Hanoi the Capital of Vietnam is a city with the 100 years old “Old Quarters” on one side and the ultra modern residences with both separated by the Hoàn Kiếm Lake in the middle of the city. The lake also called the Green Lake (due to the green colour of the waters) was renamed Hoan Kiem (Lake of the Returned Sword).
The story goes that the Golden Turtle surfaced and asked for his magic sword, that its master, a local God, the Dragon King had borrowed to defeat Ming China . The Turtle Tower in the middle of the lake commemorates the legend.
The last known turtle, affectionately known to locals as “Cụ Rùa”, meaning “great grandfather turtle” was reported dead on 26 January 2016. when a local man saw the body of the turtle floating in the water and reported it to the authorities. The last time the turtle was spotted alive was on 28 December 2015.
The walkaway around the lake is a popular place for families, joggers and visitors. The lake is surrounded by beautiful trees- some of them leaning down to touch the waters, others with interesting formations in the roots and trunks. Strategically placed benches allow folks to sit and admire sunsets and sunrises or just view the serene lake.
To the far end is the iconic Red Huc Bridge connecting the Ngoc Son Temple across the lake. The temple is now a UNESCO site and has many visitors. The image below is from the net- in actuality today the bridge has many posters and notices on either of the two sides of the bridge
Old Quarters of Hanoi.
Much like the Chandni Chowk of Delhi the Old Quarters consist of a labyrinth of 36 streets each specializing in a particular craft or product with the streets named after them. The Silver Street, Silk Street, Flower street and such. Small shops are cheek to jowl on either side of the narrow lanes with the residences on the floor above. An easy pleasurable way to loiter and poke around the shops just soaking in the senses.
Over the weekend’s evenings, there is a lively night market set up in the streets of the old quarters. All vehicular traffic is prohibited– leaving the entire square Km open to the pedestrians. Mounted police as well as regular policing ensure peaceful movement within the square.
Night Market Flower Market
Street vendors set up their stalls selling silver jewelry, ceramics, clothes, embroidered bags, sunglasses, local food etc. Bargaining is the norm here- tho’ some sellers are more tough to crack . Vendors selling barbequed Oyster, pork sausages, squids on a stick, chicken, fish, potato swirls, smoked ice cream, gooey sweet doughnuts do brisk business.
Most houses in Hanoi are thin tubular houses – barely one room width and 2- 3 floors at best. Despite being narrow most houses have plants and creepers in balconies. Often the trees growing on the pavement are close to the houses behind them- almost touching the walls -it seems that only those branches which touch the house walls are pruned.
Below is the residence of the President of Hanoi. This mustard is the official colour of all government buildings and official residences of party members. Spread out official buildings in this vibrant colour flanked by broad roads, with smart guards decked in their olive green uniform are a beautiful sight to behold.
Thai Hoc – the temple of Literature Vietnam’s First Educational Center represents the strong emphasis on education and learning in Vietnamese culture.
Built to honor Confucius, it became an exclusive learning center for the royalty/ aristocracy. Today it’s a university, attracting talented scholars from across the country. It celebrates scholars of the 15th– 18th century on 82 stone steles mounted on turtle statues.
The President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum the resting place of Vietnamese revolutionary leader and President Ho Chi Minh.
At the top of the mausoleum is the inscription “President Ho Chi Minh” in dark red jade stone (seen from outside only)
Train Street
Much talked about on the net and touted as a must do experience. Totally avoidable – especially if you are an Indian who has experienced train travel.
A narrow street with eateries on either side and the rail tracks running in the middle. The train comes (its closed – no passengers looking outside, no persons standing at open doors waving, nothing— a train comes and a train goes.
If you do want to see it – go about 30-40 minutes after the official posted times. The earlier time is for the eateries to get customers to splurge one food and drinks and souvenirs while they wait.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre a 50 minute puppet show on water.
Puppeteers operate the figures using long underwater bamboo poles attached to the puppets’ bases using hidden string-and-pulley systems that run through loops inside or along the poles. Weighted floats, paddles and rotators allow the figures to spin, dive, or slide smoothly across the water surface as they depict scenes from daily Vietnamese life. Quite fascinating how the puppets move in synch all over the stage. Do not fret if you are late to the show- even 20-30 minutes of it are an experience
Bat Trang Ceramic Village a 60 minutes drive outside of Hanoi. A village which traditionally made pottery using the rich clay in the area and today it still has more than 200 enterprises and 1,000 households producing and trading a variety of goods, both in terms of type and design.
Recommend hiring a car for 6 hours – as a grab on the return trip may be difficult to find and the tours have their own agenda and timings which may or may not suit one’s needs.
While a tour of the village is possible – a tour of the ceramic studio is sufficient. It gives a great overview of the history, methodology, types of ceramic pottery etc. There are various shops selling tea sets, vases, lamps, statues, bowls, earrings, necklaces, crockery, cutlery, boxes, mugs, etc. There are even classes where you can learn pottery making and decorating.
Many more places to see in and around Hanoi – we covered these 🙂