new Vietnam - The North (Hanoi)

Introduction

Hanoi is developing quickly, trying to get even with his counterpart in the south, Saigon. Bikes are replaced by motorbikes causing a lot of noise and exhausted fume. The traditional costume worn by the women has disappeared. But not all charm from before 1995 is gone. The city has enough breathing space to relax thanks to the shaded boulevards, the lakes and several parks. Cafés, hotels, markets and restaurants can be found around the Hoan Kiem lake and in the old quarter. People are friendly but more reserved than in the south.

Hanoi is an ideal base to explore the northern regions.

For more info, buy the Lonely Planet Hanoi guidebook (8/99) price 11.99 US$

Getting there and away

Plane
Hanoi is about 45 minute ride from the airport Noi Bai.

Airport taxi charges 10 US$ to the city (fixed price to be be paid at a taxi counter). In the other direction the trip costs sometimes more, but travel cafés can do it for 9 US$.

The airport minibuses cost 4 US$ per person both ways.

In Hanoi the bus will drop you off at the Vietnamese airline office close to the Hoan Kiem lake.

Bus
Local buses:
- to Hai Phong / Halong / Lang Son at the Gia Lam bus station.
- to Sapa / Bac Ha / Dien Bien Phu at the Kim Ma bus station.
- to Hue / Danang / Saigon at the Giap Bat bus station.

Tourist buses to the south (direction Saigon), info see chapter travelagencies.

Train
Hanoi railway station at Le Duan street.

Local trains to:
- Lao Cai (Chinese border)/ Sapa / Bac Ha
- Hai Phong
- Ha Long
- Lang Son / Dong Dang (Chinese border)

Express train to Saigon with several stops along the way.

Accommodation

The Sedona suites is an excellent hotel, but they aim more to the businesspeople planning to spend a longer time in Hanoi, or even live there. They have apartments with sleeping rooms and bathrooms. They even have a kitchen with washing machine etc... Room service an breakfast are excellent. They have a swimming pool, tennis courts, small golf court and a small supermarket. The only disadvantage is that it's at 6 km from the center, so a taxi costs 50.000 VND. They do have 4 shuttles a day, plus some extra to pick up people working at embassies.

We also stayed at the Green Park hotel. This is a nice and well run hotel a bit South from the center of town (a cyclo will get you there though for 5000 to 7000 VND). They give themselves 3-stars, but they deserve 4 stars. Rooms are very good with AC, TV, fridge etc...., good bathroom. Breakfast was also good, but above all, the staff is very friendly and highly efficient. They locked away our luggage during our stay in Sapa (although we wouldn't return to stay in the hotel), they also gave us a room to shower before we took the night train to Sapa etc... This probably has to do with the manager who is all the time in the lobby to see everything goes well. Price is 50 $ for a double, 40 $ for a single. They have a website. (10/2000).

New Tong Dan guesthouse, Tong Dan street 17 or Tran Quang Khai 210, tel. 8252219 or 8265328 fax. 8255354. Big rooms (19 US $) with satellite-TV, AC, telephone, fridge, bathroom (shower, toilet, H/C water). Breakfast (1 US $), laundry, internet and taxi service. You can also e-mail them at tongdanhotel@hn.vnn.vn (6/99)

Restaurants/cafés

Near the travelcafés, you'll find Little Hanoi restaurant at Hang Gai Street 21. They serve mainly French and international food and sandwiches.

Moca café, Nha Tho 14-16, Indian, Vietnamese and Western food. Fine atmosphere and food. This is a very popular restaurant among expats. It's also a street where you can find some more original souvenirs, check out the "House of lights" f.i. with lamps made with rice paper. This was one of our favourite places. They have all kind of dishes, from Italian to Indian, prices are reasonable (50.000 VND for an Indian curry).

Il Padrino, near the Lake. This is a cosy Italian restaurant, but quite expensive (90.000 for a spaghetti Bolognese).

The Que Huong restaurant at Tang Bat Ho 42 is a very good restaurant where you can eat under the trees. It's not touristic at all, we went there with our Vietnamese guide, and they have the cheapest draught beer in town.

Sakura: Japanese restaurant, but way overpriced. We didn't expect this as it was mentioned in the rough guide.

Cafe Z: Tong Dan street 17, Café, fastfood, live music (jazz, classic) billiards. Food wasn’t good and pricey.

Friend cafe, Ba Trieu 1, at the Hoan Kiem lake, Trendy interior with a small pond inside, good food for a reasonable price, friendly staff (too friendly in my opinion).

Hoa Sua restaurant, Tha Nhyam street 81, It’s part of a school which provides career and training opportunities for children living in difficult circumstances. All profits from the restaurant and bakery are used to cover the school costs. The waiting staff are all students and are very pleasant and friendly.

Jazz club, Le Thai To 16, at the Hoan Kiem lake. Great ambiance especially when a band plays live jazz music and some visitors (tourists) join them by taking over drums or saxophone.

Apocalypse now, Hoa ma 5C. Favourite expat and tourist nightclub (maybe therefore to avoid), free entrance.

Banks

- Abn Amro, Deaha building, Kim Ma 360
- ANZ bank, Le Thai To 14, Hoan Kiem lake, with an ATM machine outside !!!
- Vietcombank, Le Thai To 47-49, Hoan Kiem lake
- Bank of America, Ly Thuong Kiet 27
- Citibank, Ngo Quyen 17
- Indovina bank, Hai Ba Trung 88
- HSBC bank, Hai ba Trung 31

Useful phonenumbers

Tourist information 108

Airport 884-3389

Railway station 825-3949

To do Army museum and flag tower (recommended):

The museum gives an overview (photos, maps, scale models) of the Vietnamese resistance and victory against the Chinese, French and American invasions.

The flag tower (31 meters high) is the last remaining of the Hanoi citadel built in 1812. From the top you have a panoramic view of the city.

Where ? Dien Bien Phu street 28A, tel. 8234264

Price ? 10.000 VND

When ? Everyday except Monday (8h00-11h30 / 13h30-16h30)

Ho Chi Minh museum and one pillar pagoda :
The museum gives an overview of Vietnam going from the past to the future.

The ground floor contains displays (most in Vietnamese language) from technical innovations to …….crop productivity charts. The first floor covers the life of Ho Chi Minh.

Where ? Ngoc Ha 3, tel. 845 5435

When ? Everyday except Monday (8h00-11h00 / 13h30-16h00)

The one pillar pagoda is a wooden pagoda built on a single stone pillar in the middle of a very small pond. It resembles a lotus blossom rising out of the sea.

Where ? next to the HCM museum
Price ? free entry
Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and house:
The mausoleum holds the body of Ho Chi Minh in a glass case.

There are a lot of regulations to be taken care of. Not allowed are wearing shorts, cameras and bags, walking with hands in your pockets, taking pictures,……. If your shoulders are uncovered, you can rent a shirt for 5000 VND (Vietnamese are always willing to cut a deal). It is only opened from 7.30 till 11 am, and also closed on monday & Friday. Usually the mausoleum is closed in October, Ho then goes to Russia for reparation. The house has a collection of relics from his life.

Where ? next to the HCM museum

When ? daily (8h00-11h00), closed on Monday and Friday.

Temple of literature ‘Van Mie’ (recommended):
The temple contains five walled courtyards connected to each other by portals.   The most interesting ones are the 3th (82 tortoise carrying stone stelae) and the 4th (sanctuary with the statue of Confucius). The 5th yard is under construction and not accessible.

Price ? 12.000 VND, sometimes also free

Where ? Quoc Tu Giam street

Hoan Kiem lake (recommended):
It’s a great place to escape the chaos of the Hanoi streets. Early in the morning (be there at 5h30) the lakeside is changed in a huge ‘sportcomplex’. People are playing badminton, football, exercising Tai Chi and jogging. During the evening (especially in the weekend) people come here to wander around and have a seat at the benches around the lake.

You will find here also the waterpuppet theatre, the post and telephone office, the ANZ-bank, some restaurants and cafés.

In the northern end of the lake is a small island with the Ngoc Son Pagoda accessible by an old red wooden bridge. Heading north will lead to the old quarter.

Old quarter (recommended):
It’s a maze of small streets where you can find everything to buy. Every street has it specialty. The street of silk, of electronics, of toys, of flowers,…….just name it. Interesting to stroll around during the day but also at night (till 22.00 h). Here you will also find a lot of budgethotels, travelagencies and the market ‘Dong Xuan’.

Waterpuppet theatre (recommended):
It’s a series of scenes telling some stories about Vietnamese life represented by carved and painted wooden puppets held on sticks by people standing in the water behind a screen.

Where ? Dinh Tien Hoang 57B at the Hoan Kiem lake

When ? everyday at 8.00 pm,

Price ? 2nd class 20.000 VND, 1St class 40.000 VND

Duration : 1 hour

Hanoi Opera House :
Nice colonial building belonging to the Hilton hotel which lies next to it.

Where ? Nguyen Dinh Chieu 15

When ? Shows on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 20h00. St.

Joseph cathedral :
A neogothic catedral built by the French in 1887.

Museum of ethnology (recommended)
This museum has displays, reconstructions, photographs and video footage. It presents the lives of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities, their artifacts, dress and music. The museum is 10 km out of the center. Built in 1997.

Where ? Nguyen Van Huyen, Dich Vong, Tel. 836-0352

Revolutionary museum :
Presentation of the Vietnamese revolution.

Where ? Ton Tan street 25, tel. 825 4151

History museum :
Where ? Trang Tien 1, tel. 825 3618

Around Hanoi Handicraft-villages (recommended)
Villages dedicated to particular handicrafts are common in Vietnam. At least 50 specialized villages surround Hanoi. They produce diverse wares as paper, ceramics, snake wine, furniture and silk. Some villages have manufactured the same goods for centuries, others have responded to more recent market demands.

Examples are :
- Canh Hoach - birdcage
- Bat Trang - pottery
- Dong Ky - wooden carving
- Ha Dong - silk

Excursions can be booked in the travelagencies (see chapter agencies)

Perfume Pagoda (recommended)
It takes two hours to get there by bus passing by ricefields with some graves in it (Vietnamese believe that the spirits of the death guard the paddies against evil) and brickfactories. The entrance costs 60.000 VND. A one hour rowingboat trip will take you to the base of the hill that houses the pagodas. Along the way you will see a lot of sunken wooden boats. They will only be used during the Tet (Chinese New Year) when many pilgrims visit the sanctuary. Under water the boats are better kept in condition. It’s a scenic ride passing by lotusflowers, ducks guarded by duckkeepers and people with boats stowed with clay for making bricks. For me, this boattrip was the highlight of the trip with marvellous scenery. From the base of the hill it’s a one hour climb up to the pagoda-cave passing by some smaller pagodas. The heat and humidity makes this hike pretty heavy so it’s best to start the trip early in the morning. Don’t be afraid to run out of drinks because kids are following you all the time carrying buckets stowed with drinks and ice selling them at high prices. To avoid this hassle all the time take your own mineral water with you. After the cave you will have to descend the same way down back to the boats who will take you back. We were followed all the time by a very persistent women trying to sell us several things. she especially got persistent before we entered the cave, because she wanted to sell us offerings. Afterwards she just asked for money. The pagoda itself is set in a cave, but this didn't impress us very much.

What to take : sun cream, water, good shoes and (officially) long trousers (only if you want to go inside the pagoda).

Excursions can be booked in the travelagencies (see chapter agencies). Price is around 12$ including entrance and boattrip (10/2000).

Hoa Lu – Tam Coc and Bich Dong
Hoa Lu is the ancient capital of the Dinh Dynasty. The attractions are the two remaining temples ‘Dinh Tien Hoang’ and ‘Dai Hanh’ reachable after a climb of more then 200 steps.

The area surrounding Tam Coc and Bich Dong is a Halong bay look-alike but without the water. At Bich Dong you will experience a series of pagodas and a fascinating collection of caves farther up the outcrop. The caves are full of stalactites that have been carved into Buddhist images, some stalactites are hollow upon which tunes can be played.

At Tam Coc, which means three caves, the scenery is very similar to Bich Dong but you can observe it from a small boat that one of the locals will paddle you around in. During the boat ride you will have the opportunity to visit the Thai Vi Temple and the three caves from inside.

Excursions can be booked in the travelagencies (see chapter agencies)

Go to travelagencies

Go to Halong Bay

For questions on N-Vietnam send an e-mail to Steven Buvens or myself, but please read the site first!!.

Article Comments:

03/27/2006
Rattan Mangharam (1)
In your list of Restaurants, you have not mentioned the Indian Restaurant, which won the best award for the year 2005. It Khazaana Indian Restaurant 1 C Tong Dan ( Near Thuy Hotel ) Hoam Kiem Dist., HANOI. Please update your records. Regards - Rattan MANGHARAM