On website Theage.com.au, an Australian visitor, namely Lance Richardson listed 20 things in Hanoi that left strong impression on his mind.
1. Motorbike city
Chaos is our common impression about Hanoi’s traffic. And motorbikes are the main reason for this. It is my nightmare whenever crossing the street. Going on foot or catching a taxi is a good idea to travel.
2. Propaganda posters
This is another distinct feature in Hanoi. You could easily catch many propaganda posters in the streets with image of soldier holding a gun, woman on the tractor, or lotus flower and President Ho Chi Minh. The pictures were painted with simple lines and colour to stand out their subject and theme.
The favor of international tourist to this kind of art makes the business of copy and sale of propaganda posters developed. It is not difficult for you to buy a Vietnam war propaganda poster gallery in Old Quarter. These galleries own collections of copy of Vietnamese propaganda posters in every period. Each poster is subtitled in English.
3. Museum of Revolution
I am very interested in modern history of Vietnam. If you have the same interest, visit Museum of Revolution in Tong Dan street to know about history of Vietnam from French colonial times until present through rich diagrams, documents and exhibits.
There is an exhibit regarding to my country that I am really fond of. It is a small lock which Australian workers used to lock parliament building in movement of supporting Vietnamese revolution.
4. Hoa Lo prison
Hoa Lo prison is well-known worldwide with the name “Hanoi Hilton” given by American prisoners in Vietnam war. The prison was built by French in 1896.
Its long horrific history was recorded in reserved rooms. Here, the scene of Vietnamese revolutionaries in chain and tortured is reappeared indeed very lively. A big guillotine and many torture tools of French are also displayed in the museum.
5. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is an incredibly solemn place where everybody quietly visit the body of President Ho Chi Minh with deep reverence. This is a leader who Vietnamese people love and admire at with all their heart.
6. Ho Chi Minh Museum
Ho Chi Minh Museum is a unique architecture building representing a white lotus flower. This is a distinguished museum because everything is shown in art of arrangement. You are required to brainstorm to understand implication of the rooms.
Example: a room is arranged like a zigzag hole with historical pictures hung on the wall express Ho Chi Minh’s meditations. Scene of a tank crashing on the wall talks about USA’s occupation.
7. Street food
Besides motorbikes, another distinguished feature of Hanoi is cuisine. Travelling to Hanoi but putting legs on stools and enjoying noodles with chicken is similar to visiting Rome without eating pasta.
Coming to Hanoi is to eat chicken noodles!
In my opinion, you should ignore luxury restaurant and go to the stands in the streets according to the following rules:
- The stand looks clean and has a good view for you to observe cooking process.
- Prices are quoted clearly.
8. French influence
Besides colonial exploitation, patriot murder and prison construction, French colonists also left valuable culture heritages whose effect on Vietnam has still remained so far.
One of the typical examples is baguette. The food originated from France but being imported to Vietnam and then exported to Australia and became popular dish with the name “Vietnamese sandwich”.
9. Snake village
If you are looking for a delicious creepy dish, coming to Le Mat snake village. It is sure that you will have a memorable meal. All what you have to do is select a snake, pay for it and then wait for your dish.
The first dish you will be served is a cup of rice wine mixed with snake’s blood. If being a man, you should swallow a raw snake’s heart. To get full-flavored of dishes from snake, you should chew slowly. Snake has the similar flavor to chicken.
10. Tea, coffee and rice wine
In Vietnamese cuisine, there is a wide range of beverage for your choice. Tea, coffee and rice wine are common drinks that you could find easily every where.
Tea is Vietnamese’s favorite drink, of which lotus tea is the most popular. Coffee also has many types. However, the most prominent is iced coffee with milk. It is the mixture of black coffee, condensed milk and ice. Alcohol content of rice wine often varies from about 18%-25%.
11. Hoan Kiem Lake
Hanoi’s center is Hoan Kiem Lake, where you will have comfortable moments when strolling along the bank. You could go across a beautiful red wooden bridge namely The Huc to visit Ngoc Son temple. Another must-visit destination is a bar featuring balcony overlooking the lake in Le Thai To street.
12. Water puppetry
Water puppetry art of Vietnam was born at villages of Red river delta in the 11th century. The shows of water puppetry surprise many visitors due to amazing sights performed by talented artistes. In last item, a carp will turn into a graceful dragon.
13. Temple of Literature
This is the first university of Vietnam and also temple of literature. The building was built in 1076 but still remains classical architecture with large yards and ponds in precinct after many changes of severe history.
14. Spa
Massage shops are scattered everywhere in Hanoi, but extensive spa centers will provide you various services with cheap price in comparison with spa service in Australia.
15. National Tuong theater
Situated in Old Quarter, the theater was established in 1959 with a hope of preserving forms of Vietnamese traditional performance arts such as nhã nhạc, a form of court music recognized in 2003 by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. There are two shows a week on Thursday and Friday. The items are subtitled in English for audience to understand the content of performance.
16. Shopping
Many people suppose that shopping in Asia is certainly cheaper than Europe. However, this also depends on your haggling skill. Palm-leaf conical hats and pith helmets are favorite affordable souvenirs that are sold everywhere.
Famous trademarks such as Gucci, Levis, Adidas… at official shops have the similar price to Australia and you should not waste time here. Instead, go to Hang Da street to buy the clothes with Vietnamese price.
17. Night market
Night market opens in the evenings of Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the main route of Old Quarter. This place sells all kinds of goods present in Vietnam. If you are not interested in shopping, mingle with the crowd to feel animated atmosphere of the market.
18. Karaoke
Karaoke derived from Japan but you could see this kind of entertainment every where in Hanoi. In Old Quarter, Cua Dong street is the home to many karaoke shops. If singing here, you should ask about the price in advance to avoid getting shock when receiving the bill.
19. Neighboring regions of Hanoi
If you feel tired with crowded streets in Hanoi, come with short tours. I chose a tour to Sapa-Lao Cai.
The journey to Lao Cai station is a interesting experience with sleeping coaches even though it made me rather tired. However, this feeling quickly disappeared when reaching Sapa, a wonderful land.
20. Vietnam Women’s museum
Although the museum is not popular to international tourists, I think it is a precious gem of Hanoi. Coming here, you will get useful information about life, culture, history of Vietnamese women through abundant exhibits and special shows.