Good morning Hanoi!
Our introduction to Hanoi was an early one, really early. We touched down around 2 am and had a swift taxi ride through the city after clearing the airport.
Vietnam had been on our original itinerary in 2020, before the world closed and our travel itinerary got dismantled. We were excited our ‘tick off the travel list’, was finally coming into fruition.
How we got there
As we were in Dubai before Vietnam, we flew from there via Calcutta. Unfortunately, there was no direct flight to Hanoi, on that day, so we had a 3 hour wait in Calcutta after our Emirates flight. Indigo, not surprisingly didn’t make the transit smooth.
Not sending our boarding passes meant we had to queue up at check in. Not a long queue, but when 10 members of indigo staff milled around one kiosk, and we were sent over the only one lone male working, we weren’t happy. This escalated, when the nodding staff member looked at his computer and tried to attempt to charge us for meals we hadn’t ordered. We stood our ground and they removed the charge.
Having to go landside, rather than transiting airside for our connecting flight, enabled us to get our passports stamped with our prearranged evisa. This should make things smoother when we return to India at a later date.
Arriving in Hanoi
After arriving into Hanoi at 2am, we were both exhausted. We still had to navigate immigration. The lines were one of the worst we have seen travelling around the world. I (Miko) sent Knox to try and see if there was anyway to organise a fast track service as my friend had advised we should get before travelling.
At this late stage, I (Knox) knew this was not happening. However, I took a dander up the queue anyway. By pot luck another immigration desk opened, creating a rush to get to the front. Thinking quickly, I beckoned to Miko. Thankfully, we managed to get in line with only about 16 people in front. 20 minutes later, we were through.
We used our UK passports for this trip as this enabled us to utilise the visa waiver program, with up to 45 days stay without the need to get a visa.
Private taxi in Hanoi / Vietnam
For convenience sake, we had arranged with our hotel for a driver to pick us up. He was waiting for us at a pillar just beyond the main crazy melee of other drivers hawking for business. Especially in this early hour, we were glad not to be haggling taxi prices. At $18 for a 30 minute drive, it was well worth it.
Even after 2.30 am the city was a hive of activity. Honking horns in a city that never sleeps. Indeed, with markets getting ready for the early morning rush, there were vendors on bicycles & motorbikes carrying huge bundles of fruit or flowers.
For the rest of the time in Hanoi, and Vietnam as a whole, we downloaded the Grab taxi app. Like an Uber, it was generally easy to get a cab and the prices were clearly stated prior to booking.
Where we stayed in Hanoi
After our usual extensive research, we opted for the Shining Central Hotel in the old quarter. The hotel had great reviews. Additionally, it ticked the 3 C’s mantra. It was Cheap; at £70 per night, Clean; with that antiquated style, and Convenient; being in walking distance to most of the attractions we were planning to see.
On arrival, around 3 am, we had woken the reception staff as one lay on a bench waiting to check us in. Definitely reminding us of the quirks of India. We met the day staff the next morning and throughout our stay they were all extremely helpful, especially Anna who should win an award in hospitality! We thoroughly appreciated their warmth and dedication to make things exceptional.
Over our stay in Hanoi, we had two different rooms in the hotel. Our favourite was the balcony room, on the third floor, that faced the street. Despite the hustle and bustle of the street, we found the room quiet and the life outside was great to see.
Connectivity
WiFi wasn’t great in the hotel, so we bought a package for £16 each. It was a SIM card plus 4gb of data a day for the month, bought at the Viettel store, which was a couple of mins from the hotel. Yes, it was probably more than we needed but I (Knox) wanted to be sure we had plenty of data so we could get into blogging, also have it out and about while sightseeing, and so I could watch some football 😜.
One thing to note, the data packages are fairly cheap. Ours cost about £4 for the month. However, one has to buy the SIM and this is what pushed the price up. For those staying longer term, more than a month, only the data package would need renewed each month. Is this a tourist thing? Probably. I was in the official Viettel store so I had to take it at face value.
Currency
Feeling like a millionaire! At the time of writing, 32,000 VND (Vietnamese Dong) was equal to £1. ATMs generally allowed you to take 2 million VND out at a time. Some charged a fee while others didn’t. Enjoy being a millionaire in Hanoi!
Just to note, some establishments will charge a fee for card payments.
What to do in Hanoi
Firstly, get out amongst the locals and walk the streets. Hanoi is big, smoggy, noisy and crazy, but quite exhilarating.
Hanoi Old Quarter
The Old Quarter is what one expects when coming to Hanoi, Hectic. Motorcycles, lorries, buses, rickshaws and cars are scattered all over the roads, in no particular lane, with horns blaring while squeezing into gaps that appear. Even when you feel lucky coming to a zebra crossing or a traffic light, which are plentiful, don’t think this will be much help. The traffic rarely comes to a complete standstill. However, you just got to brave it, create your luck, and walk like a local into the flow. Alternatively, you’d stand all day and look out of place. While it appears that everyone is in it for themselves, there is a frequency and rhythm to it all. You just gotta tune in.
Train street
Train street is certainly a unique attraction, with train tracks smack bang in the middle between ramshackle houses, tiny bars and restaurants. Visitors lined each side, squished in on the tiny tables and chairs anticipating the arrival of the train at 3.15pm.
There is rushed mayhem, before the train rumbles through, as the staff of the establishments make sure people don’t sit to close to the tracks, but sit close enough to get a thrill. Indeed we were extremely close as the train flew passed. One could touch it, if you were brave enough.
Everyone had phones out to the side as it sped passed down the narrow street with other tourists nestled inside.
We watched the iconic display from our little bar stools. The experience was so good, we decided to take in the night time show too, at 9.15pm, as this had the added sparkle of the colourful lights.
Beer street
We passed beer street, and it’s surrounding streets, in the day time. Many establishments have tiny, child like seats and tables. It was quiet in the day with most shut or prepping for the night time mayhem.
Nighttime was a shock to the system.
It was happening with mostly westerner’s filling the stools in the bars and restaurants as vendors tried to sell their wares.
Such as candy floss, vapes, trinkets, balloons, or the famous Vietnamese hat, called the non la.
Ah the famous Non la. I just had to have one! Made from palm leaves these traditional conical hats are iconic and a symbol of the costume.
It’s place to mingle and talk to other travellers and locals to hear their stories.
Imperial citadel
Hanoi’s Imperial Citadel dates back to the 11th century.
However, after destruction by the French, most of what’s left is from the 19th Century. This includes the famous flag staff.
The landmark is used to give local children and visitors, as well as foreign tourists, an idea of old Hanoi.
Temple of literature
With the name, we were expecting to see more like a large old library with thousands of antiquated books. However, it was an open air museum. The temple of literature was a place of learning. Now it’s a crowded tourist attraction. The Vietnamese do like to pose for a photo.
A temple dedicated to Confucius in Hanoi. It was founded and first built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông, and it hosted the Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first national university, from 1076 to 1779.
The temple has held it’s grandeur, despite the ravages of the war.
It also has some fun photo ops to! Such as giant chairs or a horse sculpture.
Hoa Lo Prison – Hanoi Hilton
Dubbed the Hanoi Hilton by US POWs, Hoa Lo prison is situated in Central Hanoi, near the French quarter. Only the gate house remains after the main prison area was demolished during the 1990s.
The French built the prison to house political prisoners. Although called Hoa Lo, “stove”, due to the wood stove businesses in the area, the name can also translate as hells hole. No surprise that it was a harsh environment of punishment, torture and execution. Hoa Lo was not a place the locals wanted to be sent to.
While all the above was very real, the prison also became a breeding ground for communist activists in the 1940s. Indeed, this was aided by Hoa Lo’s central location, which gave the prisoners good communication lines to the outside world. Messages, parcels, and all manner of goods were thrown over the wall in both directions.
During the Vietnam war with America, the prison was used to house American POWs. The harsh treatment of prisoners continued. Outside, there is a peace garden. It details parts of the war and provides a memorial.
The entrance fee, like most Vietnamese tourist areas, is low. A couple of £/$ so very accessable. It’s an interesting place to go. Although, due to its attraction, there is little space for true reflection on the lives of the thousands of inmates that were dragged through it’s doors.
Hoàn Kiëm Lake
Hoàn Kiếm Lake in the Old Quarter is a beautiful addition to the city. You will find many photography opportunists there, as well as weddings with people all in their grandeur.
I’ve never seen such excitable photography taken with precision, as the locals bring props to get their best pose. Even the lake, and it’s natural props join in the photogenic poses.
It’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon to get away from the hustle and bustle.
And, if you love trees, there are some spectacular old ones to climb! Just watch you don’t fall in the water!
On the north shore, there is the Ngoc Son Temple. Extremely popular due to its location, the temple is beautiful. Even with the crowds, one can find peace for reflection.
Buddha the cat certainly helps to keep people calm.
A roof top bar
While Hanoi, is a relatively low rise city, and definitely nothing like Dubai, they have plenty of sky (roof top) bars. Indeed, our hotel had one. The grumpy bar man was maybe part of the reason it was very quiet.
Ho chi Minh’s Mausoleum
“Long live the Socialist Republic of Vietnam!” Shouts one of the slogans beside Uncle Ho’s final resting place.
A man of many pseudonyms, details of his life prior to his return to lead Vietnam in 1941 are sketchy. I guess that adds to the mystery and intrigue. Why would he need so many other names?
He was well travelled, with much of his education happening in Europe. His Mausoleum in Hanoi certainly gets the crowds in as he is revered by many. The rest, like me, are just interested in the historical significance of the person.
Entrance is free so why not come over. Inside the mausoleum has a strict dress and etiquette code. It is also only open for viewing in the morning. The grounds are open all the time and the museum, within the grounds, is open in the afternoon too if you want to pay in.
One Pillar Pagoda
A lovely, quirky, temple within the grounds of the Mausoleum. Looking like a bird table, lots of Buddhists flock to this to say a prayer and pay their respects. This ancient temple site has it’s origins back at least to the 11th century.
It was interesting to see a couple of white uniformed soldiers, “protecting” the back of the mausoleum, goofing about. Bizarrely, they un-holstered their pistols and pointed, from a distance, at the Pagoda area. It was like watching a couple of primary school children shooting toy guns.
Interesting show of respect at one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples.
Tran Quoc Pagoda
After the mausoleum area, I dandered you to Tran Quoc Pagoda at Hanoi’s west lake. Of course, I didn’t read the timings, as it shuts from 11.15 to about 1.30 pm.
Ah, well at least me and a fruit seller had a bit of fun on the way there.
There was some fun on the way back too!
I was a sitting duck at the pagoda as I wanted a quick way back to the hotel. I got a few offers that made me chuckle. This guy had a price around a grab cab price so he won the day. Such a great way to get a view of the city.
Hanoi’s French quarter
A little bit of French chic in Hanoi. As well as the opera house (see below), there is haute couture oozing out of the plentiful branded shops, some colonial French architecture, and a plethora of cafe bars. Very posh, darling!
Hanoi Opera house
Resembling the Opéra Palais Garnier, Hanoi Opera House was built by two French architects. The magnificent building became one of the top landmarks in Hanoi. The Opera House even hosts cultural performances, bamboo cirque, contemporary dance and orchestra.
St Joseph’s Cathedral
Another French relic, St Joseph’s, 1886 cathedral is a captivating french gothic style building located in the Old Quarter and the oldest in Hanoi.
The Cathedral conducts mass several times during the day. The bell towers are a big feature, as well as the stained glass windows.
As we entered the grounds a Christmas tree was getting erected. A brave man stood at the top, unflinched by the sheer height of it all.
Is it really true Vietnamese eat dogs?
Simply yes. As in India we didn’t see many street dogs in Hanoi. Maybe this was the reason? Or maybe they just have a good sterilisation program? We avoided the markets that sold meat or animals. As animal lovers and vegetarians it’s not something we cared to see.
Saying this, there are plenty of locals who love and care for their pets, and you can meet many on the way for a cuddle.
Eating and drinking
With meaty meals being the majority in Vietnam it was very important to us that are food wasn’t contaminated with the meat juices. We found even when you say you’re a vegetarian, they still would think you didn’t mind fish or meaty stocks.
As Hanoi has been a tourist attraction for many years, we were lucky we found some delicious restaurants throughout Hanoi who catered for vegetarianism and vegans.
On top of that, the hotel provided breakfast so that meal was sorted.
Here are the recommendations!
Pizza Belga
Well, we do like pizza. The pizza was good in this modern restaurant. They mark items as vegetarian, which is good, but be careful as the parmesan cheese will not be. With that in mind, the pesto has parmesan mixed in it so not suitable for vegetarians.
All in all, we enjoyed meals here. The service was excellent and would definitely recommend.
Kadhai Indian restaurant
For a Vegetarian, when in doubt, go for an Indian. Kadai hit the spot. Only 10 mins walk from Shining Central hotel, we got wholesome food and service with a smile. As with most of the old quarter, it is squeezed into a tiny bit of land and has it’s kitchen upstairs. We were well fed.
A great wee place that would be enhanced with a bit of mood lighting.
Vivienne cafe
One to avoid. A bit worn when we called in for refreshment. When you walk, in the waiting staff try and sell you the most expensive beer, without showing the list, and then offer nuts as if free but, you guessed it, they would be added to the bill if you accepted.
We wanted to get one of their upstairs veranda seats and stayed around for a second drink. The service was non existent. We had put the order in and the guy said a few minutes. He then went off never to return. We ended up having to go and get served at the counter downstairs. Ironically, they then stick on an automatic 10% service charge.
Beer street bars
As noted above, beer streets is a cacophony of noise with bars packed in to every available space. On seemed to be just a door on the street. Dive in, pick one, and enjoy.
Would we recommend Hanoi?
Certainly! It’s a once in a lifetime experience. The pollution, noise, mayhem may not be for everyone, but take 3/4 days out of your life to embrace it.
If you enjoyed this, check out other parts of this trip like Dubai.
