1. H
n lano s Old Quarler ife s Lved cn
lhe s dewalk !ct pcis b;bble nrls c
blares work ng people squat al irny
plastc tacles and there s the ever--
presenl ruckus of nrotorb kes honkrng
You learn .o go w lh lhe flcw and
occas onally, even run alo.g w:h I
OU NTELLA
KOH
1 ;
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,

2. TRAVEI
Allwho have chanced
Lrpon Hanoi wilt iikety tett
you that it is the most
breathtaking sphere in
altofAsia - the burst
of cotours. tastes and
sounds thejuxtaposrtion
of the past and the
present, the combinat on
of the [aidback ways of
the tocals amid the push
of indusiria tisation - these
come together to create
a living masterpiece so
untike that of a.y other
Asian cit es.
ih, i-, .
rlr t',,,' .r '.:. f!,,r
-r., 1:1r, .r.:rr-j ,_. tril
:r- .Lr -.i-,1 lii !.cti
r I:ri1 .r r!.
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: -,.,1j! L, 1../: rc Irr...,
'i,r i, ni: rr,.r..
l)r-:: rL; lr.r::,1 i I j-
The burst of colours, tastes
and sounds,
the combination of thelqidback
ways of the locals amid the
push ofindustrialisation - these
come together to create aliving
masterpiece so unlike that of
anv other Asian cihes.
aL

3. desned iime iryo, do not plan
ihe Otd O!arte.. also known
as the A.cient Ouader and 36
StreG is sited between the
northern shore of Hoan Klem
Lake. the walls of the ancient
Citadeland lhe tevees thal
prot{t the city rrom the Red
The 36 tiltte streets m the
Ouader are each named for a
commodity once etd by att
the buslnesses on that slree!
streets are named forlewetlery
rans nrrrage ilems chickens
and even coffns lhat were once
sotd on ihem th s s why ihe
names and sights along the
slreets change very slrddenly
as you round a corner orcross
an niersection As you exptore
on foot. you w tl happen
upon entire btocks oftaitors.
tinsmths papergoodsand
One ol the more famous
streets is Hang Ouat. wth its
shops setting an unending
ar:y of tacquered wiod bowis
decorative p eces, pr:iure
rrames and cancile sicks Nlany
of these ilems are elaborate
w!h rinely wrought deia ls
n Hanoi you can sttLspot
hand painied vers ons oi these
articles bul these folkcraft w tt
soon be replaced w ih faciory
made stock - very much llke
the ltems ihal yo! get nHo
Ch Minh Cty Hang Gai s
another wetlknown slreet that
boasts some of Hanois fnesi
sltl shops You can purchasea
custom made sLk Ao Da rrom
these sitk houses but do be
slie to give the ta tor at teast
ore io two days 1o comptele
sew ng the natonalcostume
Ihere s no betlerway to
get up ctose and pe.sonat
to the ciiy than io exptore on
foot Those whose stomachs
churn at the thought of
lositng wth crowds can opt
for a locatcycto Negot ate
a one'way or return fare in
advance a one way irip is
lsualtyvND 20 0oo but there
are no hard and lasi rutes thal
witt prevst you from secunng
For frst time vis tors
remember this gotden r!]te
Pay no atlention to the
ilaffc signals because no
orE etse d@s Just kep
movng The besi way io
cross busy inte6ections is
to catmty walk right nlo the
lnsislent and noisy maze of
motorbikes Matuel at ihe way
the motorbikes swarm easity
around you and thrcwyour
head back taugh and enjoy
Hanoi is very compact and the
city s mosi nterestlng placej
are allw th n a stones throw
of each other A v6it io Ho Chl
Minhs rvausoteum is a must-
do Peopte stad qleueing up
from 7am The Maueleum
sta)s open lnlit 10 3oam in the
slmmerand 1100am in the
winter so do aniw early 10
As you exit on ihe side of
the buitdinq. took for the omate
yeltow fornrer Govemols
PaLace. whlch also races Ba
D nh Square Aithough not
open lo the pubtic. itisa
poLgmni contrasl to Ho Chl
Minhs House on Slitts whlch
sts atong a iiny take in lhe
w@ded park behlnd The
One P ttar Pagoda is about
50 meires away This tittle
architecturat curiosity gets is
name because the shrine s ts
alop a single massire pedestat
The Ho Chil.4 nh Museuni
is Vieinam's r.ost important
contemporary archite.lLrral
achievement Opened to the
pubtic in 1990 theelhibits.re
akin to Hos huge personat
guidebook To get away frcm
the c tys daity busite you can
escape lo Van f.1ieu ffempte
of Lilerature) or Ouoc T! G am
(Nationat Unive6ily) Hi.lden
from the hlmming r.elropolis
behi'rd h9h stonewatts and
a.cient Frang panilrees these
two structures house sor.e of
Veinams mosl magnifcent
reLg ous strlctures and
The.apital hns recentty
rrnveited yet anorher stunn ng
histor calsighl - the Hanoi
Ctadet Localed n the head
oithe cty. rght by Ba Dinh
The Old Qtarter, also
known as the ttt t, til
1_)ilr,r/r't /ltirl i() l1r'! i,
is sitedbetween the
northern shore of Hoan
Kiem Lake, the walk of the
anaent Citadel and the
levees that protect the city
fromthe Red Rwer.
a.

4. TRAVEL
You can easily exend ))nr
trip by choosing to visjt the
awe-inspiring LINESCO World
Hcritagc accredited Halong
Bay or its more idyllic but
equally spec'tiorlar.ousin.
HALONG BAY
Halong m€ans'des(tnding
dEson" and aE enormous
beast is said to harE car€ered
inro lhe s€a at this point,
cuiting the fantastic bay
from rccks as it lhEshed its
way into rhe depths. Pcople
traditionally visn Helong Bay
from Halong Cjry or Cat tsa.
Sawy travelieN d@se to
book oDcnay bal iours
Wc rccoDend that you
Ptrchase an ovemight boar
tour ticket from a localtour
agenry in Ilanoi. Your tour
vendorwill pick you up lrom
your hotel and drop you ar
Halong City. Yo board your
boar Iiom Halong Ciry and
sPend the niSht on whar is
As therc is no seafront
.oastal are.. hosr ofihe
sightsec'lg takes place when
you travelinto the bay itsell
on rhcjunk, you can slrop
at a lo.al market on the
bay, pick your livc scatood
and watch your cat.h being

5. prcfarcd for hrrch by rhe
.he15.n rh.junk bu.an
aho.hoosc ro l3]rk arcund
the bly i, Lhe afternq)n
NI{nl ofrI. jL'nk oNraroB
vlll fro1dc tur d[icr
opri.nr: a f r.f.riTd sc:,lo.d
sfr.ad or a .@king (la$ ibr
vnroF iDr.rsr.d to rty drr
hands rt VretD:mese.!isine.
Yo1lwil1do.k ar a qri.r
s..lon ofrhe biy io rc1irc
lor ihe nighl wah. up ro ihc
5mell orfresh VletD!meie
.xprc$o dr. n.xf lnornlnS
and go tor a rcuDd olrar qi ar
n1n,rn. Y.nr to!r oltnt biy
.onntruci lnrJ lridday
l:rou do llin toopt for
the ovcrnight I tr nl loirr,
rcmrmbe. to inform your
hotcl iD advar.c rlal vou
will Dol rcqurc: roon for
rhar pafiicular njglt. Also so
till someonc iD the (ouDtry
knows yoLrr whereebo!ts.
TAM COC
T:n Co( lilerally means three
(rves. The highljght ofthis
r.ip n an enchanting boat
fide up the Ngo Dong Rive.
thlough thc epon) nrous
lhree Gvrs. To state rh.t
ftm Coc n hea!.nly
'!
an
As you si! oD a mrbo.rl and
glide befi{rcn golden ficlds
ofrkc, you r ly 9.1 to se€
rhe daily lrves ofthclocaLs uf
close. MouDliin goais peer ar
you ftom precriolts posidons
on the rc.k ibmatiotrs,
won]en rcw lirch .rnd-resin
tubs vhrlc mcn chcck c,,
their ie scedlings and collccl
snarls. thc .nraordinary
sercnity aDd b.aury of tlre
llacc wil! lcalc you wjshing
that tiDe would conc toa
comPlclc src! $ th:rt GD
yo'rr properly savour tho

6. TRAVEI-
:ri::l: !1.:L:.,t t:r ih!. !rtq /r,
r,1nL)r!t.t!|Lr:..1
Sqlr'e |re Y"ro,ld r'le L;ge
t5teil.tide. ! lln.o !
be..t L.Dl:e. et .s,-':t
u..renLr.nlc Ln poLlltar llu le
book! For h lioryl,,.f! rEeie:
LrLeii! t. !+ rn.l lr!:rl!oa
pL-!::art.pot lor i !.jrk r'ilh
ptc,ily oi p..r.,iul+,crr fr.(
T re e.tri rc. ! nlt Furr,e!
feii- t slult-.norn.l ih:
.7rel to.r C.1a-r F.rq ToJrer
..,1.:.9 Dr-.! St,-.el The
!L '.r.e! hu..re !.,/ ltrip.rt
5o q.i.r, !ir oiloru,ri[ r]g
sr@! lrc! tiin to, !t
rlro!_.rh rol I t e;1' !
i1!.r!-r.rihi.!n c..rr. Fo:in
(i4r lLe 15lr hG'r.l trfe n
I ar3i Sor.e.T you ircst., i1
r...(.r.i o.s u lllndoubtedt,
..nre ,.-!n ,ou ta,e i ore to
tlo r-our rirotl f r.un.l F.13.
fr,.r lnkf ai slnr + Jt rnd.lrrr
rou can :!i anc leel !|tr,
|).ft.l iociLLni lr en.l! rr.l
f.r.r Li qather ..r i.oelier .:fte,
,!'k role ! tcll
'r
il.!ro,.n
',oil.l ..JDtei po: ng lortrre,
liedd h.l Phorogrrpr,5 ljrtl]art
!irrLes in t]lo3r.!: !.ou;t.f
.erenronles rn Drc.lre:! q6!p:
oI nren.l:!i.er.q by tri. til.E!
to..rL!rrr'ror thlir a. t!
,!ol,o!t! i.d sco !s.I thc
rloE t! Dkcl 5 .9 litr, q
liith e!er, st.p a 1:r:
sia,.i |nfoL{ls 1rd t 3
cof n.n to lee lrrlr.:r!
r!.le.lt.r:i !p.l pr!!.9 to
lrke n tre 'rL,n.c, .ath.l
.o ent ifd !a,,our rrre lo.nl
fiv.L
'
[r!oy tlre !cen!r].1
l rq lnke i orr, reltern ltyt-a
.ofee an.l ce c,eam r.n
iL
re.o.rre, r.l.n !. 5 i.tr r.ru
to pir,rge ir tr Lrolr r..i n
r-d rio!, irlh the tocaLLeal
.0 1F VeLnanr4e.h ior-.n
;rur.ii!. io.!t poPr.tei..r
/o!r Lrrry l.bout r'ND 7 00ol
Nloc 5.n P:(od. !1.o.:f
..1::t:l hi no lh.rn {rrd.f
ll).l.rl! Tr, ol:i 5'. !Lru.lLr.:
n Ur..orFler cl.i.-c ba.l
to:25 tlr.ugh nro:t ol n/lr.n
,!. leevr5 e the. Dl,rttor
14.or:rL!cied . lrle1!1'l
.e.il / Tl c>rr.l s !.r ,
. I un , ro it r' r..trl.!
Jrilrl,icl!,tr bul icr ^tcrcrt i!
propt.r rlro t.!-e,.'rge t.r
ih-..1!,ere r5!r.,.i|e,r
rrt/ capl!r+.ia irii. Drr, ri!
.h.r:k.r. nth.P., lr, .)l
Ite it.t:]e o'.,.n:.."! heF.g
qr u1., rmon! tfe i. (.,.!
r'<r J:. Ure :1,r. cL fr..j
Ngoc 5.. Prllo.ltr i!:l'e J, ne'
p!pp.t! the:t e s.en.s nrnr
v.trnn'ii,. larc i.it h ::tor ;
l"ctLro ng an..nl balllc!)
r,! cdborJl.-rr irL,ro,n,.{l ir/
col.r l! t tr..!e.e.l o!DD.t! o
r. rdoor Z.,n.l rccornPnn.:o
l)t tri.l 1..r1 ! .l nimep iol[
nnr. T.i[.]! lr! tr..,.renrn_.]
p!.lor min.iABiiheaD rid
5ilL.ul.!rl), n ihr f,:i r.r.(l
lrr.. in: ir! prorC t!.tie
ih!, til.e:r'.! f lher:Jr.e1
l,rc r.lrqlr.ltE th!'r r.l) lr1'j'.Ln
'rl!ir l.!( ior ili! (tr 5liicn
r.l.rnt/ yitl fle.nrl!,r.:r! !i.,!
but aL:. Jfi r,,o!e i.. uthir
pr.,ir.+, i. ! irh..1 Th.
,tre, n.. r'omE r! .lh,ar
ofe. rg!.i1.,.;tl3r4 lrcth
in outit ;nd or-r rLL/ tr,irt
r Lr.l, r! {r prcr.nlrt o,r 5
rr.re thJn coiE.!:te.l 1!r b.,
A.l.l ng t. '.h-ri Hnno.
6 pncf(l r th
'ru:.!
ni
hofurnent: ..n.! re(uLrants
.nd rin.i nq rcles ltoc:ti..l
'!e!t.rn ityleilr ;id the.ly
ofler. !-" ytln! th,il ,!,LLrirl.e
t.ur !Lrt ccf!.r i rn rrd
Mc!t tr. retle,: ,pe.il
:r.un.l|ro 10 ir,!dnie lolr nll
the.ily ll.i.,rre. toL rt) r:r eli
n. I rth!!r-, lhr:ti
r rn,r!o t,rt.r'r.
I
l

7. LOCALFARE: Ifi{ll 1} i'l ii:', ll$r
Sneak with us into the bestjoints known mostty bythe tocats (you might spot several
adventurous tourists al these outlets) and dive into the iocatmust-try street snacks.
These ptaces showcase the best ofHanoifare.
PHO BO
A iradn oMl dish cooprising tight b.otll
linguire-shaped rice noodtes and beef
Pho 10 in Hanois Otd Ouarter is a cosy
to.at haunt A wett-respected purueyor its
kitchen windows are corstantly fogged
up by steam and bubbting slck A bowt
of lhis great stutr, costng aroundVND
40 ooo to 50 0oo, is best eaten wittl
handfuts of chilli, beah sproots and 6 good
squeeze of time.
BUN CHA
critted fatty pork and rcodtes seNed
with herb dipping sauces on lhe side
There is no wate.ed-down heatlhy
velsion - take it like the tocats or take a
hikel Acknowledged by Locats as the real
bun cho. 1 Hang Manh 228 Ta Hien is an
unpreientious joirt. Take a seat and b!r)
cho is automatiQtly serued as ihe only
dish on the menu. Expecl to payVND
50 ooo to 60.000 perpax.
NEM CUA BE
lf you tove with nem ro, Viehamese
spring rolld. you wittbe speltbound
by ,em .rd b€ (crab spring roLls).
Grourd crab mdi 6nd crab tile ien
pork. egg white kohtEbi.carot ear
mushrooms. bean sprout ice paper
andve.micetti 1Hang Ma.h 22B ra
Hien also serves nem c.ro be Ai VND
50 0oo per set. nem cuo be is the
perfect s de dish to bun cho
BAP XAO
c@ked in two l(ays -with driedshrimp.
scaUion. and butter or just scattion with
olt - this is a must"try as Hanoi b,o6ts
fresh white gtutinous corn whicn whe.
frjed, is perfect with cotd beerlEasily
avaiLabte on the street. watk away ir the
price is too hiqh Locals pavVND 5,ooo,
but visitors can exp&t io pay between
VND 20 ooo to 4o,ooo fyouarenol
upforba€aining.
BUN BO NAM BO
This str{ried beef vermicetti dish is
eteganttysimple. Fish sauce is used
foi ftavour accompanied by €w. fresh
vegetabtes. fried onions. roasied
peanuts and b6n sprouts, with a shout-
out for those big on raw greens 67 Hang
Dieu and 49 Hang Bun are the go-to
addresses, and Like oiher speciatty stails,
there s m need l. order A howl .6ct<
vND60,ooo
CHAO
Astausetdom caries more than one
version ofthls vaiety of rice ponidqe
and most statls speciaLise leg. .hoo bo
(beef poridge) .hoo90 (chicken with
ginger poftid96)..hoo lorg (porrdge
w,th po enlla ts and congeled
bLood). Deide in advancewhat type
of meat you prefer Chao Dai Loan uo2
serues tantastic chdo bo ancl choo 90,
paired with fne teas