#urbanfamilyinvietnam ........Hanoi
After our quick trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia we jumped a plane on the 1 1/2 hour flight to Hanoi.
This was always meant to be a stop over on the way to Halong Bay but ended up being a great destination in of itself. We are not huge fans of enormous busy cities when we travel. I think this is partly because we live in one (although not nearly of this size) but also because we like a different cultural experience. Hanoi provides this in spades.
The bustling streets are teaming with scooters and motorbikes as well as some cars. There really seems to be no road rules or method to the madness, but it works. Traffic flows quite quickly, although pedestrians are completely ignored so that was a challenge with our kids. Crossing the road got the adrenalin pumping!
An unexpected and quite extraordinary highlight of Hanoi is the Mosaic Mural you see as you drive through the city along the Red River. It runs for about 6.5 kilometres and was developed to mark the Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi. Its in Guinness book of records - very impressive!
In Hanoi, pollution is high like most Asian cities. There are lots of interesting landmarks around the city including the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and Temple of Confucius. Vietnam has a mainly Buddhist culture so there is no shortage of temples. I’d suggest getting a guided day tour organise by your hotel. Ours cost around $120 for about 4-5hours for the 4 of us. It was really hot so it was great to have a private car (air-conditioning!) and an English speaking guide so we could discuss the locations and time the day as we required.
Accommodation
We stayed at the Tirant Hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The hotel itself was clean and comfortable and the location was fantastic.
Like most Asian hotels, you can’t go past the omelette station in the breakfast buffet.
The rooftop ‘Skyline Bar’ provided a fantastic view across the city and the omnipresent $4 cocktail.
Shopping
All across Vietnam you can use their currency, however the USD$ is also widely accepted. We used a bit of both.
Shopping in Hanoi, like most major Asian Cities ranges from the highest end boutiques and brands in the French Quarter, to the cheaper market stalls in the Old Quarter.
If you want shoes, underwear, hosiery, copy North Face or Nike merchandise, Hanoi is the place to find them. Copy shoes and backpacks, puffer jackets are on every street corner and there is someone selling you ‘top quality’. Be careful and don’t pay too much at these stalls, its all copy and the quality may not be great but there are bargains to be had if you’re willing to shop around.
Prices vary so don’t be afraid to negotiate down to at least 50%.
Watch for pickpockets and keep valuables in the hotel safe at all times.
We took a day trip to Lan Ha bay, which forms part of Halong Bay. This part of Vietnam is spectacularly beautiful but we went on a cloudy/stormy day. You can’t help the weather but it made it hard to enjoy. The whole of Halong Bay Area has gorgeous, emerald green water from limestone formations in the sea. I’d suggest taking one of the overnight cruises through the area for at least 1-2 nights rather than a day trip from Hanoi. Travel time was about 2hours each way and the boat trip was lovely but we only sent about 30mins in kayaks on the water before we had to turn around and return back to Hanoi. We’ll just have to go back!!…..twist my arm!!
Food and Drinks
Food in Vietnam is generally excellent but we had some of our best meals in Hanoi.
Pho soup and Bun Cha were excellent everywhere and our kids also loved it. Simple, healthy and really inexpensive.
We were booked in by our Travel agent (Suzanne Markham) to the Hanoi Food Culture restaurant. She said we absolutely HAD TO GO and even arranged for them to pick us up from our hotel so we could find it. It did not disappoint. The food just kept coming and it was authentic, really tasty and beautifully presented. This meal gets the gong for best meal of our trip, so if you are in Hanoi, don’t hesitate to get there. The restaurant itself is in a really old but restored building in a laneway in the old quarter. The atmosphere was traditional without feeling really dated or old. Just fab!!
The Hungry Hanoi restaurant next to our hotel is coincidentally owned but the same restauranteur and was equally excellent. It felt a little more like a bar at night and had a slightly more fun vibe. We ate there more than once for convince and the great quality of the food.
In Hanoi, Cocktails are around $90,000 Dong ($5.50 Aus) and coffee was $130,000 Dong ($7.90 AUS) so obviously ……..drink cocktails. ;)
Next Stop Hoi An……
