Life in Hanoi鈥檚 Old Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam
After a whirlwind 3-day trip in聽Ho Chi Mihn City聽(Saigon); we hopped on a plane and head to the north of Vietnam. It takes about two hours to get to Vietnam鈥檚 capital city, Hanoi, from Ho Chi Mihn City. If you鈥檙e on a packed schedule, consider half a day wasted on airport transfers and flight delays. We had made the聽Old Quarter聽our base for the next three days. Our hotel,聽Hanoi Guest House Royal, was tucked in one of the narrow alleys of the Old Quarter. It was nothing short of an oasis of luxury 鈥� in the midst of chaos and derelict buildings.
The streets of the Old Quarter don鈥檛 need a tour guide to be explored. Getting lost in the maze of winding alleys is its top draw. And believe me, it doesn鈥檛 take a lot to get lost here. Most hotels provide a schematic map and that should be sufficient for basic navigation. Or, follow the crowd of tourists. They don鈥檛 disappoint. Don鈥檛 depend on street boards to guide you as most signboards aren鈥檛 printed in English.
Back in the day, during the reign of King聽L媒 Thai T峄�, the Old Quarter might have represented a seat of economic progress 鈥� with each street known for its highly specialised guilds. Some streets date as far back as the 13th Century and come to think of it: have witnessed the fall of Kings, French colonialism, the freedom movement, and even the dreaded Vietnam War. Today, the Old Quarter, minus its old glory or old citadel walls, resembles a slowly decaying piece of history. Each street continues to be lined with shops selling their wares. Travel companies, clothing stores, eateries, local fruit and vegetable stores, and even art shops engulf every viable space in the old buildings. At times, it might be entirely possible to ignore the building above the shop and forget the origin of the oldest part of town. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).
The streets of the Old Quarter don鈥檛 need a tour guide to be explored. Getting lost in the maze of winding alleys is its top draw. And believe me, it doesn鈥檛 take a lot to get lost here. Most hotels provide a schematic map and that should be sufficient for basic navigation. Or, follow the crowd of tourists. They don鈥檛 disappoint. Don鈥檛 depend on street boards to guide you as most signboards aren鈥檛 printed in English.
Back in the day, during the reign of King聽L媒 Thai T峄�, the Old Quarter might have represented a seat of economic progress 鈥� with each street known for its highly specialised guilds. Some streets date as far back as the 13th Century and come to think of it: have witnessed the fall of Kings, French colonialism, the freedom movement, and even the dreaded Vietnam War. Today, the Old Quarter, minus its old glory or old citadel walls, resembles a slowly decaying piece of history. Each street continues to be lined with shops selling their wares. Travel companies, clothing stores, eateries, local fruit and vegetable stores, and even art shops engulf every viable space in the old buildings. At times, it might be entirely possible to ignore the building above the shop and forget the origin of the oldest part of town. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).
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Guide Name: Life in Hanoi鈥檚 Old Quarter
Guide Location: Vietnam » Hanoi
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Article (B))
Author: Cheryl Dsouza
Read it on Author's Website:
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
Guide Location: Vietnam » Hanoi
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Article (B))
Author: Cheryl Dsouza
Read it on Author's Website:
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
- New Day Restaurant
- Hoan Kiem Lake
- Ngoc Son Temple
- Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
- L媒 Thai T峄�
- Trang Tien Plaza
- Hanoi Opera House
- Avalon BBQ Garden
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