Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is nestled on the right bank of the Red River. As an important tourist destination, the city has many attractions to offer. Some of the popular sights here are the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum the Ho Chi Minh museum, One Pillar Pagoda, Fine Arts Museum, Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison, Ngoc Son Temple, Ho Tay and many more. For nature lovers, the view of Hoan Kiem Lake is astounding, indeed. Furthermore, travelers can also enjoy a great time at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Hanoi is the home of a wide range of hotels and, all travelers can find accommodation here according to their needs and budget.
Features of shopping in Hanoi:
- A booming economy has resulted in the sprouting of shopping malls across the city of Hanoi.
- Hanoi is a great place for shopping offering various goods and products at reasonable prices.
- The lustrous silk items make Hanoi a shopper’s paradise. 36 streets in the Old Quarter offering silk products is frequented by shopping junkies and is being named as Hang Gai or Silk Street. Several fashionable boutiques have a thriving business here. The place is also rich in souvenirs and antiques. Souvenir and silk shops remain open till 10pm on weekends.
- An avenue of shops along Hang Gai and Duc Loi streets are renowned for producing tailor-made clothes.
Dong Xuan Market in Hanoi
- Dong Xuan Market in Hanoi is a huge three-story market.
- It is located at the corner of Pho Hang Khoai, to the north of Hanoi's Old Quarter.
- Dong Xuan market is Vietnam's oldest and largest market and it occupies half of the Dong Xuan Street.
- The river networks provided a system of waterways which fed the market.
- Dong Xuan Market in Hanoi offers a wide collection of goods of all sorts.
- Hundreds of stalls, with thousands of workers, trade extremely fresh produce and dried foods daily.
- Apart from this, household goods, appliances and other things are also available.
Address: Dong Xuan and Hang Chieu Streets
Hours: 7a.m. onwards
Nightlife in Hanoi
The bars and pubs guarantee you the drinks of your choice. Most of them always have a ready stock of all the renowned brands keeping in mind the taste of the clientele. Vintage collections are also available at some places. Since the bar and pubs face healthy competition among each other, ample of choices and novelty in cocktails and serving patterns are aimed at. Professional bar tenders with their juggling skills provides for ready entertainment at the counter. To go with the chilling drinks all bars and pubs have experienced chefs to prepare exotic starters and appetizers.
As an added attraction, the pubs and bar restaurant places have professional DJ's churning out some great music or live musical performances. In total, these are great places to simply relax and have a good time.
Getting around
Renting a motorbike is relatively cheap ($1.50 p/day) however its not for the faint hearted. Hanoi is a bustling city and the laws of the roads are very relaxed.There is a lot of weaving and beeping involved when trying to master the art of riding in any city in Vietnam.
A safer, but more expensive alternate is to hire a motorbike taxi ( xe om ). They will take you where you need to go. Beware they will charge you a higher rate if they can get away with it. Its always best to ask an OTN staff member about the rates before you start your journey. Haggling is a must in this country and can be a lot of fun. Its almost become a sport to some people. Its a Vietnamese tradition to haggle so they respect more for trying.
Weather in Hanoi
December – March, cold (sometimes as cold as 8 degrees) but mainly dry
April – June, warm
July – September hot and humid and chances of showers
October – November, warm, clear skies
Hanoi accommodation websites:-
www.thebackpacker.net
www.travellerspoint.com
www.asiarooms.com