Quirky but Delicious Hanoi

After 9 days in Thailand, we flew to Hanoi to start our travel in Vietnam. We opted to start in the north, and make our way south to Saigon. For some reason, we expected Vietnam to be similar to Thailand, but in fact, the scenery, people, and attitudes are extremely (and pleasantly!) different. A few people mentioned to me that there wasn’t that much to see in Hanoi, so we only booked 3 nights. However, I think I definitely could’ve used a day or two more to explore both the city and the surrounding areas. There are some activities that require a day or two trip (such as Halong Bay, which I regret x 10000 for not going to see), so definitely make sure to consider that when you book your stay. If it hadn’t been so hot, I think I could’ve wandered the city for a week!

Quick Tips:

COMMON HOTEL NAMES: A warning about hotels – we had booked at Especen Hotel, which was listed in Lonely Planet. We booked our reservation via email. However, when we got to Especen, they didn’t have our reservation even though we had a printout of our email confirmation. Luckily, they did have a room available at Especen 2, which was next door, so we checked in. However, we were upset that they had lost our reservation, and we thought we were getting a balcony, so we went downstairs to speak with the front desk. She said that although we had booked with a hotel named “Especen”, it was not theirs because the email address and website was different. She also mentioned that there were many hotels named “Especen” in the city. We figured that to get business, the hotels in Hanoi change their names to the ones listed in the various guidebooks available. Sure enough, we double checked our reservation, and it was at an Especen at a different street address!

FEAST!! Take advantage of the many wonderful but inexpensive restaurants in Hanoi. We found many lovely restaurants in the old quarter that looked upscale, but were indeed quite inexpensive once we made the conversion to USD. In fact, we ate amazing meals plus a beer or two each for just -12USD for two!!

CARRY CASH, ESPECIALLY USD: Vietnamese merchants will take USD in a heartbeat. If you have USD – especially smaller bills like and . The ATM dispenses large bills, which can be difficult to break if you’re buying stuff on the street; sometimes will expedite payment in a pinch!

CLOSED AT LUNCH: Many museums and attractions are closed for 2 hours at lunch. The times can range from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Make sure you check the times before you make your visit. We visited a museum at 11:30, thinking we could stay through lunch if we got there early enough, but were kicked out at noon when the museum closed.

NO AIRCONDITIONING: Just an FYI – there is very little air conditioning in Hanoi or in Vietnam, in general. We were there in June, so it was extremely muggy and HOT. We would step into a restaurant, hoping for some relief, but only to be greeted by a single fan. Most of the museums had fans, but were stifling hot. Bring water, and get ready to sweat!

Best Way To Get Around:

WALK, WALK, and WALK: Every hotel/guesthouse/hostel will have a good and simple map of the Old Quarter and Hoa Kiem Lake. These areas are surprisingly easy to get around, especially by foot. I was surprised that we rarely ever got lost, and when we did, we got back on track within minutes. We walked EVERYWHERE, and at the most, it took us about 30 minutes to get to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and 30 more minutes to walk around the lake. It’s also great exercise!

AIRPORT TAXI SCAMS: Vietnam Airport taxis are complete scams! While we had read lots of comments from travelers who were taken to a hotel that was overbooked, and taken to another one, we didn’t expect it to happen to us. We took a taxi from the airport (one of several companies, professionally stationed outside), and they seemed to know where we wanted to go. The taxi drove us into the city and just dropped us on a random corner (albeit in the Old Quarter), where a man was waiting for us with a business card labeled with the hotel we were booked at. However, we looked around and there was no hotel to be seen. He took us to what he called “Especen 2”, the other hotel and then left us there. The hotel was actually named “Lucky Star”, even though the front desk guy claimed that the hotel, indeed, was Especen 2. My boyfriend checked out the room they were offering, and he said it looked nice, but we had no idea where we were. We ended up leaving, and caught a Mai Linh taxi, who took us to the real hotel. The best way to avoid this from happening to you is to get your hotel to send a taxi to the airport to pick you up. It may cost a few dollars extra, but well worth the hassle. We spoke to several other travelers who were also cranky because the exact same thing had happened to them.

As mentioned in the overview, we had some difficulties getting to our hotel. The hotel is located in a teeny alley, named Ngo Huyen, with a lot of character. There is Especen 1, which is on the corner, and Especen 2, which is right next door. We stayed in Especen 2. The woman working the front desk was very pleasant and very helpful and she is teeny – just like the alley! Our room was on the fourth floor, and there is no elevator – so we did a lot of stair climbing! We also had to carry our luggage upstairs.

Our room was small, but very clean. There was a queen sized bed, and a window facing the building next door. There was a fan and A/C, a TV with cable, a mini-fridge with sodas, beers and waters (not free, but quite inexpensive!), and a cabinet for clothes. The bathroom was probably the smallest we had during our entire SE Asia trip, but again, very clean, which was the most important part! Since we were so high up in the building, we didn’t hear any street noise. However, some mornings, there was a lot of loud talking from the staff cleaning the stairwell and doing other chores. It didn’t bother us at all, in fact, it was a great morning wake up call.

Laundry can be done at the hotel for 20,000 dong a KG, however, make sure you allow at least 24 hours for it to be done. The laundry is air dried, and typically takes longer to dry. We made this mistake because we were leaving the following day at 7am and wanted our laundry the night before. We asked several times during the evening, and the staff told us that someone would deliver it. By 10pm, we were getting concerned! They finally told us that it was not completely dry, but we could take it if we wanted.

The location is perfect. It’s around the corner from a very small and cute café – we stopped each morning for an iced coffee, and even had beers there one evening for a couple of hours while it rained. Also around the corner is a large hostel, so there are lots of young backpackers roaming the street and a good resource for maps and tours. It is within walking distance to tons of restaurants and shopping, and is just a 5 minute walk from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It’s probably a 10 minute walk to Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter, and as mentioned, a longer walk to the Ho Chi Minh complex.

The rate per night was $25 USD a night.

Despite the unfortunate name, this is a great restaurant that exhibits some major ambience! It is a two storied old converted shop house, and the stairs that take you upstairs are quite rickety and narrow. It is dark with high ceilings, and the furniture is mostly dark and distressed wood. There is a small balcony with a couple of tables and an excellent place to chill, eat, and watch the streetscape below (if you’re lucky enough to get that seat!). This restaurant is located right in the middle of the Old Quarter.

As mentioned in my overview, I was very impressed with the food options in Hanoi. We had just spent hours at the Ho Chi Minh Complex, and we were hot and extremely hungry. We were seated upstairs and a large fan was directed toward us (no air conditioning!). The menu offered an array of Vietnamese dishes, as well as some Western dishes as well. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what any of the dishes are called, but I ordered a sort of house specialty Bun, which came with a large platter of rice vermicelli, greens (bean sprouts, basil, mint), marinated beef, and the sweet fish sauce. It was delicious because the vermicelli and greens were nice and cool, but the meat was hot. It also came in a beautiful straw or bamboo basket. My boyfriend ordered a stir fried beef dish, which came with a very large side of rice. We each had a beer (Saigon and Hanoi) to top off the meal. We were extremely full afterwards! The total cost of the meal for both of us was about 120,000 dong (approx $7USD)

Unfortunately, this is not a restaurant that many locals frequent. In fact, because of its price point, mostly foreigners patronize this restaurant. Of course, while we were there, we did see tourists order the hamburger and various sandwiches, but I would recommend the Vietnamese dishes.

We were fortunate to stay around the corner from an amazing pho restaurant aptly named PHO. We got there around 9:30am for breakfast, and it was still packed! This is a place that mostly locals frequent and people sit at tables that are very close to each other, share condiments, and slurp up noodles noisily together. It can be intimidating to walk in because it is very loud, very hectic and very full, but just go in, and you’ll be seated promptly. There also isn’t much ambience at this place.

We walked in and were seated immediately. There are only about 5 choices – pho with different beef options (ex: rare, well done, tendon, etc). You can also order a platter of fried dough sticks to go with your pho (a miniature version of what you’d find in Hong Kong or Taiwan). I believe the pho comes with a complimentary drink because we weren’t charged for our waters. Once you order, the food comes to your table minutes later.

The reason why the pho was so good was the broth, which was extremely rich and flavorful. I’ve heard that pho broth requires 17 different ingredients, and I felt like I could taste all of them! I slurped up my pho in 5 minutes flat, as did my boyfriend. The total cost of the meal (2 bowls of pho, with 2 bottles of water) was 60,000 dong ($3.50 USD). I believe this place is only open for breakfast and lunch because in the evenings, we had walked by and it was closed.

We actually didn’t plan on visiting this museum, but because the "Hanoi Hilton" was closed for lunch, we decided to check it out. This was our first glimpse (one of many) into how the Vietnamese perceived the American War, and Americans in general. It was extremely eye opening, particularly since I was only familiar with the American side of the story.

The first floor features the permanent exhibit and the woman’s role in the war. Many of the women were in combat, or involved in transporting and making supplies, cooking meals, and providing support for their troops. There are many photo albums available (with captions) that depict their role in the war. There are also lots of artifacts, including award, medals, dolls, clothing, tools, and more that were part of the war era. I was a little bit shocked at the frankness of the English translation. One example is a comb, in the shape of an airplane, awarded to a woman for "shooting down a U.S. plane, killing 3 men." The Vietnamese were, and are, obviously very proud of the effort their women made during the war. Many of the photos are graphic, and may tell a story that is different from what you learned in history class!

A featured exhibit was on the 3rd floor – propaganda posters featuring women and children, and directed toward women. This was actually really cool because they were printed in vibrant colors, and encouraged women to engage in agriculture – growing various crops like rice, fruit, corn, and more. It was more of an art exhibit! Unfortunately, posters replicas were not available at the gift shop for sale. There was also an exhibit featuring "extraordinary women". Each woman had a poster dedicated to them – a photo of themselves and their families, as well as a few paragraphs describing their efforts. The general theme was that the woman came from a poor neighborhood, but worked really hard and sacrificed to send her children to high school and college. This exhibit was not as engaging as the others, but interesting to see how contemporary Vietnamese women have to endure today to move up in society.

The museum was under renovation at the time, so the 2nd floor was not open to the public. I thought this was an interesting museum to visit, but not a "must-see". In fact, it was very sparsely attended the day we visited. If you are in the neighborhood and have some time to kill, this would be a good option.

The Hoa Lo Prison, or more commonly known as the Hanoi Hilton, is a stark glimpse into the jail that both Vietnamese and American soldiers were locked up in during various wars. Of course, the primary focus is on how the Vietnamese captives were tortured and locked up in horrible, inhumane conditions by the French. Towards the end, there is a section on the treatment of American soldiers in the jail.

You walk through various parts of the jail – and you can see the actual cells in which prisoners were kept. It’s all concrete and very musty, and it really gives a creepy vibe. It’s definitely NOT a happy place. They’ve also placed concrete human figures to demonstrate how they were locked up and to emphasize the size of the cells (very small!). There are lots of graphic descriptions and photographs that speak to the torture and the horrible conditions of the jail. There is even a real life guillotine!

As mentioned, there is a section that speaks to the treatment of American soldiers while in the jail. It is obviously all propaganda and somewhat amusing and appalling at the same time. They state that despite the poor economy of Vietnam at the time of the American War, the American prisoners were offered the best of what the government could offer. There are many panels featuring photos of these prisoners doing arts and crafts, playing volleyball, getting weekly physical checkups, cooking Christmas dinner, and more. The American prisoners actually look ridiculously happy in every single photo! I’m sure they were all staged, but it is really interesting to observe. There are even some photos of John McCain, visiting the prison many years after his release.

I found the Hanoi Hilton very interesting and while I didn’t agree with everything in the museum, it definitely gave me some perspective. Even if you’re not a history or war buff, I think you would find this museum very intriguing!

I had never seen a dead person on ice before so I HAD to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum! We walked over there, which took about 30 minutes. We also visited on a Saturday morning, and when we got there, the line was extremely long. We were worried because it was about 10am, and we knew that it closed at 11:30 for lunch.

We got in line, and as mentioned, there are tons of people waiting in line to see Uncle Ho – both Vietnamese and foreign tourists. The Vietnamese LOVE their Ho Chi Minh! There are many military personnel around to keep people in check and I made sure I followed orders accordingly.

Everyone has to go through security, primarily because no photographs are allowed. All cameras are confiscated and checked, and you can retrieve it after your visit. Also, everyone must dress conservatively (sleeves and long pants/skirt) and all hats must be removed. One woman was wearing a tank top and someone had to give her a long sleeved shirt to wear over it. One man put on his hat before leaving the complex and a guard asked him to remove it.

We waited in line about 45 minutes, but it wasn’t so bad because we got to look at the complex, the staff who worked there, and people watch in general. Also, we could commiserate with the other tourists who thought the wait was way too long.

Once we got in, we were required to walk in two lines up the stairs and into the mausoleum. There were guards stationed every few feet to physically push people along if they were slowing down to rubberneck, or if your hands were not completely down at your sides and in view. I was roughly manhandled twice because I was walking in the outside line and slowed down to get a better look at Ho Chi Minh. The entire walk through took about 1 minute.

The visit was much like waiting in line for rides at Disneyland – super long queue, but a really short time with Mr. Ho himself. It was a surreal experience and kind of weird, but something you definitely have to do.

After the Mausoleum, we walked the premises of the Ho Chi Minh Complex. On the other side, there is the Ho Chi Minh Museum. At first, we didn’t think we would have time to visit because it was almost time for lunch, but it turns out if you get in before 11:30, you can stay through lunch. They just don’t sell tickets during the lunch hour.

When we got in, it was seriously a madhouse. Because it was Saturday, many Vietnamese people had brought their families and there were children running around and screaming. There are even signs around that say "Please remain quiet" – obviously, they weren’t being observed. It was a complete 180 from the regimented environment of the mausoleum.

Nevertheless, this museum is chockfull of Uncle Ho paraphernalia. There are tons of propaganda videos and posters featuring him, photos of him in the war and with other diplomats, gifts he had received from various people, artwork inspired by him (or simply popular while he was alive, including some Miro and Picasso replica pieces), replica tanks, dioramas, and statues. It is a lot to take in and there are a lot of photo opportunities. There is a HUGE bronze statue of Mr. Ho that everyone gets their photo taken with. We spent about 1.5 hours in the museum before we got too tired of the chaos.

There is a bakery downstairs if you want to grab a snack, as well as ice cream vendors outside. I bought an ice cream outside, and it was NOT delicious. It just tasted chalky and not creamy and sweet like ice cream should be. Just an FYI!

OK, so this is a huge tourist trap, but it was actually a good time, and the perfect thing to do when you want to do something more chill. We had just gotten into Hanoi and experienced the whole airport taxi/hotel scam and wanted to do something easy. The theater was a nice 10 minute walk from our hotel and we got to see Hoa Kiem Lake and some of the Old Quarter along the way.

The theater is very well marked on every tourist map, and it is right on the edge of the lake. You can’t miss it because there is a huge sign and there is always a crowd of people outside trying to buy tickets. We got there 10 minutes before the 6pm show, and it was packed (with tourists)! We were actually afraid we weren’t going to get tickets, but it turns out only 1st class seats were available. They were 40,000 dong apiece, and there was a small charge for those who wanted to take photos in the theater. Turns out, the 1st class seats are just closer to the stage, and the 2nd class seats (which were half the price) were further back. We were in the last row of the 1st class seats and the 2nd class seats were directly behind us! Tickets were cheap, however, so we didn’t care that much. Also, no one checked photo tickets, so you don’t really have to buy them. Everyone was taking photos anyhow.

The show is silly but fun. There are musicians that sing the traditional Vietnamese style and it’s interesting. The performers are very lively and look like they love their jobs. There is also some translation in the beginning – in French, Vietnamese and English. The puppets come out and do some silly things, like dancing, swimming, etc. It’s great for kids, and I must admit, I thought it was very amusing. It’s almost like a musical with the band singing while the puppets are dancing. It’s a very well put together performance, not just some shoddy show.

The whole show takes about 1 hour and the theater is air conditioned. There are many shows during the course of the day – almost one every 1.5 hours. Just sit back and enjoy the show!

We got this walking map from the hostel around the corner from our hotel. It was great, and it had a top 10 things to do in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. One of them was to visit the famed "Fruit Shake Street". After an early dinner one night, we thought a fruit shake would be a great dessert, so we walked over to the Old Quarter.

We turned onto this short street, and we just saw tons of locals (teens, families, young professionals, older people) sitting on short and small plastic stools on the street, madly scooping up fruit/ice out of glasses, and drinking fruit shakes! The women serving were working like crazy, cutting fruit, pouring condensed milk, working the blenders. One woman called us over and wiped off two stools for us. We sat down, and just pointed to the glasses of fruit that were on the counter (we didn’t know that Vietnamese word for "fruit shake, or any fruit for that matter).

We assumed that they would pour all the fruit into a blender and make it into a shake, but in fact, they just gave us the glasses, served with a long spoon and a bowl of shaved ice. After watching some of the locals, we spooned the shaved ice into our glasses of fruit and mixed it up with the condensed milk at the bottom. The fruit was a diverse mix, including pieces of avocado, apple, dragon fruit and more. It was good, but probably not the best fruit experience I’d ever had. But it was amusing, and fun, and there was a rush (and slightly terrifying), sitting next to the zooming motorbike traffic. It was also great for people watching!

Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the street, but if you pick up a certain map, you’ll see it.