Hanoi Travel Guide

It is located in the centre of Ba Dinh Square, which is the place where Vietminh leader Ho Chi Minh, Chairman of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1951 until his death in 1969, read the Declaration of Independence on 2 September 1945, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

On these rainy days, the best for you to go outside is being an umbrella next to you or you will be all wet. It is unfortunately if you catch an suddently rains on your walking Hanoi streets on weekend! Or with my headphone i can sit something to wait for stop rainning! hehehe

Last month, me and my friend headed in Hanoi to attend a wedding of my friend. She married a vietnamese man so we went to hanoi to joined with her. But Hanoi is so beutiful so we decided to stay more few days to discovery Hanoi. And this are some highlights of the trip or spleeping: Essence hotel The essence hotel is conveniently located in the...

I guess i'm in the luck making the right decision leading my group of 40 pax opt not going to this restaurant at the end of Hanoi-Ha Long Bay visit. We're heading to airport unexpectedly early (something fishy) and no thanks to the local tour guide keep bragging about this 200 yrs. old restaurant serving Cha Ca fish trying to convince us to lunch...

Food stalls can be found at literally every corner. It'll take a little courage to eat in some of them as the food looks uncommon if not strange or inedible - but you'll most likely be satisfied afterwards. Basically all of them have their "menu" visible on a large plastic sign. If you plan to eat in food stalls, it might be a good idea to learn...

Little Hanoi 2 has no relation with Little Hanoi 1. This is a lovely open-plan cafe with a mouthwatering selection of baguettes, pastas and salads. Their French breakfast is a steal at VND30,000. It opens daily from 07:30 to 23:00 and deliveries from 09:00 to 21:30. Everything is nice here.

While it may seem a tourist thing, water puppet theatre shows are a traditional Vietnamese art. During the rainy seasons, when the rice paddies were flooded and every afternoon brought a tropical rain shower, people created this kind of theatre which is actually played in the water. The puppets are moved with long wooden sticks and show typical...

Apocalypse Now is a large, smoky bar full of American men and Vietnamese women. When we got there, my friend Vince went straight to the pool table, while I wandered to the bar to grab a few beers. While in line, I started talking to a nice young Vietnamese girl; things were going smoothly until she revealed that she was a hooker. Needless to say, I...

we are enjoying so much the activity of the local people surrounding the lake, sitting there,,, relaxing... see a lot of motor bike passing by.. people doing exercise.. running around the lake, the beautiful bridge..

Hanoi Airport taxi appears to be one of the favourite and at a price of just US$17 for best part of 45 - 60 minute drive from the Old Part of Hanoi it is a good deal. Since the building of the new bridge between the airport and Hanoi and the widening of three lanes, the trip from the airport to town can be down to around 35 mins although the price...

If you wish to go to the airport from the city centre, using local transportation, you have to take two buses: 1. take bus 9 behind the Tourist Office near the Hoan Kiem Lake. Travel until, Cầu Giấy, the last stop. 2. take bus 7 to Noi Bai - airport. In both buses, the ticket is payed directly to the driver.

Vietnam railway is developing, but still, it is a level of developing country and not to expect any qualities. However, it is still functioning, it is cheap and easy and safe way to travel the country. If you can give up a bit on your comfort, it can be a way to travel cheap. We took the night train from Hanoi to Hue which was bearable, as a...

It's not just one shop, it's a whole street full of silk shops. Each one sells silk clothes as well as the fabric itself so that you can have a shirt or a dress tailored somewhere else. I guess that there are about 60 shops. I propose buying the fabric only - it's possible to have a shirt or anything else tailored in Van Phuc village, but if you...

This is the best quality of lacquerware I've seen in Hanoi, Saigon, Bangkok and northern Thailand. The prices are high compared to other shops, but the difference in quality is remarkable. Dishes, bowls, coasters, boxes, lamps and similar Don't expect much more than 10-15% discount from list prices - it took us half an hour to get something like...

This is the oldest roasting coffee brand in Hanoi, according to the locals this is one of the best coffee roaster in this city, beside before going to Vietname, I've already done some researches about Vietnamese Coffee and this shop stood out with a lot of possitive reviews not only about their quality coffee but also the kindness of the staffs, to...

Sugar at the bottom, as we Finns say. There is a little bit crowded on my best list here, this should also be number one because it was one of the reasons I came here. Seriously, we Finns are known as heavy drinkers and I would like to avoid being named as "the beer Finn" or "that beer boy from F").Bia Hoi is a Hanoi's version of beer drinking. Of...

Springrolls stole my hearth also. These are served as starters in most restaurants and the procedure is simple (I have done it at home also, with great success :). Take a rice paper, wet it with water till it becames soft. Fill with vegetables, fist, meat, pork, shrimps or what ever your imagination is saying. Roll it and serve with dip as is or...

As we Finns are really heavy coffee drinkers, it as a strong recommendation when I say that Vietnamese coffee is best in the world. It is dark, strong, characteristic and there is very light taste of chocolate behind. It is prepared just to you and you need a special filtering system which you can buy from market and it's very cheap (in the...

TAXI'S DO HAVE A METERIt doesn't seem to work properly!!!I was charged 670,000 dong (about $45au) for about half hour taxi ride. A motorbike taxi cost $4. BE AWAREWatch the Driver constantly, because he is watching you, waiting for a chance to push a little button that makes the meter jump heaps. In my case, he added an extra zero.This is what I...

This is close to traffic warning, but let's take this also. The pavements are not for pedestrians, in practice, you face this situation everywhere. The city (Old Quarter) is not buildt for motorcycles and now there are hundreds of thousands. The parking is a problem here with imaginative solution, your park where is enough space. This is our...

I don't yet know what is the name of this carrying apparatus, let's call it apparatus. You probably can't avoid these polite ladies when on then streets, just smile, take the apparatus and smile again. You are awarded with the hat also and that might be bemusable at least to ladies (and men also, when you have just visited your hair stylist).

It cannot be said often enough: Street vendors in the Old Town take prices that are up to ten or twenty times as high as what Vietnamese would pay. Although a higher price is reasonable (it's still cheap for westerners), this is far too much! Paying VND 30,000 for some small bananas when you can get them for 1,000 outside the Old Town isn't fair...

I felt into the traps 3 times, even I am extremely careful: 1. Took a taxi from one of the museum to the city, should cost around 40,000 Dong. The meter jumps so fast that I ended up paying about 5 times more. BUT, this is not the end of it. After I tried to consult the driver the price per kilometer and failure to do so, my wife passed me two...

You may see women carrying loads of fruit and think great photo opportunity. So do they!! They will ask whether you want a photo or if you are with someone else give them the pole to carry and for them to have their photo - for a price!!!

When in Hanoi in wintertime, especially in January and February, be sure to bring a warm coat and a warm pullover. Although it's located somehow southish, Hanoi gets pretty cold in winter. Temperatures range from 8-15°celsius, i.e. 47-59°fahrenheit. In addition to that, it's very likely to rain - the Vietnamese call this kind of rain "raindust"...

Bring you mobile phone if you plan on staying for a few weeks or more. For about 450,000 dong (about $30), you can get a chip to stick in your Tri-band GSM phone and you get 300,000 dong of credit, enough for light calling for a few weeks. International calls are expensive!! T-Mobile has a peering relationship with Vinaphone, so you can use...

If you come from a hot, humid country like me, and are going to Hanoi in the cold season (Nov-Feb), be sure to take along lip protection balm/gel etc. I did not because the temperature in Nov is like Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. I didn't realise it is very dry in Hanoi. By the 2nd day, my lips were very dry and peeling. I couldn't find anything...

Le Van Huu street is a little bit away from the centre and just around the corner of the apartment I lived in when in Hanoi. In my opinion, it's one of the most beautiful streets of Hanoi as it is very interesting and busy in a number of ways. Coming from Hue street, the first thing you'll experience is a smell: The upper part of Le Van Huu street...

Halong Bay is riddled with many caves and grottoes throughout the stone islands. The formation developed through various forms of erosion over thousands of years. The most famous are concentrated in the central zone of the World Heritage area, these being.....Heavenly Palace Grotto, Driftwood Grotto, Surprise Grotto, Pelican Grotto and Three...

Located in Vietnam's remote northwest mountains, Sapa is famous for both its fine, rugged scenery and also its rich cultural diversity. It is an incredibly picturesque town and area that lies in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range near the Chinese border in north-western Vietnam, known as "the Tonkinese Alps". Sapa and its surrounding region is host...

Vietnamese people are early birds. And Vietnamese people are badminton cracks. You should know this before! So if you're interested in watching sports get up early and visit Ho Hoan Kiem or Lenin Park. It is not uncommon to see people playing badminton as fast as tennis pros early in the morning! The same is true for all those who prefer a less...

Lenin Park has already been described as a place to watch people doing Tai Chi early in the morning. However, there's also sport in the evening. If you enter the park from its south side (opposite Bach Khoa University), and walk to the right, you'll soon come across a paved circle on which people gather in the evening to enjoy dancing classes. I...

Vietnamese people are early birds. And Vietnamese people are badminton cracks. You should know this before! So if you're interested in watching sports get up early and visit Ho Hoan Kiem or Lenin Park. It is not uncommon to see people playing badminton as fast as tennis pros early in the morning! The same is true for all those who prefer a less...

Last month, me and my friend headed in Hanoi to attend a wedding of my friend. She married a vietnamese man so we went to hanoi to joined with her. But Hanoi is so beutiful so we decided to stay more few days to discovery Hanoi. And this are some highlights of the trip or spleeping: Essence hotel The essence hotel is conveniently located in the...

Four Saint temples protecting Thang Long- Hanoi" Thang Long tu tran”, the four famous sacred temples guarded 4 directions of Thang long Hanoi (the other three are Bach Ma (White Horse), Voi Phuc (Kneeling Elephant) and Kim Lien). Quan Thanh temple guarded North Hanoi Quan Thanh temple has another name Tran Vu Temple. It is a Taoism temple in...

Perched on a tiny islet ( Jade Island) in the lake not far from the tower, is the Ngoc son temple . It dedicated to Confucian and Taoist philosophers and the national hero, Trần Hưng Đạo. The temple came under comprehensive repair in 1865 by Nguyen Van Sieu, an eminent scholar of the old Thang Long Capital. Other projects were...