YeinJee's Asian Journal » Hanoi Culture and Lifestyle

Cha Ca grilled fish, Hanoi, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:21:01 +0000

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…

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Cha Ca grilled fish, Hanoi, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Hanoi’s cable madness

Yein Jee — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:32:09 +0000

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…

Hanoi’s cable madness from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Cay Cau Restaurant, De Syloia Hotel, Hanoi

Yein Jee — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:55:35 +0000

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…

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Cay Cau Restaurant, De Syloia Hotel, Hanoi from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi – indoor exhibits

Yein Jee — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:15:57 +0000

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…

Chinese stuff in Vietnamese culture

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Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi – indoor exhibits from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Hanoi’s cargo-load bicycle

Yein Jee — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:33:35 +0000

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.

Hanoi’s cargo-load bicycle from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Vietnamese ice-milk coffee in Hanoi

Yein Jee — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:33:32 +0000

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.

Vietnamese ice-milk coffee in Hanoi from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Pho Thin Restaurant, Hanoi, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:18:10 +0000

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.

Pho Thin Restaurant, Hanoi, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Water puppet show, Hanoi, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:16:26 +0000

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.

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Water puppet show, Hanoi, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Cyclo tour in Old Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:31:23 +0000

The Old Quarter, as its name indicates, is one of the oldest areas in Hanoi. The place is famous for its streets that are packed with century-old shop-houses specialising in a particular trade… such as shoes, bags, toys, medicines, metals and bamboos etc. The speciality of each street is reflected by the road names.

The Old Quarter is also called the 36 Streets… probably the number of streets when the French started to rebuild the area in the 19th century.

These days there are probably more than 40 streets in Old Quarter; most of the streets are quite short and could be easily navigated on foot… but I was a bit lazy to walk as the summer heat was killing me. I decided to try the cyclo ride instead, which cost me about US$4 for an hour of touring around the area…

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Cyclo tour in Old Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal

First glimpse of Hanoi, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:06:13 +0000

My first visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, in July 2008… first impression? Chaotic.

Took a cab from Noi Bai Airport to my hotel in Hoan Kiem District… the traffic was quite disorganised by modern standard; rules were almost non-existent, as if whoever had the loudest horns ruled the streets.

Plenty of cars, plenty of motorbikes and plenty of bicycles… Hanoi was definitely a happening city in traffic sense. A bit too chaotic for me to begin with, but I think I got used to it at the end of the trip.

Sharing a few photos taken during the taxi ride; pictures might speak a thousand words, but these pics couldn’t really reflect the noise and buzz of Hanoi…

Moments of tranquillity… rice fields are plentiful in city outskirt

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First glimpse of Hanoi, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Holiday in Hanoi and Halong Bay, Vietnam

Yein Jee — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:56:00 +0000

Going on holiday in Hanoi and Halong Bay, Vietnam… leaving on July 18th and coming back a week later. Will bring along my laptop, but don’t think I’ll have the time to update this blog during that period.

Have been doing some researches on Hanoi and Halong Bay for the past few days… plenty of things to see, do, eat and experience. The only thing that I probably won’t want to try is riding a bike in Hanoi lol…

Holiday in Hanoi and Halong Bay, Vietnam from YeinJee's Asian Journal