Things to Do in Hanoi -- A Short List

Hanoi Briefly

It took us nearly three weeks to travel from the south of Vietnam to the north. Although we didn’t find the pace of the city to be nearly as sedate as other travelers had described, we liked its offerings and stayed a total of six nights, with our stay broken up by two enjoyable overnight excursions: one to Halong Bay and the other to Cuc Phuong National Park and Kehn Ga. You can read about those excursions in greater detail in my other upcoming entries.

Our Likes in Brief
Our favorites sites in Hanoi include the Temple of Literature, the Museum of Ethnology, and the water puppet show. We also liked the shopping and "pate" sandwiches that you buy on the street (incredibly cheap, very flavorful, but make sure there are other locals there also eating, as this signals that the food is on the up and up).

Our Dislikes in Brief
We didn’t like the traffic, which takes some getting used to as the motorbikes don’t stop for pedestrians. The feeling of being ripped off by some of the locals was also an occasional downer.

Cheapest Source of Excitement--Crossing the Street
Since there are few stoplights in Hanoi, and the stream of mopeds, bicycles, and cars never ends, crossing the street can be daunting. The important thing to notice is that none of the vehicles is traveling very fast. Thus, if you just start walking across the street at an even pace, the drivers will have enough time to notice you and avoid you as they pass by. The key is to let them avoid you, instead of you trying to avoid them. Afterwards, sip a Bia Hanoi to calm the nerves.

Brief Conclusion
To be honest, after four weeks in Vietnam, we were ready for a change of scenery. For all the interesting things we experienced during our time there, the constant bustle of the cities big and small and the never-ending hustle of some of the locals left us fatigued. It's a place that's definitely worth a visit, but be ready for some bumps along the way as the country comes to grips with the flood of tourists that are coming in ever-greater numbers.

Quick Tips:

Some Usual Suspects

Internet: If you’re headed toward more rural areas, take advantage of the Internet cafes in Hanoi before you leave. We had good experiences at all the ones we tried in the Old Quarter, around .20 per hour.

Prices: Ask a few locals that you trust what the normal prices for items are. Some of the vendors in the Old Quarter can be merciless with foreigners.

Mailing Souvenirs Home: The General Post Office in Hanoi (not far from the Old Quarter) is accustomed to foreigners mailing packages home. Although not necessarily the smoothest process, it definitely works. By sea mail, our box arrived in the US in approximately three months. Don’t seal the box till the postal inspectors have examined the contents. Schedule about an hour for the entire process.

Talk to other travelers (or read IgoUgo entries!): Hanoi’s a large enough city, and some places can be hard to find, and of minimal interest when you get there. As always, if your time is limited, prioritize.

Be Patient: Expect a few hiccups. Try to maintain your good humor. You’re a visitor, after all.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walk Over Ride

We walked nearly everywhere around the city. If you have the time, that’s really the way to go, particularly when navigating the little ins and outs of the Old Quarter. After all, you can’t take in all the aromas of the market or hear the varied buzzes of a Hanoi block from the back of a cab. If you tire, a cyclo can be hired to give you a leisurely tour of the city, though you should be certain to negotiate a rate before climbing aboard (e.g., make sure it’s not a "per person" rate). Motorbike taxis also abound, if that’s your thing. You’ll again have to negotiate a bit.

From the airport, we took a cab into the city, costing approximately in November 2003. A smooth enough journey in, but once we neared our designated hotel we ran into a "taxi hijack" that was part of the accommodation bait and switch we describe in our accommodation entry.

Cabs in the city are metered. They’ll serve well in a pinch or for long distances, and you’ll have air-conditioning. However, you’ll miss out on the broader sensory experience of a good stroll.

One of the virtues of Hanoi is that it serves as a good "central" location from which to do short excursions into the northern regions of the country. The question is: do you do it alone? We varied our exploration methods from HCMC to Hanoi: on our own, through "established" tour companies, and through independent operators, i.e. random locals with motorbikes or cycles. Each form of travel had its merits, and you should sample each if you have the time and opportunity. Nevertheless, if you do not have much time, travel companies can be useful.

Travel companies abound in Hanoi. Such numbers foster stiff competition, and a number of outfits have sprung up offering similar itineraries. However, caveat emptor is a prevailing rule when it comes to travel agencies, as what appears to be the "same" on paper is quite often very different in reality. Do your due diligence before signing on. Guidebooks can point you in the right direction before you arrive in Hanoi. However, we also found speaking with other travelers in Vietnam to be invaluable. Mornings and evenings in the guesthouses are good times to swap stories, tips, etc. Word of mouth goes a long way in Vietnam, especially because many visitors travel the same north-to-south/south-to-north path that runs the length of the country.

It was during one of these random morning lobby conversations in HCMC that we first heard about Handspan. We checked it out when we arrived in Hanoi, and we were very pleased.

Handspan
This highly recommended travel agency lives up to the hype. They helped arrange two overnight trips from Hanoi. One was a 3-day trip to Halong Bay that included a night on their very well-appointed boat, the Dragon Pearl, and another night on Cat Ba Island. The second trip was a 2-day trip to Cuc Phuong National Park and Kehn Ga. They can also arrange tours to Sapa and other locations. Check out their website at www.handspan.com.

The guides on both trips were excellent and spoke good English. They were fun, well informed, and professional. The vans that took us to and from Hanoi were also in good shape, with only moderately aggressive drivers. The Handspan office in the Old Quarter is friendly and welcoming and includes a decent café. You can also store your large bags at the office while you are off on your overnight excursions. The travel agents are quite helpful and don’t give you the hard sell, which is refreshing. You will probably pay a bit more at Handspan than if you used other companies, but the professionalism, quality, and pleasant attitude are worth it. Our groups were relatively small, and the guides went out of the way to make everyone feel comfortable. Handspan can also arrange extended private tours.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a good travel agency to do some of the heavy lifting in the north, go with Handspan.

Things To Do in Hanoi – A Shortlist, Part One
By Hun Ohm

We spent a total of six days in Hanoi. Too much? Well, the northern capital has enough nooks and crannies to merit this amount of time for exploration, and it also serves as decent regrouping point in between journeys. For example, when not exploring the many streets of the capital, we arranged multi-day side trips to Halong Bay, Cuc Phuong National Park, and Kenh Ga (see other upcoming entries), and shipped parcels home. We also finalized our arrangements to exit the country and begin our travels in Laos.

However, you may find yourself without six days to spend in Hanoi (or perhaps no desire to spend that much time there). If either is the case, we think that you should consider including the following destinations on any itinerary. Without further ado, the shortlist:

Stroll the Old Quarter
The old quarter of Hanoi is famous for its "36 streets," which are all named after the thing they used to sell (onions, silk, shoes, herbs, fish, baskets, incense, combs, hats, tin, drums, coffins, bricks, chickens, beans, oils, scales, bottles, etc.). The streets don't really sell what they're named after any more, but certain items are concentrated in certain areas. The streets are not particularly wide, and there seems to be just as much traffic here as in Ho Chi Minh City. To make matters worse, everyone parks their motorbikes on the sidewalk, which only leaves a path about two feet wide for pedestrians. However, that area is usually taken up by vendors, or shopkeepers just hanging out, or people eating, so basically it’s impossible to walk on the sidewalk and you have to walk on the street.

If you can put up with the traffic, you will quickly realize that the district is very interesting to explore. You can browse and purchase just about anything you desire from souvenirs to dried noodles, but make sure to bargain politely. Since there is always a high concentration of tourists, some locals can demand exorbitant prices with an almost otherworldly persistence. However, we did meet a few genuinely helpful and nice storekeepers who were quite friendly. Also, the price-gouging is kind of "part" of the Vietnam experience, so don’t get too ill-humored about it if you can help it.

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has excellent displays of the many ethnic minorities (a.k.a. hill tribes) that live in the country, including dioramas, displays of various textiles and artifacts, videos, and an outdoor collection of reconstructed houses in various styles. The houses are immense and very impressive – don’t skip them! The museum is very well done and a must-see, especially if you don't make it to the northern mountain regions during a trip to Vietnam. Even if you do decide to do some treks in Sapa, you should stop by this museum first to acquire a base of knowledge about the various groups you will encounter, which will vastly enrich your experience. The museum was created with the help of the French and is in our opinion one of the best museums in all of Southeast Asia in terms of design, display and content.

You should take a taxi to the museum, which is about 20 minutes from the Old Quarter. The entrance fee is 10,000 dong.

Temple of Literature
This complex was built many centuries ago to honor scholars and philosophers. It was also the site of Vietnam's first university. The collection of buildings and courtyards is a peaceful retreat from the streets of Hanoi and is worth a visit for the traditional Vietnamese architecture and peaceful ambience. We liked the rows of stelae balanced atop stone tortoises, tall golden cranes, and statue of Confucius at the back. An old wrinkled and bearded gentleman, reading the morning newspaper in traditional clothing and looking exceedingly scholarly, completed the picture. Entrance fee is 20,000 dong.

Afterwards, cross the street and do a little shopping at nearby Craft Link. The prices may be a bit higher than the typical stall, but the quality is high, and the proceeds support the artisan community.

Water Puppet Show -- Not Just for Kids
We thought the water puppets sounded childish, but since everyone recommended the show, we gave in and bought tickets at the municipal theater across the street from Hoan Kiem Lake (just south of the Old Quarter). We were very pleasantly surprised by the delightful collection of local folktales performed by wooden puppets that seem to "float" on water. The puppeteers are quite skilled at making the puppets seem life like and full of personality, and the band that accompanies the puppets was first rate. The skits are short and amusing -- the perfect antidote to any possible boredom. And of course you have never seen a puppet show where the characters, including dragons, fairies, fishermen, and farmers, glide over water like angels. 40,000 dong gets you good seats and a cassette of music.

We liked the show so much that we even bought a pair of water puppets in the Old Quarter the next day to take home with us.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex
Uncle Ho's embalmed body is usually on display for all who want to see him here. However, not for us, as he was in Russia for his annual maintenance. Oh well. Other sites in the complex included the One Pillar Pagoda and Uncle Ho's Stilt House. The One Pillar Pagoda was much smaller than we expected it to be, so a bit of a disappointment. The stilt house was interesting, but we had to file by in a line as if we were waiting for a ride at Disneyland. The complex was very crowded, and a number of the venues were closed, much to our chagrin. Overall, the whole complex was a something of a let down, especially since we didn’t even get to see the main attraction (morbid as that may sound). Nonetheless, we feel the complex deserves a visit, particularly because Uncle Ho played such a pivotal role in shaping the country.

Things To Do in Hanoi – A Short List, Part Two
By Hun Ohm

Look, we know. Any short list with a "part two" is kind of a contradiction, right? But so it is with the options in Hanoi. Here’s the rest of the best:

Ipa-Nima Shop (2 locations -- 59G Pho Hai Ba Trung & 17 Nha Tho)
This store was created by Christina Yu, who gave up life as a lawyer in Hong Kong to live in Hanoi as a fashion designer. Her bags are sold in the U.S. and Europe for hundreds of dollars and are often featured in Vogue, In Style, and many other fashion magazines. They are fun, funky, sparkly, leathery, fringed, feathered, quilted, and much more. You can get her locally made bags here for a fraction of the price overseas and 100% of the quality. If you love bags and fashion, you must stop here for a browse (and possible purchase).

Man Eats Dog
One of our guides in Halong Bay gave us some details on the ins and outs of the dog meat industry. Apparently, 6-month-old dogs are the cut of choice, though even old curs can have their day on the table (she advised us not to worry about the tough chew, as green papaya can solve anything!) Among her many theories, she had one as to why there are not too many stray dogs on the streets of Hanoi (unlike Thailand) -- consumer demand. She may be right; we only saw well-kept pets in town. She also let us in on her big business idea: have the strays from Thailand shipped over to Vietnam where there is a constant market for fresh meat in the second half of each lunar month. We're not sure how the Thais would feel about this joint venture.

After strolling through the local market in the Old Quarter several times, we came across a small stand that sold freshly roasted puppy dog. We wouldn't have known this except for the fact that they had the severed heads placed on display as well, with the snout skin pulled back so that we could see the fangs. A bit disturbing, though at the time we had still been considering at least checking out dog meat alley (a.k.a. Pho Nghi Tam, which is 10km north of central Hanoi), a street with 60-some-odd dog meat restaurants. We never did make it to that street so can’t vouch for it, but if you have any interest, it’s there. As they say, when in Hanoi...

Walk down Hang Manh/Pluck a Dan Bau
If you have the time and a soft spot for street wandering, make your way to a street named Hang Manh (a few streets west of the northern tip of Hoan Kiem Lake). Down the road, you will come across various antique shops -- good for browsing, not so good for the pocketbook. Keep going, and you will hit a few music shops that house both traditional and Western instruments. We particularly liked the Vietnam Musical Instruments Shop (16A Hang Manh), which displayed some interesting pieces. Indeed, we purchased a wonderful dan bau (a traditional monochord which can produce, among other things, tones that echo Ry Cooder’s "Paris, Texas" soundtrack). The total cost (including shipping) was approximately $90, and it arrived in the States intact. The manager was friendly and happy to let you test out the store’s wares.

Stroll the Shore
Hoan Kiem Lake is a little lake just south of the Old Quarter with a nice big path running along side it. Consider taking a leisurely walk around (30-45 minutes depending on your pace) to recover some serenity within the cityscape. In the early mornings, locals exercise around the shore; you might join them. However, if you’re not up to the early start, check the lake out later in the day. Start in the late afternoon, heading south down the western shore. Slow and easy should be the pace. If you need refreshment, bravely cross the street to sample some decent ice cream at Fanny Ice Cream (48 Pho Le Thai To). Continue going around the southern tip of the lake and turn back north. Try to snag one of the benches on the eastern shore to watch the sun begin to set over the water. Feel the heat leave the air. See Thap Rua (Tortoise Tower) in the middle of the lake? Good. Now say farewell to Hanoi.

Hanoi Side Trips
By Hun Ohm

There are a number of worthwhile side trips that can be made using Hanoi as your base. We opted to use Handspan Adventure Travel to help arrange our overnight journeys, and we were not disappointed. Here’s a brief recap of a few of our experiences:

Halong Bay
Halong Bay is on nearly everyone’s list and is definitely a must-see in the north. From what we heard and read, it’s really not worth it to do Halong Bay "on your own." Arranged tours can take you there for roughly the same amount of money, and you will not have to contend with the hassle of getting to the bay from Hanoi or negotiating a ride on a boat to check out the limestone formations.

Heeding this advice, we visited Halong Bay on a three-day trip using Handspan Travel Agency (highly recommended, see separate Handspan review). Handspan seems to have the best boat (the Dragon’s Pearl) available for their Halong Bay tours, and it is well worth paying a little extra money (compared to other travel agencies) for such facilities. Our room was nicer than many of the hotel rooms we stayed in in Vietnam and was tastefully decorated. The dining room was well appointed and the food was equally good. The sun deck at the top was perfect for reclining and watching the scenery go by.

The main attraction of Halong Bay are numerous tiny to medium-sized limestone karsts/islands that rise dramatically from the water. They are partly covered by little trees and shrubs, and partly exposed limestone. The formations are so numerous that when you look at bay, you see many "layers" of islands, which fade as they recede in the distance. Also, there seems to be a fine haze most of the time, which adds to the sfumato effects.

The first day, we stopped cruising long enough to visit a large cave "grotto" inside one of the islands, which, while a bit gaudy in terms of lighting, was much bigger and more impressive than we expected it to be. After the cave, we cruised a bit more on the boat and were treated with a view of the setting sun that was peeking out from behind just enough cloud cover to allow you to gaze directly at it with minimal squint. The evening was capped off with a little swim just at sunset.

The next morning, we transferred to a small boat which took us to Cat Ba Island, the largest, which is surprisingly rather developed, with lots of little hotels and many fisherpeople (mostly they catch squid). We did a very good 2-3 hour hike which included refreshments at a local person's house, complete with photo of Ho Chi Minh over the alter, a couple of jars of snake wine, and a poster of Michael Jackson from his Bad days. The hike went over some harvested rice paddy fields, empty peanut fields, and some forested hills. At the end we had lunch at our local guide's house, which was quite delicious with the best spring rolls that we had in anywhere in Vietnam. We spent the rest of the afternoon at an adequate, if unspectacular, local beach.

The morning of our third day we boarded a boat (smaller than the Dragon’s Pearl) for the ride back to Halong City for lunch. Unfortunately it was a bit cool and foggy so the views weren't as good as the first day, but the beauty of the bay still astounded.

Overall cost: approximately $72 per person
Shorter excursions are available.

Cuc Phuong National Park
We also made a short overnight trip to Cuc Phuong National Park to visit the endangered primate center and have a short hike into the rainforest (a rather tame hike on a paved path, which we weren't expecting!). There are many international biologists at the center who are studying the primates and they have many different species that you can see. Some have been injured and are recuperating, and some have been bred there. It is very educational to see all the different types, not to mention quite fun to see them swinging like, well, primates, from branch to branch.

We stayed in rooms available on the national park premises. They are large huts with private bathroom and two large beds – perfectly functional, but nothing more. We ate dinner at the park restaurant. You might consider skipping Cuc Phuong unless you can do a more extended hike into the forest. But try not to go by yourself or leave the trails, as it would be very easy to get lost. At the time we were there, the officials were looking for a foreign couple who had abandoned their moped in the forest and were nowhere to be found! The next day, we headed to Kehn Ga.

Kehn Ga -- "the other Halong Bay on the rice paddies"

Most tourists go to Tam Coc to see the "Halong Bay on the rice paddies," but we had been told that that area is completely overrun with tourists and the enterprising vendors that are sure to accompany them. Thus, we opted for a leisurely boat ride on a river at Kehn Ga, which is a different part of the same region. The scenery was amazing, and we were the only travelers there for most of the morning.

The river snakes through limestone formations that soar out of the landscape in sometimes breathtaking fashion. Along the riverside, you can see people going about their daily life. Sadly, much of the business in the area is actually involved in destroying the limestone formations to use the stone industrially. Thus, you can see many rock formations half chipped away, their bottoms clouded in the dust that is raised by all the jackhammering. We also saw women gathering the riverweed for a delicious meal, kids dancing and playing, and a few graves built atop small formations in the water. Afterwards, we visited the old capital of Hoa Lu where there are a few well-preserved temples from the period just before the capital was moved to Hue. Along the way, our van was delayed for a few minutes as we waited for some workers to set off some dynamite charges, presumably as part of their ongoing quarrying efforts. It's difficult to predict what effect the continuing development of Vietnam will have on its natural beauty resources, but we are crossing our fingers that the country will be able to find an appropriate balance.

As noted above, we did the trip as part of a two-day excursion from Hanoi that included the first day at Cuc Phuong National Park. Although the Cuc Phuong portion was of minor interest, it enabled us to arrive at Kehn Ga early in the morning when boat traffic was very light.

Overall cost: approximately $88 per person