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 (photo above).
My sister who tried some coffee in Hanoi prior to my visit told me that the 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; whereas the middle and southern regions are using some other herbs with the pho 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, worth recommended.
Water puppet show (múa rối nước) is a famous traditional Vietnamese art with more than 800 years of history. The art is 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. The Thang Long Water Puppetry Theatre (link) near Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi is probably the most famous place to watch the show.
I was lucky to get a seat during my Vietnam 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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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, but most of the streets are quite short and could be easily navigated on foot. I was a bit lazy to walk though, as the summer heat was killing me; so I decided to try the cyclo ride instead, which cost me about US$4 for an hour tour around the area…
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The St Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi was opened in 1886, a year after the French colonial officially occupied the country of Vietnam. The cathedral still holds mass twice daily and is probably the most famous church in Hanoi.
Ngoc Son Temple (Đền Ngọc Sơn), or Temple of the Jade Mound, is located on a small islet at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi City. The temple was founded in the 14th century but most of its current structures were built in the 18th century.
Den Ngoc Son was built to commemorate a few Chinese and Vietnamese legends, including famous Vietnamese General Trần Hưng Đạo who twice led the Vietnamese troops to fence off the mighty Yuan invaders in the 13th century.
Sharing a few photos of the temple below, taken during my Vietnam trip in July 2008. It’s a small temple, but pretty nostalgic with a serene environment…
Main entrance to the Jade Mound and the temple
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First day in Hanoi, intended to go to Hoan Kiem Lake after checking in at my hotel. The journey was supposed to take 15 minutes of walking, but I somehow took more than an hour to reach there due to some poor map reading lol.
Well, the time was not completely wasted though; passed by some of these landmarks in Hoan Kiem District that I probably won’t discover if I hadn’t lost my direction…
Busy roundabout… with cars, motorbikes,
cyclos and pedestrians on the road
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Hoan Kiem Lake (Hồ Hoàn Kiếm), or Lake of Returned/Restored Sword, is located at the historical centre of Hanoi and is a popular hangout place for locals. The lake is not so much of a tourist spot itself, but there’s plenty of other sites around the area, thus making it an important landmark of the city.
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