Cha Ca La Vong is a restaurant in Hanoi famous for its grilled fish (Cha Ca) dish which was created some 130 years ago. The restaurant/dish is so famous that the street is named after it, and it’s featured in almost every single Hanoi’s travel guide.
There’s one problem though, as some other restaurants are riding on its fame with similar name and menu to take advantage of naive foreign travellers, and I was one of the fallen prey of the conspiracy during my Hanoi trip in July 2008…
One of the most bizarre things in I learned of Hanoi during my July 2008 visit was the complexity of the wires and cables which hang around every corner of the streets; which actually looks kinda cool…
Lunch at Cay Cau Restaurant at De Syloia Hotel in Hanoi during my July trip. A bit pricey, but great food, lovely place, and I was in good mood for photos…
The Museum of Ethonology in Hanoi is a great place to have a glance at the traditional culture of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups. The museum is located the Cầu Giấy District, about 8km from city centre… took a bit of travelling time but worth a visit.
Sharing some photos below, taken inside the museum building…
One of the most iconic Hanoi features… bicycle loaded with variety of baskets and fish-traps. Images of these fully-loaded bikes have graced the cover of various Vietnam travel guide books and magazines for decades.
The photo above was taken at the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi. You know you won’t have a good chance to see this in real life when you can find this in a museum lol.
Would be cool if I could just catch this once in real action… will have to wait until I visit Vietnam again, perhaps years later. Chances are getting even slimmer in future though, as the feat will gradually fade away altogether.
Vietnamese have quite a unique way to prepare their coffee. One of the most popular coffees is the ice-milk coffee (cà phê sữa đá) which is also popularly called the ‘drip coffee’ by travellers because of how it was brewed… like this and this.
Didn’t manage to drip the coffee myself when I was in Hanoi in July 2008; the cafe I visited served the well-prepared drink instead (pic).
My sister who tried some coffee in Hanoi prior to my visit told me that Vietnamese coffee was stronger than common espresso… can’t agree on that, at least not with the one I had. A decent glass of coffee though… smooth, thick and rich.
Phở (pronounced like ‘fuh?’) is a traditional rice noodle soup and one of the most iconic Vietnamese foods. Pho is normally served as a bowl of flat-rice-noodles in beef broth, with some beef slices or other options like tripe or chicken etc.
There are a few variations of pho depending on the regions in Vietnam. The pho in Hanoi is called phở Hà Nội or phở bắc (northern pho), which is normally served with green onions; while the other regions are using different herbs instead.
A new found friend brought me to one of the locals’ favourite to try the pho when I was in Hanoi in July 2008. The place is Pho Thin, located at 13 Lo Duc St.
The restaurant was packed on the Saturday morning. The customers were sitting shoulder to shoulder while some others lining up for their seats. It’s not difficult to understand the crowdiness after tasting the pho, because it was really good.
The rice noodles were smooth and chewy, and the broth was rich in flavour despite looking mild and clear… and their chillies were nice too. Simplicity to its best.
Water puppet show (múa rối nước) is a famous traditional Vietnamese art with more than 800 years of history; it’s a unique heritage from the Red River (Sông Hồng) region in northern Vietnam.
The water puppet shows are predominantly in Vietnamese (language) and showcase the folklores and legends in Vietnam. Thang Long Water Puppetry Theatre near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi is probably the most famous place to watch the show.
I was lucky to get a seat during my Hanoi tour in July 2008, as there was only a few seats left when I purchased the ticket. It’s advisable for future visitors to get the tickets early in the day before going to the show in the afternoon/evening.
