Continuation from:-
From The Airport
Busiest Town on Earth
Lost In Old Movie Like Town
Braving the Cold on Scenic Seascape
Natural or Man-Made Beach?
Blue Lagoon
Chambers and the Mini Dicky
From Hoan Kiem Lake to St. Joseph’s Cathedral
Mad Rush > 3 Hours, 6 Destinations

28th January 2008
==============

Oh god, it’s so difficult to describe the last 2 days in Hanoi. We explored the streets once again, roaming every corner of the small town. I just hate missing out on anything. You know what i mean? I’m kiasu i know *wakaka! But there was so much going on and so many first for me… and of course the main reason would be the food, glorious food we got our hands onto!

Every shop on this street sells apparels!

Bubbling with commerce and pulsating with life, there is no better way to spend time in Hanoi than walking the streets, soaking up the sights and culture.

There are more than 50 streets alone in Old Quarter itself. One peculiarity is that shops are generally organized according to the merchandise they are selling. This concept goes way back in the 13th century. Most streets have the prefix Hang, which means ‘merchandise’ and followed by the name of goods sold on the specific street.

Snacks anyone?

I’ve seen the whole street occupied by stretches of shops selling only shoes or only clothes or even only stationaries. But i was totally dumbfounded to find a whole streets with shops selling headstone carvings on Hang Bac (silversmith) Street… and imagine how shocked i was when i saw row of shops on another street selling nothing but coffins! *gulp… it’ll sure be darn creepy at night…

Spooky…

Old Quarter is indeed a town of many surprises. This is especially true during the late afternoon when it’s tea time till the wee hours after midnight. That is the time where hawkers and peddlers pound the streets with local delicacies. The myriad of food you could get off the streets are wondrous. Even the most simple and common dishes had me wooed.

Rice balls with black sesame fillings

For one, i’ve never tasted glutinous rice balls (tong yuen) as good as this before. It’s chewy on the outside and crunchy in the inside. The sweet and robust grounded black sesame filling gave it an extra aroma. Plus i never liked the hot ginger syrup that comes with it but i almost finished it this time. I guess the peanuts in the syrup did the trick :P. This only cost 2,000VND.

Kuih/Cakes

Seeing that there were so many selection of delicacies, we did not get the chance to try everything in sight. I wish i had an extra stomach to spare LOL.

Roasted duck

Vietnam is also famous for it’s coffee especially ice-coffee. Rich, aromatic and robust, the coffee in Vietnam is traditionally brewed with a small metal Vietnamese drip filter into a cup containing condensed milk.

Locals seems to enjoy coffee anytime of the day judging by the number of coffee shops in Old Quarters. Coffee shops are especially crowded (with tables and chairs set up on the streets outside the shops) in the morning before business hours.

Hue Cafe for Vietnam coffee beans

We were looking forward to bringing back some Vietnam coffee beans home but we got lost. We found a good many vintage cafes but couldn’t find those that sells coffee beans. Fortunately we stumbled upon a friendly local who spoke fluent English. It is obvious that he works for one of the many tourist agency in the town. Thanks to his helpful directions, we were able to find the coffee we were looking for.

Hang Hanh Street have so many shops selling coffee beans, it’s fantastic. Most of the shops sells the same type of coffee beans such as Highland Coffee, Arabica Coffee, Robusta Coffee and Weasel Coffee. Highland is the more popular choice while Weasel is popular among backpackers because of it’s ‘exotic’ production process.

Slurpp!

If you didn’t know, Weasel Coffee is also fondly known as ’shit coffee’. No kidding! Coffee growers feed coffee beans to the rodent and collect the beans after it passed through the animals’ body. The result is a musky and flavorful coffee we know as Weasel Coffee. Well, that’s how it was done traditionally anyways. Nowadays, i don’t think it goes into rodents anymore.

For 20,000VND, we both had a small cup of coffee each - Highland and Weasel. The first sip got me hooked. Vietnamese coffee is indeed the best. However, the Weasel was way too musky. By the way we bought 1/2 kg of Highland Coffee for only 60,000VND and the coffee filter for 10,000VND. That’s a bargain for sure.

Clams and escargot

As a land of bounty from land and sea, getting your hands on fresh seafood is pretty easy. Everywhere we went, there were stalls with baskets full of escargots and clams ready to be dumped into the cooking pot. Hanoi is the ultimate seafood heaven and it’s dirt cheap too :P.

Squatting corner LOL

Bánh mì are French bread or baguette. Once colonized by the French it’s not surprising that baguettes had been localized and remain popular among Vietnamese. Thse freshly baked bread are filled with grilled meats or pork and vegetables.

French bread or baguette

That said, there are other types of fillings and sometimes it’s sold an eaten just like that without any fillings.

Baguette with omelet

We couldn’t get enough of the omelet baguette. Lip smacking stuff!

Granny frying yummy spring rolls… oh and look at the pup behind

No one would visit Hanoi without trying their spring rolls or nem. Again the fillings varies according to stalls. What they have in common is the use of rice paper as the skin. At a price of 2,500VND each, these tasty appetizer is a must try. You’ll know why Vietnam is so famous for their rolls after tasting it for yourself.

Greasy but yummy!

Come dinner time, we were tired and ventured into a tiny shop selling pho - rice noodles. When i mentioned tiny, i mean REAL tiny. The shop could only fit 2 tables at most.

Greasy shop

I was apprehensive and had my reservations at first. The shop was filthy and greasy. Come on, the floor was black with grease. Even the table was kind of oily.

Pho ga - chicken noodle

The pho ga we ordered turned out to be the best noodle i’ve ever tasted. No contest! We actually ordered pho bo but they gave us the wrong thing -_-”. That’s the thing in Hanoi. Most of the locals don’t understand even the simplest English. But no matter what the point is, the rice noodle was fantastic.

By the way, Pho comes in 2 varieties; chicken (pho ga) or beef (pho bo).

Yummy rice noodle

Eating in Hanoi is all around the clock. Even after 10pm at night people prowl the streets for something to fill the tummy.

Satay lady

Peddlers hawks satays, pastries and fries.

Satay… burp!

And even porridge. The porridge is different from those we have in Malaysia. Somehow it tasted better. It’s thicker and sweeter.

Porridge

Seafood galore

With all the food available 24/7 in Hanoi, i’m beginning to wonder why is there no fat people around. -_-”

Flower market

At the wee hours past midnight, people would sit at the many beer joints on street corners enjoying bia hoi - Hanoi draft beer. Nothing beats sipping beer and relaxing watching the hustle and bustle of the town.

Corner street

The beer is brewed daily and it’s very light (3% alcohol) refreshing lager at a fraction of the cost of draft or bottled beer in the West. It only cost 2,500VND per glass. That’s an easy RM0.50 per glass only!

Beer joint

And of course where there are customers, there are a lot more peddlers around. Armed with a mobile stove, they go around selling their snacks.

Mobile woman in action

I could sit whole day just sipping beer and eating dried smoked squid the whole day. Sigh…

What a life…

To be continued at:-
Last Stroll in Old Quarter

**** ——- ****

Note:
All photos are taken with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX8.

Continuation from:-
From The Airport
Busiest Town on Earth
Lost In Old Movie Like Town
Braving the Cold on Scenic Seascape
Natural or Man-Made Beach?
Blue Lagoon
Chambers and the Mini Dicky
From Hoan Kiem Lake to St. Joseph’s Cathedral

Ps:// I just can’t find myself the time and concentration to complete my postings on my days in Hanoi. It’s coming darn slow and i can’t believe that it took me so long to record it down… patience, patience… 2/3 more post to go… O_o it looks like a book already. I should get it published.

28th January 2008
==============

It was a mad mad rush on our 4th day. We’ve decided to join the city tour because there were places that we could not reach on foot. The whether was terribly cold and it was drizzling too.

We went rushed to 6 places within 3 hours! Even though most of them were within the Ba Dinh District, it was crazy. We didn’t even have chance to capture proper photos before we were dragged to another destination. That said, i vow never to join any paid tours in the future. -_-”

First stop.

Tran Quoc Pagoda

EatAllYouCanShung standing in front of the entrance

Located beside the West Lake, the pagoda complements the beautiful scenery around the lake. Tran Quoc (National Defence) Pagoda is the oldest of all pagodas in Hanoi. It stands as a symbol of Buddhism in Vietnam.

Tran Quoc Pagoda

There is something like a visitor hall before we enter into the pagoda. I am not sure whether it is the one other people are talking about. I have no idea since our guide was explaining way too fast. I could only guess by the aged photo of the pagoda on the wall.

Clockwise: Visitor’s hall (i think), worshiping shrines, corridor

Within the pagoda vicinity are statues, 10 stone shrines and the belfry. There is also a big bodhi tree in the middle of the yard which i found out later was actually grafted from the holy bodhi tree where Buddha sat and achieved enlightenment (a gift from the Prime Minister of India in 1959). *cool!

Bodhi tree

I found these gold Buddha statues on one of the praying alters fascinating. Don’t ask me why. It just is.

Gold statues on stairs like alter

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is where Uncle Ho read the Declaration of Independence for Vietnam. It is opened for public viewing from everyday from 8am to 11am except for Monday… which is just the day we went -_-”. Yet another traveling tips from me. Always confirm the opening hours of every destination you are heading to. Don’t be like us (blind bats).

HCM Mausoleum

The granite building looks somewhat foreboding against the backdrop of gloomy dark sky. Even when it’s closed the building is strictly guarded…like it contains a precious stone. I guess the sentiment is somehow appropriate because in this foreboding granite building is Uncle Ho’s preserved body.

HMC Mausoleum complex is huge!

On normal days locals or foreigners flock the place making the queue unbelievable long. Unfortunately, we did not get the chance to go in. The only thing we can do is observe it from outside in the rain *served us right! However, i must say it was pretty tiring walking across the Square. It’s huge!

Presidential Palace & Ho Chi Minh Wooden Stilt House

HMC Presidential Palace - Yellow brick house!

At the north of HMC Mausoleum is the Presidential Palace. The 4 storied building is a contribution of a French architect which explains the magnificent mustard yellow paint and the beautiful courtyard. For a moment i forgot that i was in Vietnam.

Beautiful courtyard

The building is enclosed by gardens and orchard now known as the Bach Thao Park. It’s really romantic. I could totally imagine living here. *i wish! Mango trees line the path leading towards a wooden stilt house.

Clockwise right:- HMC French-made car, HMC Russian-made car and HMC dining room

While the palace serves as a workplace for Uncle Ho, the wooden stilt house was built as his living quarters. Now, the residence is well preserved (bedroom, study room and meeting table) and open for visitors.

HCM wooden stilt house

One Pillar Pagoda

This is one of the very unique architecture found in Hanoi. Commoners would come here to pray or do offerings in hope of getting a child. So i guess it’s some sort of a fertility symbol or something.

One Pillar Pagoda blosom

One Pillar Pagoda was originally constructed by the Emperor Ly Thai Tong to commemorate the birth of an heir. It is said that the emperor dreamed of the Goddess of Mercy who offered him a child. In the dream the goddess was sitting on a lotus flower.

Standing proud on the pond

The actual One Pillar Pagoda was built using wood and resemble a lotus blossom on the small pond and was named Dien Huu meaning happiness and good fortune. It’s a pity that the French destroyed it before retreating from Hanoi.

The pagoda standing now, is rebuilt based on the original one but using concrete. Wish i could have seen the wooden one… *sigh

Ho Chi Minh Museum

The museum was built in dedication to Ho Chi Minh for his work and deeds towards becoming Vietnam’s first Prime Minister. The building shape is supposed be of a lotus… but i don’t see any resemblance. Within the museum are, historical documents, photographs, memorabilia of that time.

EatAllYouCanShung in front of the museum.

I’m not much for museums. When i’m in one, i tend to start yawning, get bored, eyes glaze over and can’t wait to get out *wakaka!

Giant halo

However, there were indeed some particular things that caught my attention. For instance, the stairs leading to the central room. It was pretty amazing. From the bottom of the stairs you could already see the golden lights on the ceiling of the room above. It kind of look like a giant halo above Uncle Ho’s statue. Like stairway to heaven *cheesy i know -_-”.

Giant Ho Chi Minh statue

The a golden statue of Uncle Ho greeted us before the entrance to the central room. Very impressive.

Automobile models on the glass murals

Then there was the room with labyrinthine murals. The murals portrays history from the past to the future. It’s very artsy and you could see your reflection everywhere. Much like a mirror house at a carnival but with more class.

Us trying to be artistic

I think i spent the most time in this room walking through the maze of murals.

Weapons! Roar!

The time spent in the museum was quite short coz i’m not really into those historical thingies. *paiseh lar. I enjoyed mostly on the architecture and structure of the buildings. Our Museum Negara is like dilapidated ‘rumah papan’ compared to this ‘bungalow’ *wakaka!

Temple Of Literature (Van Mieu)

Located at the west of Ho Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature *yes another temple O_o is a quiet oasis in the heart of the chaotic streets of Hanoi. It is a MUST visit place in Hanoi because of it’s historical and architectural purpose.

Entrance to the temple

Back in those days, the temple dedicated to Confucius used to be Vietnam’s university (first university) to educate the elites. Now, the temple is a well-visited place by tourists and locals who wish to pray for their children to excel in examinations.

Gate to the courtyard

The temple is area is divided into 5 courtyards. Beyond the fourth courtyard is the red and gold sanctuary honoring Confucius and his disciples. The temple is so finely preserved, it’s like stepping back into the past. I could totally see how this tranquil place could produce one of the finest scholars in the country.

Pond within temple’s enclosure

Stone tortoises

Particularly impressive is the collection of 82 stone stellar resting upon large stone tortoises. On it is listed all the names of the 1306 university graduates. I saw someone rubbing the head of the stone tortoise. I guess it kind of brings luck to students or those sitting for exam.

Puppets in the craft store within temple’s enclosure

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We have had enough of temples by noon. We were freezing because it’s has been raining the whole morning and we were dead starving. Thank god it was lunch time so we got a break. Our city tour agency brought us to a nice restaurant (APT Restaurant) owned by the agency itself which was located near our hotel in Old Quarters where we had a lovely scrumptious lunch together.

Since the tour will continue to Ngoc Son Temple and Dong Xuan Market after lunch which we had visited the previous day, we left the tour and head out on foot by ourself. *still have to pay for a full day tour even though we went for half only ler…

To be continued at:-
Jalan Jalan Cari Makan in Old Quarter, Hanoi
Last Stroll in Old Quarter

**** ——- ****

Note:
All photos are taken with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX8.