Hoan Kiem Lake 2

The area surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake is a shopping mecca for tourists. The streets radiating from the lake to the west, east and north are all full of stuff, from silk ties & scarves, wooden dolls, to pirated DVDs. Just be careful in moving from shop to shop and crossing the streets, as the shopping activities likwise bring in multitudes of motorbikes and peddlers.

A tip I would like to give is try to haggle for a 30% cut once, as this is almost expected. You will probably be counter-offered to a 20% cut. Tourists who overly try to bleed the sellers dry are frowned upon. Someohw, culture in Vietnam dictates that even for the locals, those who can afford are intrinsically expected to pay more in order that the not-haves will be soemhow alleviated. I reckon it is part of the socialist mindset that still of course lingers.

Around Hoan Kiem lake and perhaps everywhere else, motorcycle riders offer a "taxi" service for almost a 3rd of the price of a normal taxi. Of course there is no meter so you end up haggling again. If you must take a taxi, I suggest you avoid these motorbikes as they are drivers from hell. Take a normal taxi, and even then, choose carefully. You may wish to stick to my suggestions: Maianh Taxi, Hanoi Taxi and HanoiTourist Taxi only. These are managed by reputable companies. 

Army Museum & Flag Tower

We have yet to visit these 2 places. I will update as soon as get a chance to go. :-)

Ly Thai To Park

This tourist spot is very close to Hotel Metropole. You can also see Hoan Kiem Lake across the from where the statue is. Ly Thai To occupies a prominent position in Vietnam's history.

During weekends this place becomes bustling with tourists. It is very hard to get an opprtunity to take a good picture beside the statue. So what we did was to come on a weekday, and close to lunch. Presto, we had the place all to ourselves!

4 Pho Parallels

Aside from knowing the areas around the Hoan Kiem Lake, a tourist must walk the whole length of Ly Thung Kiet, Hai Ba Trung, Trang Thi and Tran Hung Dao streets ("pho" means street in Vietnamese; not be mistaken with another "pho", which means noodles).

These 4 streets are parallel to each other and run on an east-west direction (towards the west is the Hoan Kiem Lake).

You do not know Hanoi if you have not walked these 4 streets.

Friendship Palace

This big hunk of a building is a token of friendship from the former Soviet Union. It is also known as the Cultural Palace as most of the major events and conventions in Hanoi are help there. The Friendship Palace is located at the Western end of Tran Hung Dao St. If you walk the stretch of this road to the East, you will find the Philippine Embassy on the right hand side.

"Kem"

The best place to get ice-cream ("kem") in Hanoi is this very cosy restaurant in Quan Su St. called Clasico. They serve a good line of Italian pizza and pasta, but the ice-cream for desert is fabulous! VND25,000 per serving.

The other place to get nice "kem" is in Tran Hung Dao St., near the Philippine Embassy, there is this ice cream parlor called NZ Kem. they have one of that too at the 7th floor of Parkson.

Oh, and there is this drive-through ice cream shop at Ngo Quyen St. near the famous Thang Long Bookstore (famous because it is the only one that sells a wide range of English materials both for tourists and students who need to learn English.

Lastly, you can also find  kem made the Indian (not native Americans, but from India) way at Khazanna or tandoor restaurants. In these places "kem" is called "kulfi".

Hanoi International Fellowship

HIF is a non-sectarian, inter-denominational group of Christians and Catholics in Hanoi. They hold church services at the Grand Ballroom of Intercontinental West Lake ("Ho Tay") Hotel. It is about 10 minutes from Hoan Kiem Lake area. The service is in English, and is attended only by expats/non-Vietnamese believers.

At the door you get greeted by a member and gets shown to the stairs leading up to the 2nd floor, where another member wlecomes you at the landing. Free-flowing coffee, tea and cookies from 10:00AM to 10:30AM, then the service starts. The HIF also runs the "Kids Quest" program, wherein the kids woh come to the service with their parents can actually attend some sort of a Sunday School in order that the parents can concentrate on worship.

For more details, you may visit their website, just type "Hanoi International Fellowship" at the search bar.

Thanks so much, HIF!

"Cua Thang Long"

"Thang Long" is Hanoi's old name back in the days when the Vietnamese societies are ruled by kings. "Cua" is a term for bridge. Cua Than Long is therefore a bridge, the main one that connects Hanoi to the other side of the Red Rvier, where the airport is located. It a a long span steel bridge, the Red River being about a kilometer wide, allowing ships to actually bring cargo in and out of Hanoi. During drought, a sand bar appears in the middle of the Red River.

The other bridge, a smaller, older one and less sturdy at that, is the Cua Long Bien. That one crosses the Red River from the old quarter area.

Photo below was taken while driving on Cua Thang Long at dusk:

St. Joseph's Cathedral

This is definitely a place to see. This cathedral looks really majestic from the outside. It is so huge it is difficult to take a picture of the whole thing. I had another picture of it, a better one, and only because we had to take it from accross the road.

From Somerset GH, St. Joseph's Cathedral  can be reached by walking to Trang Thi St. and then turn left at Trung Quang St.

Cyclo

This Vietnamese 3-wheeled iconic means of transport is a must-try. For VND75,000, one can get driven around the old quarter for an hour. And they drop you off where they picked you up too. I suggest you go for the company-run cyclo service (pronounced as sik-lo) rather than those individuals who own their own vehicles and ply around the city looking for a tourist to rip-off. The best one is stationed in the park beside Metropole Hotel.

The route is typically towards Trang Tein Plaza, then to the lake, then rightward to the old quarter. After about 30 minutes in the old quarter streets, they will take eastward almost to Tran Quang Khai St. (a highway of sort), but will turn right before that and take you infront of BIDV Tower and VietComBank Tower (after BIDV Tower you will see the famous Khazanna Restaurant where you can get Halal food). Then the drive goes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then to the street where the embassy of Italy is located. That street goes straight to Angelina Bar, which is actually the corner of the Opera Wing of Hotel Metropole. This is where you get off the 3-wheeled wonder!

By the way, you can ask for a driver who ...er..."tieng anh it lam" (speaks a little English).

Walking Around

Walking around in the streets of Hanoi can be quite a fun experience. What I did with my family was to look out the window of our hotel (we stayed at the 15th floor of Somerset GH), and map out our walkabout route for the day. We discovered that the UN offices are just around the block, beside the Australian Ambassador's residence.

We also found the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) the entity that grants licenses for energy projects, in Hai Ba Trung St. I actually had a meeting there the next day with the Deputy Director General.

Last week we also walked around Hoan Kiem Lake. It was the eve of the Labor Day celebration and they prepared plenty of fireworks for the evening. I think the lake's circumference would be about 1.5 Km. Oh, and by the way, they have a KFC at the northern side. We went in there for ice-cream, burger and fries.

From the lake, we walked back to Somerset GH via Ly Thung Kiet St. And we passed by the Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission. So we paused for a quick snap. :-)

"Vhan Phong"

Vhan Phong means office in Vietnamese.

My temporary office for three months is in Pacific Place building, just 2 blocks away from Somerset GH. however, we had been searching for a more permanent office so I visited a lot of office buildings in Hanoi. so far I have been to BIDV Tower (most likely Hanoi's most prominent office address at present), Capital Tower (another new building, just opened last year), Vincom Tower (where the Embassy of Norway is located) and CDC Building (infront of Vincom Tower).

Where to Find Your Fill

Food in Hanoi is fantastic! Throw a stone in any direction and you will hit 3 nice food joints. Clasico is one of them. This place is mid-range. In the day time it looks like a regular joint, where you have a choice to dine indoors or al-fresco. In the evening the place turns into a romantic hideaway, candlelights and all. 

Parkson is also a great place to go to for dining. The foodcourt is at the 7th floor. We went to this Thai restaurant and we had a very nice bowl of flaming-hot tom yum noodles!

There are also nice joints around the Hoan Kiem lake. There is a KFC (called Ga Ran Kentucky, "Ga" being chicken). They also have this Sago Restaurant, a very popular place for backpackers. All of Hanoi is laso riddled with Highlands Coffee a very popular food joint that serves a wide range of foodstuff, from coffee and cakes to pasta and rice meals for decent lunch or dinner. The best I had from Highlands Coffee is Saigon Style Beef Cubes with rice mixed with tomato sauce. Woohooo!

Other restaurants to check out:

1. Jaspas - in 4th floor of Somerset GH

2. Papa Joe's - Ground floor of Hanoi Towers Shopping Center

3. Pho 24 - at the 5th floor of Vincom Towers Shopping Mall

4. Khazanna - Near BIDV Tower

Nisa Restaurant, Khazanna and Tandoor serve halal, so bring your Muslim friends there.

To find the best, most authentic Pho (Vietnamese noodles) in a restaurant setting (of course what can be more authentic than the one you buy from street hawkers?), go to Pho 24. There is one at the 5th level of Vincom Tower Shopping Mall.

And for the best spring rolls, go to this place (below) also at Vincom:

Shopping for Food

Of course I meant grocery. In Hanoi, there are a few places you can go to if you do not feel like plunging into their wet markets.

 

Citimart is a chain of grocery stores that offer the widest range of stuff. There is a small one at the ground level of Hanoi Towers, and there is a big one at the 3rd level of Vincom tower Shopping Mall. A hypermart type place is Big C, some 40-45 minutes away from Hoan Kiem district, in a place called My Dinh. Finally, you may go to Unimart, about 5 minutes from Parkson.

 

Foodstuff we always get:

 

• Siopao (red beans, taro, etc)
• Cuapao
• Bread butter (Pain brand, argh!)
• Ginger tea
• G7 coffee - you should try this one!
• Bavi fresh milk and yoghurt
• Cereals
• Frozen meat
• Fish (tilapia fillet, salmon heads, etc.)

Shopping Malls

Shopping in Hanoi is mostly at street level. Souvenir shops line up the streets especially near Hoan Kiem Lake. In the old quarter, the shops are typically aggregated. One street would have shops selling only shoes, then tyou turn into the next corner and you see only clothes. There is even this street that seels only bridal gowns and groom's suits.

Having said that mall-type shopping is pretty much limited. Vincom Towers in Ba Trieu St. is the most popular one. It even has cinemas (they call "phim", which of course sounds like film). You aks for a movie house or a cinema, they will stare back at you with blank faces. You have got to say "phim!", and then they go, "ahhh...Vincom!".

Trang Tien Plaza is the other mall they have. It is a block away from Hotel Metropole. Shopping there is "bin thung", or so-so, in their native tongue. There is no decent food court, and you would end up choosing between two battered-looking local snack bars if not for the fact that they have Highlands Coffee at the 3rd level where you can have a nice choice between pasta or rice meals for about VND 75,000.

Parkson is the name of the other nice mall that they have, albeit this one is located about 25 minutes away. Located in the intersection of Tai Son St. and Thai Sa St., this place has the nicest boutiques. It can be a little pricey to shop for clothes here, but the food court at the 7th floor is super! There are about 12-15 food shops to choose from. And yes, they have "kem", the branded one too, from New Zealand. Hence with a great stroke of imagination they called it NZ Kem.

I was told there is this other place called Garden Mall in Cua Giay dsitrict some 45 minutes away, but I have not been there yet.

Hanoians

Hanoians, I must say, are very good motorcycle riders! Even if you riding in the safety of a car, you feel really quesy as they zip past you. You must see them in intersections too! I have seen an intersection where everybody rushes to cross from all four sides. Aside from the riders, the pedestrians also just cross, oblivious of the danger of getting run over, as if everybody is made of steel.

If you wish to have a good laugh any day of the week and twice on a weekend, the best way is to stand in a corner and be on the look out for first-time visitors to Hanoi. Follow them as they try to cross intersections. They will show you the latest dance craze, for sure!

The other funny side is the general tendency of motorbike riders to pick their nose as they stop on red light (on a very few occassions that they mind the red light). I saw one guy digging hard as if looking for gemstones up his nostrils. I guess they get a lot of finger skills so they are also very good at texting. They can text while driving too!

Intercon West Lake

This hotel is host to the HIF (and that's the only reason we went there). It is not so bad, typical Intercon: big, class A! :-)

They have cyclos infront of the hotel where you can take osme nice pictures. However for some reason the bellboy stopped us from taking a pciture of the front facade, so we took one anyway just ot make him feel bad (see below).

Tieng Viet?

Since I got a company driver that speaks almost no English, and my family's survival was at stake, then I had to learn to "noi tieng Viet", or speak Vietnamese language.

Some words and phrases:

Do you speak English? - Ban co noi tieng anh duc khong?

I speak a little Vietnamese. - Toi noi tieng Viet it lam.

My office is in Pacific Place - Van phong Pacfic Place a qua toi.

Please speak slowly - Lam un, noi cham... cham...

Stop here - Dung lai o day.

Straight ahead - Di thang.

Go left - Queo thrai.

Go right - Queo phai.

Hello! - Xin Chao.

Excuse me/Sorry - Xin loi.

Goodbye - Tambiet.

How are you today? - Hom nai kwe-ah koy?

I'm fine/so-so - Kwe-ah, toi bin thung.

Tomorrow, please pick me up at 9AM - Ngay mai, lam un don toi chin gia AM.

Bring my male friend to the airport - Ban toi con chai den sam bai.

Barbershop - Cat top nam.

Beauty salon - Cat top nu.

One beer - Mot bia hoi ha noi.

Two beers - Hai bia hoi ha noi.

How much? - Ban eoh tien

Bill - Tieng tien (literally, calculate money).

This one is really important: "giam gia" (pronounced as, ziam-za), which means discount.

The fun thing with calling for the bill is that you get to shout "emoi!" a word they use for calling someone in the most informal kind of way. perhaps something like "hey". Just be careful, you cannot use this for elderly waiters, drivers, or anybody older than you at all in any situation.

Quan Su Street

To be updated.

Hanoi Hilton

There are 2 Hiltons in Hanoi. One is the hotel, situated beside the Hanoi Opera House. The other one is also known as the Hoa Lo Prison, called Hilton back in the war days as this is where the American prisoners were locked up.

I recently visited Hoa Lo Prison, which is just outside of Somerset GH (I can see it from my bedroom window). Below are some pictures:

On display in this prison-turned-museum is the jumpsuit of US Senator John MacCain when he was captured by the Vietnamese army after he got shot down near Tay Ho Lake. I have it on video but failed to take a photo.

Hanoi Opera House

The Hanoi Opera House apparently has its architectural design copied from the opera house in Paris, France. It looks really elegant from the outside. The details are absolutely amazing. It is a stone throw from Hotel Metropole, In front this tourist attraction is a roundabout, and so it quite difficult to get to a good distance to take a snap of the whole facade without putting yourself in peril (you know how Hanoians drive on their motorbikes!).

Somerset Grand Hanoi

If you plan to stay for a month or two, it is best to stay in a serviced apartment like Somerset Grand Hanoi. They have 2-room apartments that is fully-furnished. You come in only with your luggage, your family and your excitement as a tourist, and you are immediately ready to hit the ground running. SGH is superbly located in Hai Ba Trung St. Beside it is a tourist spot called the "Hanoi Hilton" or Hoa Lo Prison, a prison facility for American prisoners during the Vietnam War. They have on display the jumpsuit of US Senator John McCain when he was captured/downed at West Lake. Question: how did they have the foresight that the fellow will be a US Senator and kept JM's jumpsuit of all the jumpsuits they ever got hold of throughout the whole war? :-)

Somerset GH has a sizable gym that includes 4 automatic treadmills, weight training machines at least three stationary bikes and a wave rotator. Friendly people at the reception as well. 

And the pool is also breat. The main pool is half-olympic size and there are 2 kiddie pools. There are also saunas for men and women.

Thong Nhat Park and Circus

Thong Nhat Park is supposed to be a beautiful, huge park where people can go biking, joging, walking, or simply sit around and have a chat. However, it is currently under renovation, apparently for more than a year now. It was originally named Lenin Park, but now they renamed it and the new Lenin Park is now just a small patch of green in Ba Dinh District (however the Lenin Statue still stands in a mini-park that can be seen on the way to the HCM Museum and the Presidential Palace.

We drove around it nonetheless, and we saw that they are actually dredging the lake and constructing some erosion-control structures on the banks.

The Hanoi Circus is beside Thong Nhat Park and right in front of Hotel Nikko. It is one of the influences of the former Soviet Union, who brought in the circus trade to Vietnam. The Hanoi Circus opens on Sundays only.

Quan Thanh Pagoda

This pagoda is one of the most beautiful of the hundreds of pagodas in Hanoi. It is located by the West Lake (Ho Tay in Vietnamese). If you drive to the direction of the airport from Hoan Kiem area through the old quarter, you will see this magnificent pagoda to your left. By the entrance are peddlers of souvenir items and foodstuff. A little south of it is also a strip of green that serves as a park, frequented by lovers who sit on the benches in pairs and watch the sun paint the sky orange and red as it dips into the watery horizon.

Inside the pagoda compund are prayer altars, so expect to see prayerful visitors mumbling their wishes to the gods. You would find a couple of professional photographers who offer to take a picture (and give you a developed copy in 15 minutes) of your fmaily with the tall pagoda at the background. Their wide angled lenses are key to their trade.

HCM Museum

The Ho Chi Minh Museum are two of the places one must go to when in Hanoi. They are about 10 minutes away by car/taxi from the Hoan Kiem Lake area, Ly Thung Kiet and Hai Ba Trung Sts., where the hotels are mostly located.

The HCM Museum has plenty to offer in terms of information about the man and his philosophy. There are posters and info binders for visitors to read at the 2nd and 3rd floor. There are also a lot of stuff from the past, like old rifles, armaments and even a table and chairs used by HCM back in the days for meetings. An old pen he used to sign documents is in a glass box atop the table.

There is also a large bust of the man for everyone to take pictures and videos of. No limits imposed on cameras and videocams so press those buttons away.

Before you exit the building there is a souvenir shop to the right, where you could find books and VCDs about Uncle Ho. Other items not related to HCM are also available.

Temple of Literature

Also called Van Mieu, the Temple of Literature is a must-see!

It is one of the most interesting place in Hanoi. It was built in honor of Confucius. Inside the temple (by the way, this is not a religious site) there are turtle statues carrying pillars of concrete, and written on the concrete are the names of the most prominent academics in Vietnam. I think the entrance fee is just VND 10,000 for "mot nguoi" (one person).

One Pillar Pagoda

The One-Pillar Pagoda was built by a a Vietnamese king the in the olden days to look like a lotus flower. It is located beside the Ho Chi Minh Museum, a modern building that also looks like a lotus flower. This pagoda is not so big, but many buddhists come to offer prayers. souvenir shopping is laso quite fun here, with  many shops lined up to showcase the best there is in Vietnam. This is where i bought a soldier's hat and a flag patch. My wife bought bags and other "very Vietnamese" gift items.

Ethnology Museum

The Ethnology Museum is a must-see for tourists! It is located in My Dinh at Tu Liem District, some 30 minutes away from Hoan Kiem. The museum showcases the different ethnic groups in Vietnam, and their lifestyles and cultures.

Hoan Kiem Lake

This lake is The Lake in Hanoi. It is not as large as the West Lake, but surely this one is the heart of the city. From it radiates everything. Ngoc Son Temple is located in Hoan Kiem Lake. It is a favorite tourist spot. For 10,000 VND you are able to enter. Children are free. This temple has a mummified giant turtle, a pivotal character in a legend. I will not tell you about that story here as it may spoil your visit.

The temple is located in an island in the lake, and can be reached only via a bridge (see below). Of course you can also swim if you like. From this bridge you will have a good look of the turtle temple in another small island at the southern end of the lake. That structure there has its own story. Again, no spoilers.