It was 5 years ago when I decided to quit my job to let my hair down and became a travel blogger to fulfill my passion of visiting all the countries in the world. I chose Hanoi as my first destination because my best friend, who had travelled to Hanoi for few months, told me that Hanoi Vietnam travel contains a massive number of amazing things I would have never seen before. And It didn’t let me down at all. Hanoi possesses patterns that are spectacular enough to make the capital city of Vietnam stand out from any trip to hanoi other cities. From where I stand, I will show you things that foreigners love most when they come to Hanoi.
1.Crossing the road
Crossing Hanoi's crowded roads is a entirely new and terrifing experience for foreigners. Hanoi must be one of the cities with the most motorbike users in the world. Every street you go, the thousands of motorbikes follow. However, I never saw any traffic accidents when crossing the roads. There are some advices I consolidated when I took my Hanoi trip.
Please do not just waiting for about more than 02 walking signals before stepping your foot to cross the road as you may be impatient waiting for few signals more and still could not go over as the local people still keep going even there is walking signal. Remember to observe the coming vehicles to estimate their movements before you go. Once you go, keep going straight and go steadily across the street. The biker/car drivers would automatically avoid going into you. Turning back is even more dangerous when you move on the lane for it causes difficulty for the drivers to understand your direction and intention.
2. Exploring Old quarters.
Hanoi Old Quarter is located on the northeast of Hanoi, belonged to Hoan Kiem district. The location of the old town was purposely in between Thang Long imperial citadel and the red river which is considered the advantageous area for trading development. The Old Quarter of Hanoi is a labyrinth and maze of streets that never makes sense if you’re not the local or you haven’t lived long enough in this city. The exceptional characteristic to make this area so special is that the name of each street is attached to a product/service, which was originally sold on that street. Hang Bac Stree, for example, specialises in silver, with bac meaning silver. We are unsure what the word for cheap crap is, but there is a street for that as well.
Besides, it also contains a variety of stunning attractions and cultural relics. Walking around Hoan Kiem Lake in the morning to see a different quiet Hanoi before it gets started on bustling daily lifestyle. Visiting the spiritual temples and pagodas, which were built hundred or thousand years ago to find out ancient beauty still pristinely reserved until now.
3. French culture
French architecture contributes to making Hanoi more exceptional compared to other cities in Asia. The collision of two distinguish cultures gave birth to the construction industry in Vietnam and left unique architectural works, a common heritage for both countries. The combination of French architecture and indigenous architecture created Indochina architectural line unique and unlike anywhere else in the world.
The typical French architectural work mentioned first is Long Bien bridge across the Red River, formerly named under Indochina Paul Doumer (Pont Paul-Doumer) and constructed in 1903. This bridge is considered to be one of the cultural icons of the capital Hanoi.
Besides, under the influence of French culture, the genre of fiction and drama was born. Other art institutions such as Hanoi Opera House or Cinema Palace Cinema (now Cong Nhan Theater) still continue to exist today.
4. Do a street food tour
Speaking of Hanoi without mentioning street food here is a big omission. For such a long time, street food has become a cultural beauty of Hanoi. You can dig in a wide range of dishes on every corner on your Hanoi street food tour, which will give you the chance to learn more about the local food and will explain how to pick a good place.
Coming to these street eateries, customers often have to strain their eyes to find places, wait for "long necks" or suffer from bending their knees to eat. Fortunately, however, street food still draws millions of foreigner tourist to Hanoi every year because of its unique style that only Hanoi has. Moreover, the price for each meal is extremely reasonable and much cheaper than other tourist destinations with the most traditional dishes of Vietnam such as Pho, Rolled Cake, Sticky Rice, etc.
5. Bia hơi (Draft beer)
Bia hơi is a specialty of Hanoi that foreigner tourist must try so that you could become an amazing Hanoi explorer to tell your friends and family. A range of vendors appear on the pavements of streets inside Hanoi Old Quarter and you may see a fair number of foreigners happily enjoying draft beer with their friends or even the strange native speaker. If you want to make some new foreign friends, this recommended place is the conjunction between Ta Hien Street and Luong Ngoc Quyen Street where there are always several foreigners drinking on the pavements.
The above is what foreigners will enjoy when visiting Hanoi from my personal point of view. Therefore, don't hesitate any longer and pick up a Hanoi tour to experience right away!