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    • All Balot Bohol Boracay Cebu city El Nido Malapascua Manila Palawan Panglao Port Barton San Fernando
      El Nido

      El Nido and the Bacuit Bay

      March 26, 2009

      Port Barton

      Port Barton and the Pagdanan Bay

      November 8, 2008

      Palawan

      Coco Loco island and resort

      October 9, 2008

      Malapascua

      Malapascua island

      July 11, 2008

      San Fernando

      San Fernando Crucifixions 2008

      May 31, 2008

      Panglao

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      December 23, 2007

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      Cebu City

      November 19, 2007

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      November 8, 2007

      Manila

      Arriving in Manila

      November 1, 2007

      Balot

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      October 28, 2007

      Philippines

      Philippines travel itinerary

      October 28, 2007

      Balot

      Eating Balot

      October 28, 2007

      Bohol

      Bohol

      November 25, 2007

      Boracay

      Boracay island

      November 8, 2007

      Cebu city

      Cebu City

      November 19, 2007

      El Nido

      El Nido and the Bacuit Bay

      March 26, 2009

      Malapascua

      Malapascua island

      July 11, 2008

      Manila

      Arriving in Manila

      November 1, 2007

      Palawan

      El Nido and the Bacuit Bay

      March 26, 2009

      Palawan

      Coco Loco island and resort

      October 9, 2008

      Panglao

      Panglao

      December 23, 2007

      Port Barton

      Port Barton and the Pagdanan Bay

      November 8, 2008

      San Fernando

      San Fernando Crucifixions 2008

      May 31, 2008

  • Thailand
    • All Ao Nang Ko Phi Phi Ko Samet Koh Chang Koh Lanta Koh Lipe Koh Maak Koh Ngai Koh Phangan
      Ko Samet

      Revisiting Koh Samed: The easy island destination from…

      August 27, 2020

      Koh Kood

      Koh Kood: The ultimate island getaway

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      Revisiting Koh Samed: The easy island destination from…

      August 27, 2020

      Ko Samet

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      Koh Chang

      Koh Chang on the eastern Gulf coast of…

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Vincent Vanderveken.com

Take some time to see the world a bit before you leave it

Hanoi

Hanging around Hanoi

by Vincent November 8, 2010
by Vincent November 8, 2010 2 comments

Though considerably quieter and more reserved than its younger sibling to the South Saigon, Hanoi has managed to maintain a lot more of its original Vietnamese charm and character. What the capital might lack to her rival in terms of modern high rises, shopping and nightlife she makes up in a lovely and unique landscape of lakes, old temples, verdant parks, shaded boulevards and Indochinese colonial architecture.

Hanoi florists

While the proximity to Halong Bay and Sapa Valley are the main reasons most people initially pass through the capital, Hanoi remains one of the most fascinating cities of Vietnam that definitely shouldn’t be rushed through if you happen to be in the region. The best place to start any trip to Hanoi is by exploring on foot the confusing maze of narrow cobblestoned streets that make up the historic Old Quarter.

Having served as a center of commerce for close to a thousand years now this is your best bet to sample Hanoian life at its most authentic. Bustling with activity, the streets are lined with old buildings of colonial and pre-colonial architecture featuring the usual traditional businesses like cafés, restaurants, markets and shops stalls as well as a few tourist geared establishments such as travel agencies, souvenir shops, guest houses and art galleries.

One thing you’ll quickly notice as you wander the side alleys and back streets of the Old Quarter is just how easy it is to get lost in them as no streets seems to meet at 90 degrees but hey, that’s all part of the fun! The experience can get rough at times though, as being in the center of any major Vietnamese city this means it’s going to be noisy, polluted, choked with traffic and the non stop frenetic honking of motorbikes as they pass you by can quickly become overwhelming.

Also plan on learning to develop a new set of skills if you want survive crossing streets unscathed. From my personal experience, only in India did I remember it to be worst. So half a day at a time is the best way to approach the Old Quarter with a few stops along the way to unwind at a local café whenever needed. The good thing about Hanoi is a lot of the city’s the top attractions are found in relatively peaceful surroundings and Hoan Kiem Lake is a great example of that.

Located just next to the Old Quarter the locals consider this place to be the soul of the city and with its peaceful tree shaded walkways, the lake really feels like a like an oasis of calm in the middle of chaos. Once done with the center area of Hanoi it’s time move on and explore the multitude of other cultural and historical sights, parks and lakes around the city.

While there are over 600 temples and pagoda from which to chose from in Hanoi, The one you definitely don’t want to miss for it’s beautiful gardens and serene set of buildings is the Temple of Literature. Dedicated to Chinese philosopher Confucius the 1000 years old long and narrow temple complex is of the few remaining examples of well preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture.

The other main attractions are the War Museum, a good place to start off if you want to better comprehend Vietnam’s troubled history of war and revolution. Inside is featured a large collection of war photography with compelling descriptions of the events unfolding which are vivid, poignant and sometimes heartbreaking.

Outside is displayed an impressive collection of captured hardware from the American and French wars. You’ll find tanks, vehicles, aircrafts, artillery pieces and automatic weapons just to name a few among the various pieces of equipment found in front and in the back of the museum.

Then there’s the Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Vietnam’s holiest of holiest where you can catch a glimpse of Uncle Ho’s embalmed body. Just next door is the Ho Chi Minh Museum, dedicated to the man’s life and accomplishments. Interesting for those who would want to get more familiar with the most revered figure of Vietnam to this day.

A mere few meters away is One Pillar Pagoda which was originally built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong from 1028 to 1054 in honor of goddess Quan Am. Making a prayer here is said to bring good health and fertility. The other main sights that I didn’t have time to visit are the Botanical Gardens, Hoa Lo Prison (commonly known as the Hanoi Hilton), the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts, Quan Su Pagoda, and the Museum of Ethnology.

Concerning your stay in Hanoi I have a little tip if you want to sleep beyond 7 AM on any given morning. Book a room that is not facing the street. Why? Huge megaphones are strategically installed all over the city that bring the daily propaganda early in the morning between 6h45 and 7h15 in hour long news broadcasts repeating at various time throughout the day.

The volume that emits from these loudspeakers is so loud there’s no way you’ll be able sleep through them even with ear plugs on if you just happen to be near one… I swear if you’re close enough you won’t even be able to hear the traffic anymore!

Here is a list of my recommendations for hotels in Hanoi, Vietnam:

Opening shop in Hanoi
Around Hoan Kiem lake
Enjoying the view
Hoan Kiem Lake
Bridge on Hoan Kiem Lake
Modern meets traditional
Morning prayers
Life at an old quarter café
Pineapple saleslady
Life by the train tracks
Bakery on wheels
Hanoi florists
Temple of Literature
Colorful sidestreet market
Stores in the old quarter
Café de Paris
Chinese house
Unloading goods
Preparing the meat
Lenin Park
Homeless man by the statue of Stalin
Temple of Litterature
One of the liberation tanks
Proudly posing in front of war trophy
Wreckage of shot down Aircrafts
Soldier doing some more picture taking
Vietnamese couple
Vietnamese food
Kids in their cute little uniforms
One pillar pagoda
Preparing some more pineapples
Arriving on the other side..
Hanoi Street scene
Temple of litterature
Back to my 15€ Room
Room comes with PC and free internet
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Old quarter
Chinese Pagoda
Hoan Kiem Lake
Inside Temple of Litterature
Outside Temple of Litterature
Bakery on wheels
Old quarter
Back on the bridge
Texting in Hoan Kiem Lake
Market in old quarter
Traffic in Hanoi
Temple of Litterature
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Vincent

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2 comments

Andy September 12, 2014 - 10:27 am

Great shots, thanks

Reply
Quang April 9, 2018 - 4:47 am

Very great shots. Your Hanoi album is a very true life in Hanoi.

Reply

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Vincent Vanderveken

Make sure to take some time to see the world a bit before you leave it

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