Hanoi (Hà Nội) will be the first meeting point in northern Vietnam for many travellers. Hanoi is a place that is still trying to retain its original and distinctive rich history, heritage and attractiveness , in some contrast to Ho Chi Minh City. Every corner of Hanoi is filled with interesting things you might not expect, below is one of the most interesting things you can see when traveling in Hanoi.
- Hanoi Cathedral – One Of Hanoi Famous Architecture
- The foods enthralled visitors in winter Hanoi
- Unique experience in Hanoi capital
Is it the image of motor taxi driver and a barber on the street of Hanoi, especially in the Old Quater?
Beyond driving on the streets, the motor taxi driver (xe om) can sit in their motorbikes, watching around, reading newspapers or taking a nap. Normally, they cannot find a stable job due to their education lever or age, so it is the way that they can earn money. They can freely choose the time and place to work.
However, since the appearance of global high-tech motorcycling services like Uber or Grab, "xe om" is affected a lot for their income. For the young persons, they can apply for working with Uber or Grab, but for the older ones, they can not due to the age limit. Hence, it is the other side of technology advancement and globalization process.
Like "xe om", image of the barber on the street might disappear soon under the emergences of modern hair salons in the big cities like Hanoi or Saigon. Mostly the street barber are old persons. They cut the hair with really cheap prices, however, they do not have many modern equipment for haircut and hair make-up like the modern salons.
Eating food on the pavement
No exploration of Hanoi is complete without having a taste of street food. “Despite the recent growth of fine-dining restaurants, the “pavement culture” and cheap meals served ubiquitously on the pavements still thrive,” said the manager of Siglo’s House, a fine-dining steakhouse in Hanoi. Most of street stalls offer the best flavours that will demand less of your pocket but more of your courage to give a try.
Fresh beer in Ta Hien
It’s easy to develop a more-than-one-beer thirst as you tramp from museum to museum, coffee shops to restaurants for the whole day. And hunting cheap beer (Bia hoi in Vietnamese) in Hanoi is a bit like trying to spot a local driving on the pavement!
In the hottest days with nearly 40 degrees C, there is nothing more wonderful than going to Ta Hien Street and then choose a nice seat to enjoy the glass of fresh beer and see the ancient houses in the afternoon light along with the stream of people going back and forth. Locals call this street by the name “International corner” because this is the favorite place for almost foreigners who like to sit on plastic stools and see the hustle and bustle of Hanoi while enjoying fresh beer.
Drinking ice-tea near the Cathedral
If you are a tea lover, this is a must-visit. Nearby Hanoi’s Cathedral, there are so many tea stalls serving on the street only with small plastic stools, you can leisurely relax and drink iced tea with lemon while watching the chaos of these streets.
Anyone who came to Hanoi and took the chance to enjoy iced tea with lemon at Joseph's Cathedral in Nha Chung Street, they will never forget its taste. Just with this kind of drink, if you enjoy it at another place, surely you will not have special feelings like you are at the Church where you can sit to enjoy iced lemon tea with dried sunflower seeds or peanut brittle, and watch the passers-by in the ancient scenery around street. Such an interesting experience!
Spiral popsicle ice cream with lemon and mint flavor
Hanoi ice cream is more and more well-known with locals and foreign tourists. Coming to Hoan Kiem lake will bring you full of experience of Hanoian by tasting some ice cream here, even in the winter. No matter how the weather is, you should try the lemon and mint spiral popsicle ice cream. The typically sour taste of lemon with the aroma of mint will make you always "remember" this ice cream.
If you are in Hanoi and have chance, you should at least one time get experience with nteresting experiences bring the old Hanoi breath, before they are totally disappeared due to the fast pace of modernization and globalization. The journey of discovery the best of Hanoi that you can experience: http://vietnamtypicaltours.com/location/hanoi-tours/
