{"id":15382,"date":"2020-01-29T08:13:39","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T16:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=15382"},"modified":"2020-04-04T16:48:55","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T23:48:55","slug":"serenity-amidst-the-chaos-at-hanois-old-quarter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/serenity-amidst-the-chaos-at-hanois-old-quarter\/","title":{"rendered":"Serenity Amidst the Chaos: At Hanoi\u2019s Old Quarter"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"street
Photo courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout our travels the past several years we\u2019ve often tended to wander towards off-the-beaten path nature destinations, shying away from crowded locations as much as we can. But there\u2019s something beguiling about the busy and chaotic setting that is Hanoi, Vietnam<\/a> and its celebrated Old Quarter<\/strong>. Crossing a street with hundreds of scooters, bicycles, cyclos<\/em> and cars headed off in different directions all at once can be overwhelming and even terrifying to the average tourist but it was strangely inviting to us.<\/p>\n

\"shops
Many shops, caf\u00e9s and restaurants are housed in French colonial buildings in the city.<\/span> Photo courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019ve been to Vietnam numerous times in the late 1990\u2019s and early 2000\u2019s and Leo had visited Hanoi and its Old Quarter \u2013 the city\u2019s historic urban core and its former commercial and residential center \u2013 twice before so the helter-skelter traffic isn\u2019t something new. But a lot has changed since then as tourists descended in droves on a more commercially vibrant Hanoi. Despite this the Old Quarter manages to retain its charm, with shops, restaurants and cafes sheltering in French colonial buildings. On our most recent tour we got to immerse ourselves in the Old Quarter\u2019s history and culture much more than in past visits.<\/p>\n

\"Hoan
Hoan Kiem Lake with the iconic red bridge.<\/span> Photo courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just walking distance from our hotel on Hang Bon Street, Hoan Kiem Lake<\/strong> is the center of city life and a place where locals gather to rest, eat, play or simply stroll around. We spent a good deal of our time walking around the perimeter of the lake, savoring the scenery and enjoying a respite from the crowded streets.<\/p>\n

\"Ngoc
Ngoc Son Temple.<\/span> Photo courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sitting on an island in the northern section of the lake is Ngoc Son<\/strong>, an 18th<\/sup> century Buddhist temple dedicated to Tran Hung Dao, a brilliant military strategist responsible for repulsing two Mongol invasions in the 13th century. The main attraction in Hoan Kiem, the temple is accessible via an elegant red bridge. An interesting resident of the temple is an embalmed huge soft-shell tortoise, believed to be the last of the reptiles that used to populate the lake. This particular tortoise died in 2016.<\/p>\n

\"water
A water puppet show at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater.<\/span> Photo courtesy of Gryffindor\/Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Located just off Hoan Kiem Lake\u2019s northeastern corner is the acclaimed Thang Long Water Puppet Theater<\/strong>. Originating from the 11th<\/sup> century, water puppets were a form of rural entertainment in which villagers used rods under the water in rice paddies to manipulate puppets, giving them the impression of moving across the water. At Thang Long a water pool is used as a stage with puppeteers concealed behind a screen. Accompanying music is provided by live bands playing traditional Vietnamese instruments on both sides of the pool.<\/p>\n

\"Vietnamese
Dining at one of the restaurants near Hoan Kiem Lake featuring (clockwise from bottom left) mushroom vegetables claypot rice, grilled meat, b\u00fan ch\u1ea3 (grilled meat over rice noodles and herbs dipped in sauce) and vegetarian pho (noodle soup). B\u00fan ch\u1ea3 is thought to have originated from Hanoi; the first b\u00fan ch\u1ea3 restaurant was located right at the Hoan Kiem district. The world famous pho is also said to have originated from Hanoi in the late 19th century.<\/span> Photos courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Old Quarter is best explored on foot \u2013 something that could be exasperating to the first-time visitor as the sidewalks have either become parking lots for motorbikes or al fresco dining settings for food stalls. When we got tired from all the walking, however, we would just check in at any of the numerous cafes and restaurants scattered all over this part of Hanoi.<\/p>\n

\"cha
Top: Cha ca la vong, a grilled fish (snakehead) served with rice noodles, peanut, green onions, herbs and shrimp paste. Bottom: Vegan b\u00e1nh mi at a caf\u00e9. We\u2019re both on a whole-foods, plant-based diet and Vietnam offers a lot of options in this regard but a vegan b\u00e1nh mi was a special find for us.<\/span> Photos courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A stroll along any of the streets at the Old Quarter is like a virtual food tour \u2013 or a shopping expedition (more on that below). Vietnamese cuisine is one of our favorites and we welcome any visit to Vietnam if only to dine on local fare. As the former capital of French Indochina and because of its proximity to China, Hanoi\u2019s cuisine (and northern Vietnam\u2019s as well) is significantly influenced by French and Chinese cooking.<\/p>\n

\"coffee
Photos courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019re also raving fans of Vietnamese coffee. In the past we craved their iced coffee (cafe sua da<\/em>) made using a strong brew poured over a tall glass of ice and with plenty of condensed milk. Nowadays we go for variants using little or no sweetening but on this tour we tried out the egg coffee and coconut latte which our tour guide in Ha Long Bay<\/strong><\/a> recommended. A particularly interesting caf\u00e9 located along the northern shores of Hoan Kiem Lake, The Note Coffee<\/strong> offers both coffee variants. The caf\u00e9 is named for colorful post-it notes that patrons stamp on the caf\u00e9\u2019s walls and table tops. We weren\u2019t able to sample the notorious and expensive but exquisite civet coffee<\/a><\/strong>, however.<\/p>\n

\"St.
St. Joseph\u2019s Cathedral reminds us a lot about the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City.<\/span> Photo courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Besides the colonial buildings, another remnant of French colonial rule in the Old Quarter is St. Joseph\u2019s Cathedral<\/strong>, actually one of the first buildings constructed by the French colonial government in Vietnam. The Neo-Gothic style cathedral is one of the more recognizable landmarks in the city and was an easy walk from our hotel.<\/p>\n

\"Hoa
The Hoa Lo Prison Museum: Maisone Centrale, literally meaning central house, is a French expression for prison.<\/span> Photo courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A little bit farther away and east of the southern end of Hoan Kiem Lake is a more notorious reminder of French colonial rule \u2013 the Hoa Loa Prison Museum<\/strong>. The museum is a surviving section of a 19th<\/sup> century prison that the French built to detain Vietnamese revolutionary firebrands up to the 1950s. The Vietnam War brought a different dynamic to Hoa Loa when the North Vietnamese used it to incarcerate downed American pilots, including the late Sen. John McCain. (This prison is the famous Hanoi Hilton<\/em><\/strong> of the Vietnam War.)<\/p>\n

\"shopping
Photos courtesy of Leo and Nina Castillo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Centuries ago, streets and alleyways thriving with hawker stalls at the Old Quarter have been named for specific trades. Some shops and stalls plying these trades are still there. However, Hanoi has become more of a tourist shopping mecca in recent years, selling practically everything under the sun. At the labyrinth of shops and stalls souvenirs may be found side by side with local products and export overruns at bargain prices. Some of the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake are closed off to traffic during Friday evenings and weekends which allowed us to do more shopping and sample more local street food. (In Vietnam street food can be as good as or even better than food in restaurants.)<\/p>\n

Many writers will tell you that a visit to the Old Quarter is a must for any first-time visitor to Hanoi. We would say it\u2019s a must for any first-time visitor to Vietnam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout our travels the past several years we\u2019ve often tended to wander towards off-the-beaten path nature destinations, shying away from crowded locations as much as we can. But there\u2019s something beguiling about the busy and chaotic setting that is Hanoi, Vietnam and its celebrated Old Quarter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":15374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[3289,3294,3290,3295,3288,1939,3291,1491,3293,3292],"class_list":["post-15382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-travel","tag-hanoi","tag-hoa-loa-prison-museum","tag-hoan-kiem-lake","tag-ngoc-son","tag-old-quarter","tag-shopping","tag-thang-long-water-puppet-theater","tag-vietnam","tag-vietnamese-coffee","tag-vietnamese-cuisine"],"yoast_head":"\nSerenity Amidst the Chaos: At Hanoi\u2019s Old Quarter - Traveling Archive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite hordes of tourists, crowded streets and helter-skelter traffic, Hanoi's historic Old Quarter has retained its charm as a cultural icon of Vietnam.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/serenity-amidst-the-chaos-at-hanois-old-quarter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Serenity Amidst the Chaos: At Hanoi\u2019s Old Quarter - 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