Hà Nội
Hà Nội, capital of Vietnam. Its dominant architecture blends French colonial and rural-style villas, narrow and elongated colourful houses. Being the first spot on the map in my self-composed itinerary, there was an adjustment to the new timezone, customs, and a lot of discoveries of the culture of my origins.
Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Hanoi
⛅︎ | 27˚C
Traffic flow: Dense, Slow
Traffic anxiety level: Very high
We landed during the night. Right off the plane, I could already feel the humidity. But it wasn’t so bad in the end, I just escaped the cold of Canada. And what struck me the most? The sheer number of motorcyclists in the streets! The legend is true! I also recognized other landmarks, such as the French colonial homes and the buildings surrounding the Hoàn Kiếm Lake. The desire to know more about the country steadily intensified, but maybe a good night of sleep first? Then the next day welcomed me with full-on authenticity under the daylight. I mean, now it’s really more motorbikes! They literally rule the streets and it’s a permanent show!
The traffic lights code
Green, I go
Yellow, I go
Red, I still can go
So call me a chicken if you want, but I demanded my đẹp trai to always wait and hold my hand before crossing. Quickly, it became evident that looking right and left before crossing the streets is not helping much, because the traffic is never stopping. And pedestrians are not the priority. At least, I’ve never heard of anyone being hit by a bike or car during my trip. The system works, apparently.
Neighbourhood: Old Quarter
📍 Anatole Hanoi Hotel
Múa rối nước (water puppet show)
The water puppetry of Hanoi stands as a renowned attraction. It’s a Northern Vietnamese tradition that represents the people’s optimism; farmers would fabricate puppets to entertain the village during the period of flooding of rice fields. In this kind of show, you will appreciate the harmonious blending of tales, live folklore songs, puppetry, light, water and fire, which altogether create a wonderful spectacle you definitely don’t want to miss!
Lotus Water Puppet Theater
16 P. Lê Thái Tổ, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm
Train Street
Ah, the famous train street… I’m not sure if it’s officially closed off nowadays for satefy measures. I’m just glad that I had the chance to catch it for myself, eating snacks and sipping on a cocktail and looking at the train pass by a couple of feet from us. No kidding it’s dangerous! It’s a situation that also can be well managed if everyone took self-satety measures seriously. The merchants know the train’s schedule and would inform you. Sit tight and well under the hood. Otherwise you may as well fly with the train. It’s a big vehicle that runs at a high speed in a narrow street. Safety first and social media for…!
Hanoi Train Street
3 P. Trần Phú, Hàng Bông, Hoàn Kiếm
Coffee
It's a delightful blend of dark, robust roast which pairs very well with the creamy sweetness of condensed milk. Serve with ice and you get what is commonly known as "Vietnamese Coffee". Or replace the milk with chicken egg yolk, if you want an "Egg coffee" instead. This concept of egg coffee was born in Hanoi, out of necessity during a milk shortage. Mr. Giảng, a local café owner, ingeniously began using chicken egg yolks in his coffee. Now you get it, the Vietnamese are quite creative when it comes to coffee. One day, I've got one composed of sticky rice with pandan leaf. It was a pleasure to eat... or drink? Whether it's for a walk or a real coffee craving, you can never be wrong by passing by a local coffee shop here, many of whom also feature stunning interior designs that you certainly want in your photo albums!
Cafe Giảng
39 P. Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm
Hidden Gem Cafe
1 Hàng Mắm, Phố cổ Hà Nội, Hoàn Kiếm
The Note Coffee
64 P. Lương Văn Can, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm
Fruits
One thing I enjoy so much in tropical countries is the accessibility to exotic and fresh fruits. In Vietnam, I was in the heavenly clouds of an abundance of freshly pressed juices, fresh smoothies, and amazing mocktails. Who would need added alcohol after that, when the drinks are this really good already? I can’t wait to go back there, to try again a fresh sấu dầm (pickled dragonplum juice) and a nưỡc mơ ngâm (apricot juice).
Phở
Phở is a gift from the North. For that reason, đẹp trai and I had it as first thing to try on our bucket list! We went to a phở shop the next morning of our arrival. It was 6am. We were already awake thanks for the jetlag that worked in our favours. Let’s go eat! Phở bò (beef noodle soup) was excellent. What we both appreciate from the original phở dish is that they serve it with fresh herbs and chili on the side. Some people enjoy their bean sprouts, but we’re on the side of the Northerns on this aspect. Phở gà (chicken noodle soup) is also another variety and is very well prepared in Hanoi. I’m not a fan of chicken in general, but I must say the meat in Vietnam tastes fresh.
Phở 10 Lý Quốc Sư (phở bò)
10 P. Lý Quốc Sư, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm
Huyên Hương Restaurant (phở gà)
20 P. Báo Khánh, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm
Bún riêu
There’s so many noodle soup dishes in Vietnamese cuisine. I love it! The next breakfast meal I had was the bún riêu cua, a tomato-based broth soup with rice vermicelli, minced freshwater crab, crab paddy and cakes. I’ve personally grown eating mostly bún riêu cua but other variants such as bún riêu cá (fish) or ôc (escargot) are also quite popular. To me, the secret ingredient that highlights this delicious meal is the shrimp paste. However, depending on individual preferences, it could taste too strong. As for me, I added two big scoops in my bowl!
Bún riêu cua Hàng Bạc
11 P. Hàng Bạc, Hàng Bạc, Hoàn Kiếm
Bún chả
Another typical dish of Hanoi is bún chả, made of grilled pork and pork-based meatballs in a bowl of fish sauce and served with rice vermicelli and fresh herbs. This meal is usually paired with nem cua bể that is fried spring rolls with minced crab. It’s finger-licking good! On this mission, my family and I tried out two spots: an authentic shop and the notorious spot where Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain visited once.
Bún chả đặc Kim
1 P. Hàng Mành, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm
Bún chả Hướng Liên
24 P. Lê Văn Hưu, Phan Chu Trinh, Hai Bà Trưng
Bánh cuốn
There’s the food and there’s the dining experience. On this day, I wanted to spice up a bit our trip. What better than eating on tiny plastic chairs and tables in the streets? I’m all about the authentic taste and I truly appreciated my bánh cuốn experience, eating freshly steamed rice rolls stuffed with minced pork. The taste blew my mind because it tasted way more delicious than the ones they serve at Vietnamese restaurants in my North American hometown.
Bánh cuốn nóng
27 Hàng Điếu, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm
Óc
Escargot became one of my favourite eats later in my life, thanks to delicious combination of butter, garlic and parsley from the famous escargots au beurre persillé. Snails are also a very popular dish in Vietnam, either in soups or as drink snacks. When served as drinking snacks, there are so many varieties in preparing the snails: luộc (boiled), hấp sả (steamed with lemongrass), or xào me (stir fried in tamarind sauce).
