Showing 1-17 of 17 results
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87 Ma May
The traditional houses of the Old Quarter are a huge part of the neighbourhood's appeal, but you'll rarely have an opportunity to see beyond their shopfronts. Here, you can - this house is a beauty, lovingly restored and frozen in its late-19th-century condition. The woodwork upstairs is particularly impressive, and it's surprising to see how effectively the courtyard creates an open, livable space.
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Ambassadors' Pagoda
HQ for the Vietnam Buddhist Association, Quan Su is one of the city's busiest houses of prayer. It's especially active on the first and 15th days of the lunar month, when even casual Buddhists come to make an offering. On your way in buy some incense from a pavement vendor, then light them and poke them into the courtyard urns - it's good luck!
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Cho 19-12
Supermarkets and malls are sprouting up all over town as many Hanoians adopt the shopping habits of Western consumers. However, Cho 19-12, found between Pho Hoa Lo and Pho Quang Trung, is an old-style market geared towards some of Hanoi's more traditional residents. It's worth a walk-through, particularly during the busier morning hours. By , it's a surreal picture of a carnival that's past its peak.
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History Museum
A beautiful French-colonial building and engrossing exhibits make for a winning combo. Archaeological artefacts fill up most of the ground floor, while upstairs concentrates on recorded history up to 1945 (the Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution takes it from there). The life-sized diorama depicting Vietnamese cave-dwellers is tops, but the scale-model battle scenes are also hard to walk away from.
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Ho Tay Water Park & Moon Park
On summer's most sweltering days it may seem like all of Hanoi converges on this Water Park, 5km north of the city centre. After cooling off on the water slides and in the refreshing pools, you can catch a stiff breeze on a double-corkscrew roller coaster in the adjacent Moon Park.
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Hoa Lo Prison
US POWs ironically dubbed Hoa Lo the 'Hanoi Hilton' during their stay here (Senator John McCain was among them), but Hoa Lo's history is much deeper. The French built it to detain Vietnamese dissidents, and the exhibits manage to emphasise the horrid conditions under French rule while simultaneously painting a somewhat rosy picture of POW life here. Nonetheless, it's well worth a visit.
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Metropole Hotel
The 1953 Citroën parked in front of Hanoi's legendary Metropole says it all, for behind the hotel's wedding-cake exterior you'd never know the French got their rumps kicked at Dien Bien Phu (in 1954). When it opened in 1901, this was one of the classiest hotels in all of Asia. It still oozes colonial extravagance. Take a look around, and have an exotic cocktail at the Bamboo Bar.
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Museum Of Independence
The small Old Quarter house where Ho Chi Minh lived in 1945 has been converted into a museum. Ho drafted the Declaration of Independence while living and working here. The exhibit of photos on the ground floor is worth a quick look, as are Ho's upstairs living quarters, where you can soak in the frozen-in-time feel of the place.
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Museum Of The Vietnamese Revolution
This one's a little intense, but relevant, for even as communist economics fade there's no taking away the fact that this small, impoverished nation earned its independence. Photos, documents, yellowed newspapers and unsigned oils tell the story. A guide might be able to explain some of the more puzzling artefacts - the taxidermied pig, for instance.
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Museum Of Vietnamese Women
The Vietnamese women celebrated here are graceful, wily and strong as all hell. Among the fuzzy photos usually displayed in Hanoi museums are some fascinating artefacts, including homemade machetes, a knife with an explicit caption noting it slashed at an oppressor's neck and the ragtag garments worn by a female spy who pretended to be crazy. The top floor showcases beautiful textiles made by ethnic-minority women.
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Ngoc Son Temple
This island-temple, towards the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake, is worth a detour - it can be reached via a picturesque footbridge. Inside, look for the preserved remains of a giant turtle, measuring 2.1m, that was captured in the lake. The temple was founded in the 14th century, although its buildings date from the 18th.
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Nha Tho
Hanoi Cathedral's twin towers and Gothic arches elicit understandable comparisons with Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral. Nha Tho (also known as St Joseph's Cathedral) is smaller and greyer and in need of restoration; nevertheless, it cuts a striking figure. The interior is even more magnificent. Enter the grounds through the gate and look for the door on the left side of the church (Pho Nha Chung side).
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Night Market
The outdoor Night Market is very different from workaday Dong Xuan, mostly because it's more of a social event. Locals stroll the streets shoulder-to-shoulder, perusing inexpensive goods sold at the lighted stalls. It's fun and colourful, and definitely not about the shopping.
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Quan Thanh Temple
This temple has a lovely setting, removed from the street by a spacious courtyard. The real attraction here is the 4000kg statue of Huyen Thien Tran Vo, whose giant toenails have been polished by adoring hands for centuries. The statue is lacquered bronze, made in 1677. The temple is on the shore of Truc Bach Lake.
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Tran Quoc Pagoda
On the eastern shore of West Lake, this is one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam. The current structures are very impressive and date back to 1842. The pagoda is just off the road that divides West Lake and Truc Bach Lake.
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Viet Nam Military History Museum
Vietnamese military history is not a conventional matter of tanks and battalions, which is why this museum is so engrossing. Exhibits include ample evidence of Vietnamese resourcefulness: bamboo spikes, crudely tinkered firearms, buffalo horns, crazy-looking torpedoes. Quality photos get you behind Viet Minh lines. Outside the building, an artistic heap of B-52 wreckage is worth a walk-around, and be sure to go to the top of the Flag Tower.
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Vietnam Fine Arts Museum
This is Hanoi's best museum, and it's enormous, so set aside a couple of hours to appreciate the works. Highlights are the extraordinary wood carvings from the 14th century; wartime paintings (many of which are humanistic rather than propagandistic); and the collection of ethnic costumes that surpasses the display at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. There's also a pleasant café and a decent gift shop.
Showing 1-17 of 17 results
