➤ Vietnam is not the easiest of countries to travel in but at the same time is one of the most rewarding and fascinating to visit.
With history stretching back 4,000 years, Hanoi has long been one of Asia's most appealing destinations.
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| Photo by Pixabay |
"There are four things you need to focus on when you come to Hanoi," the driver shouts over the cough of the engine. "History, culture, food... and fun."
A couple of days exploring this tangled patchwork of lakes, stitched together with shady alleyways, is enough to leave your head spinning with a sense of the culture and history that pervades this ancient city.
And food and fun are never far away in Hanoi either.
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| Photo: CharlieLe on the pixabay |
Known as the Lake of the Restored Sword, Hoàn Kiếm is perhaps the most beautiful of Hanoi's 20 lakes and is home to a mythical giant golden turtle.
The best cities for visitors are often those that can be tackled in bite-sized chunks and Hanoi, the City of Lakes, is so neatly divided up by water that this metropolis of almost 8 million people often feels more like a sprawling chain of interlinked villages.
Somewhere near Hỏa Lò Prison Museum (1 Hỏa Lò St, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi City) -- once known, with icy humor, as the "Hanoi Hilton"
Stops to "refuel" - 1 cup of coffee!
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| Photo by collect on the internet |
The French might have introduced coffee, but the Vietnamese perfected it. Hanoi's café culture, in particular, is an experience not to be rushed.
A great way to tap the soul of this timeless city is to spend an hour or more at one of the countless roadside coffee shops and watch the world go by. For an imaginative variety of coffees -- try added coconut milk, yoghurt or egg white -- head for one of the Cộng Cà Phê establishments, ultra-cool Vietnamese hipster hangouts decorated with fascinating collections of Viet Cong wartime memorabilia.
Hanoi is a traditional city, with quite a bit of Chinese influence in the cuisine. In the north, people prefer braised or boiled dishes and use a lot of ginger, spring onion and pepper as flavoring.
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| Photo by baomoi |
As the sun begins to sink and Chinese lanterns flicker around the old-town, locals and travelers head to the intersection of Tạ Hiện and Lương Ngọc Quyến Street, where a barricade of low plastic stools forms the perennial nocturnal roadblock that is famous here as "Beer Junction."
This area has become a veritable street-life festival where icy glasses of excellent bia hoi (as the local brew is called) are served for about US 20 cents.
If you're plan travelling to Vietnam, Hanoi Capital is your great choice. It doesn't come as a surpirse that many tourists choose Hanoi for their holiday. All details about Hanoi tourism, you can see at: viettravelmagazine.com
