While there are more cars than before, scooters and motorbikes still dominate the streets. There are now high rise buildings, but the old quarter of Hanoi, home for most budget tourists, remains largely unchanged, except many of the souvenirs which used to be exquisitely handcrafted are now replaced by mass-produced trinkets from China. The traffic in the city center is chaotic yet Hanoi holds a certain charm, could it be nostalgia?
We went to some of the obligatory sites. 21 years ago touring was not a thing for most Vietnamese. Today there are many Vietnamese going around. Young people seem to like photo sessions with traditional costumes, as in Korea, Japan, and China.
Best of all, it was super easy to eat vegetarian. We even went to an all-you-can-eat vegan buffet for $3.67 each!
From Shanghai, we flew to Shenzhen, then Hanoi. Even though we arrived at the Hanoi airport after dark, it was easy to find Express Bus 86 at Column 2 and ride it to the Old Quarter where we had rented a cozy apartment near Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake for 4 nights. From the apartment's cozy window street we relax, and observe the street below.
The Old Quarter has narrow streets and was very busy, especially around 5pm, school pickup time. 1st and 2nd below are in front of the Cathedral. 3rd (a video) and 4th below are near the Dong Xuan Market.
In the evenings, people are out playing "foot badminton" in parks, badminton on the sidewalks, line dancing by the lake, or jsut strolling. Not to mention early weekend morning ruunners when the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake are pedestrian only.
After visiting more than several Confucian Temples in China, we found the Confucian Temple Of Literature in Hanoi familiar yet different.
The Imperial Citadel is a mini version of Beijing's Forbidden City. Fascinating. A large portion of the site is an ongoing archaeological dig.
Looking across Ba Đình Square to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
The French left more that a few Art Deco buildings. Our favs were the CLINIQUE Hospital (1st below) and the Cua Bac Parish Church (2nd).
A section of the Veggie Castle all-you-can-eat Buffet.
Lunch at Banh Mi Vegan
Our first vegan meal in Hanoi was pho soup at a small stall across from a Buddhist Temple. Tasty.
A few final shots of the Cathedral at night.
3 comments:
I am surprised but also not, to see how familiar the Citadels and the streets look. I could be in India! The vegetable carts and the street badmintons, so much nostalgia :)
What do you both observe about the pollution in Vietnam? Some pictures the sky looks very clear and in some, I can see the familiar Delhi haze.
Thankyou for all the food pictures, they are my fav!
Glad to see the Old Quarter hasn't changed much. I was last there in early 2011, and the traffic was much worse than my first visit in 2001.
@Priya, It's not a haze but clouds... Seems like it can be cloudy for weeks on end in the north of Vietnam. In real time we are Hue. We have not seen a bit of blue sky in about 9 days as we traveled 1200 kms from Dong Van near the Chinese border to Hue, just clouds. Thanks for that comment/question! -john
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