My adventure to Hanoi ( part 12 ) Last day in Hanoi

CHAO MUNG DEN HA NOI

( Welcome to Hanoi )

After days of walking around in hot and humid weather in Hanoi... we were greeted with a cooler day today after the slight drizzle the night before... After breakfast, we started our walking tour again.... only to find out that most of these sights that we wanted to see were all closed --- due to the 4-day holiday.

I have listed the places you must not miss when you go to Hanoi... 

** HOAN KIEM LAKE **

A stroll around the lake at any time of the day is always an interesting sight to see ---- old men smoking bamboo pipes while playing mahjong or chess, people jogging, young lovers walking hand in hand or some vendors selling street food. In your morning stroll you will see some elderly Vietnamese women doing their tai-chi and  chi-qong exercises and so on.

You should not miss the " Pen Tower "  - It is a small stone brush tower that is located at the beginning of the bridge.

** ST. JOSEPH'S CATHEDRAL **

Known as NHA THA LON, the St. Joseph's Cathedral is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Hanoi. It is walking distance from the Hoan Kiem lake. It was designed after the Notre Dame of Paris. 

** OPERA HOUSE **

It was built in 1901 and finished 1911 by the French Colonialist Government. It is considered as one fo the city's most famous landmarks. The Opera House was modeled after the Palais Garnier in Paris, but in a smaller scale.

** TRAN QUOC PAGODA **

Tran Quoc Pagoda is seated on an island linked by a bridge between the two most romantic lakes of Hanoi, The West Lake and the Truc Bach Lake. It is the oldest pagoda that is situated in the center of Hanoi and is considered a cultural symbol of Vietnamese Buddhism.

The garden tower inside Tran Quoc.

Inside the pagoda, there are many valuable statues, such as the red lac statues trimmed with gold. ( see photo below ).

Regardless of its age, constant renovation of Tran Quoc keeps its building fresh and gleaming bright earthly colours.

I was not able to go on my scheduled 2day/1 night cruise on Halong Bay because the day we went -- we were not allowed to sail due to the weather. The tour operator told us that the sea was rough and it was very windy.

I will be back in Hanoi hopefully before the year ends...and I will make sure to go to Halong Bay.

CHAO TAM BIET VA HEN GAP LAI HANOI!

( good bye and see you again Hanoi! )

My adventure to Hanoi ( part 11 ) Fine dining at Madame Hien's Restaurant

Madame Hien is a well-preserved French colonial house located in the French Quarter of Hanoi. It was designed by the architect who designed the Opera House and was once used as the Spanish Embassy. From what we gathered from the Maitre D' -- Madame Hien just opened a year ago. This restaurant was recommended to us by our tour guide. It was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel.

We decided to dine al fresco since the weather was cool unlike the first days when it was really hot and humid. It was just a relaxing experience. As we took our seats at the patio, they served us a bowl of nuts and prawn crackers.

My adventure to Hanoi ( part 10 ) Hanoi's best kept HOLE IN THE WALL restaurant

CHAO MUNG DIEN HA NOI

( Welcome to Hanoi )

Vietnamese food has just voted the healthiest cuisine in the  world and it is also so tasty and cheap. A general rule is to eat only where locals are eating, of course if you are new in Asia your stomach might not be too happy to try new things and do not be afraid to point at a new dish that looks good and go for it.

The way restaurants are set up in Vietnam is that each reastaurant has plastic stools, minimal decorations, their menu written in Vietnamese and pasted on the wall. Some of these hole in the wall restaurants serves just a couple of dishes that they specialize in. To the Vietnamese people -- some of the best meals are eaten in these kitchens on plastic stools with disposable chopsticks.  In most tourist restaurants, they normally have a menu with everything under the sun and most the food is adapted to tourists.... in my opinion they are not as tasty as eating local style.

We asked our tour guide to take us to try out Vietnamese pancakes... Immediately he said.. we will have pancakes for lunch. I was a bit apprehensive on why should one have pancakes at lunch.

Pancakes are breakfast food. He was kind enough to explain that Vietnamese pancakes are not like those pancakes eaten for breakfast. These pancakes is a dish cooked in Southern Vietnam.. He said to just have an open mind and try the dish.... and that was what I did...

This dish is an all-time favorite in the Saigon's cooking tradition. It was very good!! BANH XEO ( that's the name of the dish ), is a deep fried crepe, with beansprouts, shrimps and bits of pork then you have to roll it in rice paper with lettuce leaf and mint then dip it in Nuoc Mam ( fish sauce).


I loved this dish so much and I asked our tour guide how to make it... I am going to try it out --- and post the recipe of this dish once I have tried it out for myself. The secret is in the flour... They use RICE FLOUR.

CHAO TAM BIET !!

My adventure to Hanoi ( Part 9 ) Walking around the Old Quarter

CHAO MUNG DEN HA NOI !

( Welcome to Hanoi ! )

Today, we  decided to walk around the Old Quarter of Hanoi... Hectic, noisy, chaotic are the adjectives that would describe the Old Quarter. A visit to the Old Quarter in Hanoi should rank as a MUST DO when you are in Vietnam... It is a unique experience and deserves a spot in your itinerary. According to our guide, the Old Quarter in Hanoi is over a thousand years old and even up to today it retains much of the old flavor that made the area special.

Each street was exclusive of one trade ---- so there were whole streets selling silver ware, lacquerware, handbags, clothing for both men and women, eyeglasses, paper shops and galleries. Originally -- the Old Quarter consisted of 30 streets but today there were more than 50 streets. Although the streets are short, I would recommend first time visitors allow at least 4 to 5 hours to go around.... 

Just wandering the streets and marveling at the activity taking place on the pavements is a joy. A good place to start your walking tour to the Old Quarter is at the end of Hoan Kiem lake. Bring a map with you because you can easily get disoriented in this area.

My adventure to Hanoi ( Part 8 ) Women's Museum

 CHAO MUNG DEN HA NOI ! 

( Welcome to Hanoi ! )

Despite being a patriarchal society, Vietnam still reserves a special place to honor Vietnamese women. They have built a WOMEN'S MUSEUM... and we were very lucky to see the place opened!! All the other places we visited were closed for the holidays. 

The architecture of this building is simply amazing!!! Rising over the marble floor is a dome shaped ceiling modeled after a woman's breast. 

Under the dome stands a pure gold statue by Nguyen Phu Cuong. Standing tall with a male child on her shoulder. It projects an impression of strength and dynamism while retaining the gentleness, femininity and beauty of the Vietnamese woman.

My adventure to Hanoi ( Part 7 ) NGOAI O Restaurant- Hanoi's best kept secret

CHAO MUNG DEN HANOI !!

( Welcome to Hanoi )

It was Tom, our guide's turn to bring us to a good local restaurant ... where the locals dine. He wrote down the name of the restaurant for me... it was NGOAI O Restaurant. One thing that made me want to see this place was how he described the place... It was like eating in the countryside... Upon entering the restaurant --- the decor of the place was very ethnic with the hut and bamboo furniture.

The restaurant is so small -- it had only a few tables inside.. but I noticed that the people dining were all locals... To me that was a good sign !!  I was going to have good Vietnamese cuisine at very low prices. I asked our guide to do the ordering since he frequents this place with other tourists who wants to sample good Vietnamese cooking..

My adventure to Hanoi ( part 6 ) A walking tour to Cua Bac, Citadel and the Museum of Fine Arts

CHAO MUNG DEN HA NOI !!

( Welcome to Hanoi ! )

After a good night's sleep... We were ready for another day doing our walking tour around the city of Hanoi. As we left our hotel for our walking tour with Tom, the weather seemed to cool down... it was pleasant after the slight drizzle last night..

Come and join me as I walk to the places we are about to visit in PHAN DINH PING STREET.... the most beautiful street in Hanoi... This street is lined with huge acacia trees on both sides of the street.

I wanted to take a photo of the whole street but that meant I had to be in the middle of the street in order to get a wide angle shot----- there were many motorbikes on the road that day --- I could not take any shots of Phan Dinh Ping Street. 

While I was walking down the street, I was trying to imagine myself---- walking down Phan Dinh Phing street watching the golden leaves fall from the acacia trees on an autumn afternoon and listening to the church bells ring..... it seemed like a perfect setting in an old war movie!!

** CUA BAC CHURCH **

Cua Bac was built in the early 1930's by a French architect, Ernest Hebrard. It was also around this time when Hebrard began his urban plan to redesign the city of Hanoi. It is one of the major churches in Hanoi. Cua Bac is officially called QUEEN OF THE CATHOLIC SAINT. 

** THE CITADEL **

The Citadel was destroyed and restored many times. At present, only the North Gate of the Citadel still remains. 

On its walls, are traces of bullets left by the French army attacking Hanoi. 

** MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS **

This museum was founded in 1966. It displays art works and objects of the various minority groups in Vietnam. Like most museums, we cannot take photos inside the museum. They had cameras all over the place --- just to make sure no one takes photos. 

I really enjoyed my visit to the Museum of Fine Arts. You will see large scrolls, ceramics, lacquerware and artifacts that date back as far as the pre-historic times. I highly recommend this museum for art lovers who are interested in Asian art and design, this is a good place to see the development of Vietnam's artistic culture!!

CHAO TAM BIET!!

My adventure to Hanoi ( part 5 ) Street food of Hanoi

CHAO  MUNG DEN HA NOI!!

( Welcome to Hanoi ! )

Hanoi must be the street food capital of the world. Despite the throngs of motorbikes along the narrow edge of the narrow lanes, local entrepreneurs still find space to set up a street food restaurant. Typically these comprise of several sets of miniature plastic tables and chairs, a couple of cooking stoves and a whole family running the show. It's a family affair with everyone working on something whether it is preparing the spring onions on the side or cooking the fried rice in the wok.

Despite the variety of street food available --- most places will serve only one or two dishes. If the person sitting next to you is eating something that looks appealing , just point at their meal and the job is done.

There is food being sold in every corner, and some of it is delicious and some not so... but don't be afraid to try.

Here are some photos I took while I was walking in Vietnam...

It seems that at some of the more popular street restaurants, customers will sacrifice themselves to get that tasty dish, even at the mercy of the road. I can completely understand that some foods are worth the risk!! Bread sellers plop their baked goods in the street for maximum exposure, forcing traffic to weave around them. In Vietnam... it's their way of life!!

CHAO TAM BIET !