Ha Noi
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Overview
Hanoi is the elegant capital city of Vietnam sprawling its way along the Red River banks. There are many lakes, parks and leafy quarters which make the city just freshly green all year round. Ha Noi was first built in 1010 by King Ly Thai To who checked and found out that Feng-shui here was exceptionally good for the prosperity of the kingdom that time; Ha Noi was called Thanh Long meaning "the city of ascending dragons" then.
Hanoi's architecture is the blend of Vietnamese, Chinese and French. The city is known to the locals as three main areas: The Ancient Citadel Area (11th century) which was home to the Royal Family; The Old Quarter (Ancient Business Area) dated back from the 11th century was the business quarter of Old Hanoi; The Frech Quarter with French architure dated back from the 19th century were home to the French residents of Hanoi during their time here.
The Old Quarter with Hoan Kiem Lake is in the city's center; the Ancient Citadel Area with the West Lake is to the West and the French Quarter is to the South. All goods on earth could be found in the Old Quarter with narrow hustling bustling streets. There's a night market on from Hang Ngang and Hang Dao streets to Dong Xuan Market. The ancient citadel area now is the seat of the government, you make like to visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda in this area. The French quarter is home to fine-dining restaurants, luxurious hotels and street cafes.
Hanoi's Tourist Highlights:
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum dedicated to the most revered man of the country. This is where Ho Chi Minh rests permanently. Visiting the mausoleum, the visitors are to be respectful both in dress (long pants and sleeved-shirts) and in attitude. All electronic devices such as cameras, handphones...are to be deposited before entering the mausoleum.
Opening hours: 08:00 - 11:00 A.M except for Monday and Friday.
The Presential Palace and Ho Chi Minh’s Houses: Perfect French and hill tribe architecture, nice park and interesting history. The Presidential Palace was the General Governor of Indochina Building, now it's the office of the president of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh Houses were where he lived from 1954 - 1969. There's also a former bomb shelter nearby.
Opening hours: 08:00 -11:00 and 13:30 - 16:00. On Monday and Friday: 08:00 - 11:00.
The One-pillar Pagoda: One of the unofficial symbols of Hanoi, dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. It was first built by Kinh Ly Thanh Tong who happened to have a dream being led to a lotus flower pond. It turned out that was not a good dream and to clear the omen the Pagoda wast built in 1049. The original one was destroyed by the French. The current one was rebuilt later right at the former site which used to be the Royal Garden.
The Temple of Literature and The First University of Vietnam (dated back to 11th century), the symbol of the Vietnamese learning tradition. The Temple of Literature (Knowledge) was built in 1070 as the place for worshipping Confucius and his disciples, since that time Confucianism was the national ideology of Vietnam. In 1076, Quoc Tu Giam School was built right at the back of the Temple of Literature for the sons from dignitary families to study and later it was turned into the first national schools for the best students in Vietnam. Madarins were selected from those who got degrees from this school.
The original area was burned down and destroyed by the French colonialists. But the Doctorate Stelaes dedicated to those who got the PHD degrees survived. Temple of Literature is covered in green and should not be missed.
Opening hours: Daily 07:30 - 17:30.
Tran Quoc Pagoda, Quan Thanh temple and the West Lake are all located to the west of the Old Quarter with leafy streets, stunning lakes and cozy sidewalk and floating cafes. The Tran Quoc Pagoda (Nation-founding Pagoda) located on the Golden Fish Peninsula in the West Lake (Ho Tay) was built first in 545. It represents the independence tradition of Vietnam and was built by King Ly Nam De who got short-lived independence back to the country from the Chinese that time. Quan Thanh Temple was built in 1010 dedicated to a magician or a patron saint who helped the locals against the bad spirits.
Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) located in the center of Ha Noi, south of the Old Quarter and North of the French Quartr with nice setting, surprising Vietnamese culture and the wish for peace. It was said that Le Loi was from a wealthy family in Thanh Hoa Province in the 15th century and he was handed with a magic sword which was used to rally people to fight the Chinese invaders who ruled Vietnam that time. After gaining independence back to the country he ascended the throne and had a cruise on the lake. While he was cruising on the emerald water, a turtle appeared from underneath claiming the sword back saying that there was no need for the king to hold the sword, since the country was at peace. The sword was to be returned to the King of Water. The lake was renamed Hoan Kiem Lake after that.
In the middle of the lake is Ngoc Son Temple (the Temple of the Jade Mountain). The island was first built into a summer house for the royal family, but later turned into a pagoda and a temple as it is now. The temple is dedicated to the polytheism tradition of Vietnam, especially the convergence of Buddism, Taoism and Confusianism.
Hanoi Famed Old Quarter is chaotic, hustling, bustling, full of noise days and nights. The houses of the Old Quarter are small, narrow; the front of each house is reserved for shops, the family lives behind and upstairs. Ha Noi Old Quarter has an exceptional atmosphere that many would like to hang around the whole day. There are many markets in the Old Quarter such as Dong Xuan, Hang Da, Hang Be...to name a few. Besides Old Quarter is the place to try some local culinary specialties such as Bun Cha, Cha Ca, Bun Thang, Mien Luon....
Water Puppet Performance: Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre is located on one corner of Hoan Kiem Lake and near the Old Quarter. This is claimed to be a unique art of Vietnam which was invented by the residents of the Red River Delta to entertain themselves in the flood days.
Hanoi Opera House is located in the French Quarter with Frech style. There are different shows for Vietnamese dramas, performances, music performances with musician from around the world. The performance calendar is advertised on local newspapers such as Vietnamnews and tickets can be optained at the entrance.
Ha Noi offers many museums which offer good understanding of Vietnam.
History Museum shows the history of Vietnam with antiques artifacts. The museum is located on Tran Quang Khai Street, behind the Opera House of Ha Noi.
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday.
Army Museum: History of the country and of the coutry’s army from 1930 with the formation of the Communist Party. There are many good artefacts including wreckage of B52 bombers, F111 fighter aircrafts and different kinds of weapons from the war. The museum is located on Dien Bien Phu Street, the Ancient Citadel Area.
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday and Friday.
Ethnology Museum display very good information about the different ethnic groups of the peoples of Vietnam. It also has amazing collections of the Vietnamese traditional houses. The museum is located on Nguyen Van Huyen Street, 7km from the city center.
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday.
Fine Arts Museum: surprising traditional fine arts of Vietnam along the nation’s history including ceramics, paintings, scultures. The museum also has an amazing collection of Vietnamese contemporary fine arts. The museum is located on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, behind the Temple of Litature.
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday.
Ho Chi Minh Museum: Ho Chi Minh’s life and Vietnamese history
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday and Friday.
Airforce Museum: Vietnamese airforce and aircraft displays. The museum is located on Truong Chinh Street, 7 km from the city center.
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday and Friday.
Women Museum: Vietnamese women achievements including collections of traditional women costumes and modern fashion designs. The museum is located on Ly Thuong Kiet Street.
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday and Friday.
Ho Chi Minh Trails Museum: the legendary Ho Chi Minh trails. The museum is located 25 km far from the city center. You take a taxi and drive past Ha Dong Town (Ha Tay Province), near Ba Na Bong Do.
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday and Friday.
Hoa Lo Prison Museum: used to be called “Hanoi Hilton”, home to the US prisoners of war. The museum is located on Hoa Lo Street, between Ly Thuong Kiet Street and Hai Ba Trung Street.
Open hours: 07:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30. Closed on Monday.
Travel and Tours
Ha Noi can be explored for 1-2 days depending on the interests of the travellers. For those interested in temples and pagodas, there are many around, some were dated back to the 6th century B.C. Ha Noi is where you can find the best museums in Vietnam ranging from history, fine arts, women... to ethnology. Touring the museums is a good way to learn about Vietnam, especially for the travelers who have a limited amount of time for their tour.
Thong Nhat Park, Botanical Garden, the Zoo and the West Lake are good places for those who like to get fresh air and to get relaxed. The Old Quarter of Ha Noi offers exotic traffic experience, good shopping items, traditional culinary experience and the exotic old markets. The French Quarter is where you find the French influence in the weathered colonial architecture and fine-dining delights.
Ha Noi is a good base to explore the surrounding countryside and the mountains of northern Vietnam. From Ha Noi you can day-trip to the heart of the Red River Delta with fresh green rice paddies, towering rock formations and century-old temples and pagodas. For the active and adventure travellers, then there are plenty of opportunities to join in the adventures of a life-time with trekking or biking expeditions to the far northern mountains.
Accommodation
There is a wide choice of accommodations in Ha Noi ranging from basic family-run hotels to luxurious 5 star ones. Those around the Old Quarter and the French Quarter have the highest rates of the same categories and very convenient for touring, dining and shopping. Booking accommodation in Ha Noi is difficult in high tourist seasons and early bookings are recommended.
Getting there and away
By air: There are daily flights between Ha Noi and major cities in Vietnam such as Hue, Dien Bien Phu, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat and Ho Chi Minh City.
There are also direct flights between Ha Noi and major hubs in the world such as those in the US, Europe, Australia, Japan and other South East Asian countries. Please contact Paradissa Travel for further details for the flights from your location.
By train: There are daily trains between Ha Noi and other cities in Vietnam such as Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, Quang Binh, Quang Tri....The trains are in fairly good conditions with hard seats, soft seats, air-con soft sleepers....But they are not yet to be luxurious. The trains between Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City take 30 hours to 42 hours depending on each type. There’s also a tourist train for the travellers who wish to travel between Beijing and Ha Noi.
By road: The road system is Vietnam has been dramatically improved since 2000. There are daily buses between Ha Noi and most other destinations in Vietnam. You can also travel between Ha Noi and Vientiane (Laos) by road.
Getting around
On foot: Ha Noi is fairly a small capital city and can be explore on foot in 1-2 days with a relaxing pace. The Old Quarter, the French Quarter and the West Lake areas are good for walking tours. The only thing to be remembered when taking part in the exotic traffic of Ha Noi is to move slowly and decisively forward. Other vehicles will weave around you. The crossing-stripes and traffic lights are for decoration only. For many travellers, traffic in Vietnam has been hightlights of their tours.
Xe Om (motorbike taxi): There are many Xe Oms around every street corner of Ha Noi. You must remember that it’s fun and somewhat adventurous traveling on motorbike, still the price has to be agreed before setting off.
Taxi: There are many taxi companies operating in the city. There are ubiquitous that you don’t have to remember their contact details.
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