowl didn’t occur to me.
How to get there: The address is 111 Láng Hạ, Hà Nội. We used a cab to get there!
6. Văn Miếu (Temple of literature):This is Vietnam’s first national university. The temple covers a pretty large area that includes several courtyard surrounded by tall walls so it was a nice getaway from the busy street of Hanoi.
This is a large memorial dedicated to Hồ Chí Minh. Here you can visit Hồ Chí Minh in the mausoleum, his living quarter, and a museum dedicated to his life and work.
Last but not least, when you come to Vietnam, you definitely have to walk around the street of Hanoi, more specifically, the old quarters of Hanoi. There a cute little boutique shops, souvenir shops, and small street food vendors in old quarters of Hanoi. While we were wondering the street of old quarter Hanoi, we encountered an old living quarter that still had a family living in but they open the house for the public to visit during certain hours. We had a chance to meet this really nice old man that knew how to write in old Vietnamese characters ( which had the same characteristics as Chinese).
How to get there: There is no specific area but if you are at the Thăng Long pupper theater, right next to the theater there is a small little street, if you wonder around there you will find cool little shops with many many many delicious food vendors!
These are just a few places that we had a chance to visit while we where in Hanoi that we really liked! Keep in mind that most places you go you will most likely need to by a ticket to get in but they are cheap and well worth it!
-Trang-
