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.
First day in Hanoi… it’s quite ironic that my first ever meal in Vietnam was not Vietnamese food, but western food instead…
It was at a restaurant called Kangaroo Café, which also runs some short tours around Vietnam. I was there to book a trip to Halong Bay initially, but couldn’t find the right schedule. However, after spending two hours walking under the sun, I kinda need a break… and the air-con and cold beer seemed a bit too hard to resist.
Hence, my first meal in Vietnam… a peppered chicken chop, some chips, salad, and a Bia Hanoi (Hanoi beer). Decent food and reasonably priced.
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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Lý Thái Tổ (974-1028) was the founder and first emperor of Vietnam’s Lý Dynasty (1009-1225). After ascending the throne, he moved the capital to Đại La (which he renamed as Thăng Long) in 1010, which in the end becomes present day Hà Nội.
The statue below is located at Indira Gandhi Park, nearby Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi to commemorate the Vietnamese emperor…
Didn’t know that Pepsi is selling purified water until seeing it in Hanoi a week ago… the name of the brand is Aquafina; and it’s probably one of the two best selling bottled water brands in Hanoi. Must be the healthiest drink from Pepsi lol…
Aquafina is currently distributed in only a few countries… the USA, Canada, India, Pakistan, Turkey and Vietnam. In case you are wondering… it taste like water, yada.
