Old Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam
Every major city has two parts. The old part which is usually the unplanned, chaotic and historical one and the modern, planned part. Eg Old Delhi and New Delhi. As tourists, the old historical part only has significance. I mean, you can explore the entire city of Rome on foot (covering all the major landmarks) but that does that mean Rome is so tiny? No! Because we visit only the historical district that has architectural significance. The modern parts are more or less the same...sky high buildings, metro network, swanky malls etc. So if you truly want to savour the flavour of a place, you need to explore the historic district.
We did the Hanoi old quarters in two parts. First when we had just landed in Hanoi and had a two hour stopover while on our way to Cat Ba island. We were with the whole gang (6 family members) so it was just a walk through the narrow alleys and back to the bus stop.
Our second attempt in exploration was when we visited the Temple of Literature, the must see attraction in Hanoi. The very reason why we chose a hotel in the middle of the historic district was so that we could venture out and absorb the cultural flavour whenever possible.
On the last day of our trip, we set out early in the morning to do some souvenir shopping. We also visited the largest church of Hanoi: St. Joseph's Cathedral Nhà thờ Chính tòa Thánh Giuse Cathédrale Saint-Joseph d'Hanoï. It's one of the oldest Catholic churches of the entire country. We visited in November and the ambiance was already getting ready for Christmas.
We also took a quick peek at the Opera House. There tends to be one wherever we go and the husband has a special affinity for them (Prague, Budapest, Munich, Vienna etc etc)
The Vietnamese are very artistic in nature. Every corner of the city was picture worthy and there was lots of red! I felt like taking a picture everywhere!
One thing that really got our eyeballs rolling was the abundance of pet shops, especially bird shops. These noisy creatures were nothing but a delight, and we loved spending time in such shops, peeking into the cages, trying to decipher what they were saying.
I highly recommend exploring the Old quarters on foot, because you can observe the details only when you are a pedestrian. And details are everything in this aesthetically pleasing, culturally abundant city!
I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.
20 comments
I've yet to visit Vietnam. Will put this on my list when I do. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteYet to visit Vietnam. So book marking to revisit before I go.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful read! Your vivid descriptions of the Old Quarter in Hanoi make me feel like I'm right there. The blend of history, culture, and street food sounds absolutely enchanting. Thank you for sharing your experience and inspiring my next travel adventure!
ReplyDeleteAs much I am planning for Vietnam, these posts are appeared as saviors . Every tiny details about the places in vietnam are really useful for me to create my trip accordingly. The pics are so vivid and lovely .
ReplyDeleteThe older parts of the city are truly more colourful. I would like to see the Temple of Literature. Not fond of caged birds, so would not prefer that.
ReplyDeleteWell Mandira, while reading your travelogue and observing the pics that you took over there, I had few observation. 1. They too have scooties like in India. (are they available on rent for tourists?) 2. The Banyan tree looks so familiar to the one in the Kalimandir in G.Noida ( Do they have temples also?) 3. When I watched the pics minutely it gave me the feel of GOA ( The roads, shops, church- very similar to GOA) All In all a fantastic blog to help the future tourists to Vietnam prepare their itienary.
ReplyDeleteI'm yet to visit Vietnam, one of the few foreign nations on my travel bucket list. Will reach out to your informative article to see the places you recommend, and yes, I love to explore the history and culture of a place instead of modern malls which all look and feel the same regardless of geography.
ReplyDeleteBookmarking this post dear. Hope I get to tick off Hanoi on my bucketlist soon. Your pictures tell the story about the place. The vibe looks cool and fun.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful pictures and certainly different from the Vietnam vacation I often see. I would love to explore the old city part of Hanoi whenever we plan to visit too.
ReplyDeleteThe the Temple of Literature sounds so intriguing. We also choose to stay in city centre whenever we visit a new place, especially in Europe. It is for the same reason you mentioned, which is to soak in the art, architecture and cultural scene in and around the area, on foot. The pictures look lovely and you've made me want to visit Vietnam at the earliest now
ReplyDeleteI hope I can visit Hanoi. Your pics actually telling the culture of the place. Temple and church both seems intresting. Your post intriguing me to visit this place.
ReplyDeleteBird shops everywhere? That's so unique! I can just imagine the cacophony of chirps and songs. Vietnam sounds so colorful and artistic! Totally getting travel inspo from your photos.
ReplyDeleteEven I like to walk on quaint streets and check out different things. Looks like you had a nice time Mandira and I still can't believe that u travel everywhere with your kids from the time they were little. Hanoi does look like a photo enthusiast's paradise.. loved all your pics and your look also. Now I too am curious about the many pet bird shops. Maybe Google can help.
ReplyDeleteI like a old meets new charm of a city. That slight historic touch with a modern flair. So have some great pics out there girl.
ReplyDeleteWow! beautiful place. And of course, lovely pics, as always!
ReplyDeleteThe old town areas have their own charm. I remember reading your posts about the Vietnam trip. This one is equally beautiful.
ReplyDeleteVietnam has been on my bucket list for the longest time. More so after reading Nguyen Phan Que Mai's books. Agree with you on exploring on foot, the best way to go. As always, loved the pics.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to Vietnam, and your details have tempted my wish to be there once. What you said about the old part of the city in any country is very accurate as it opens up its history, past and people, who might remain obscure and probably forgotten in the new history.
ReplyDeleteI get busy checkimg your travel pictures when I'm on your blog;)
ReplyDeleteLovely read, shall recheck if I ever get a chance to visit Vietnam.
My cousin just went back to Vietnam for work yesterday and we hope to visit him one of these days. I can already feel the relaxed vibe like what we experienced in Chiang Mai by just looking at your photos which make me excited for this upcoming visit. - MommyWithAGoal
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