In january 2018 my boyfriend and I went to Vietnam for a month. We went from Hanoi down south, via Ha Long Bay, Danang, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Dalat, Mekong Delta and ending in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). This is my impression of Hanoi, mostly through food, because that’s who I am!
No food, no life.
After the series of photos I list the hotels were we stayed and the museums we visited.
We flew with Emirates, A380 on the way to Dubai.St Joseph Cathedral still with Christmas decorationsThere was of course a lot of coffee during our trip. This is from the first of many visits to Cong Ca Phe, a café chain describing themselves as “a hipster cafe & lounge of vietnam” – sort of communist kitsch coffeeshop. Their coconot coffee was delicious. Here was a coffee break with a Dutch girl we ran into close to St Joseph Cathedral. I don’t recommend just walking off with Western people, because you never now, but here she had the same thoughts, so seemed legit.Bahn Mi – of course! Very good and cheap breakfast.Our first dinner in Hanoi at Madame Hien. It was a good way to get introduced to Vietnamese cuisine, but it was a bit expensive. Here a starter soup.Breakfast bahnmi with smoothie at the same place as the picture belowBreakfast gulasch (why not) at La Place close to St Joseph Cathedral a really cozy place with delicious food.The entrance to Cafe Pho Co – Old Town Café (after you walked through a silk shop, see this video from Miss Mina Egg Coffee in Vietnam). People also drew their scooters into the silk shop and to this café. They are most famous for the egg coffee, a delicious rich coffee mixture with egg yolk.We had to walk a lot of stairs to reach to terrace on the top of the buildingPart of the caféEgg CoffeeHere’s the city view from the terraceThe Huc Bridge to the Ngoc Son Temple, the first temple we visited in Hanoi (and Vietnam)Pho of course! Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup with a delicious flavoursome broth, rice noodles and toppings such as beef. To the left you see chinese douhgnut which you can dip into the soup. With the chillies (or sriracha) above you can make it as spicy as you want. This was from a restaurant close to Madame Hien. I have forgotten the name sadly, but there was a line to it.Hanoi and Tiger beer at Chien Hostel bar right next to St Joseph Cathedral
Hotels
Especen Hotel, 28 P Tho Xuong, Hanoi
A very pleasant little hotel. The room was one of the best in retrospect we stayed at during our stay in Vietnam. We had the superior double room with lots of windows for 22 US dollars per night (the cheaper rooms in Vietnam are without windows as we came to notice…) The hotel arranged a airport pick-up car for us for 16 US dollars. The breakfast for 3 US dollars per person was a steal: One big bowl of pho, one big Vietnamese coffee and a bowl of yoghurt with fruit.
Little Hanoi Diamond, 11 Bat Dan Str, Hanoi
Also a small decent hotel without breakfast. This was our first experience with a hotel without windows. I’m not a fan, felt weird not seeing daylight waking up, it was easy to fall asleep though, because it was pitch black. They arranged a car for us to bring us to the airport.
Museums
Vietnamese Women Museum – all about Vietnamese women from colonial times to present with stories from the different peoples of Vietnam.
Hoa Lo Prison – if you’re up for it this is about the darker side of Vietnam’s history (and communist propaganda).
Other things to do
Midori Spa, 46&60 Ngo Hyen Str, Hanoi
A spa that only employs blind people (except the receptionist). It was one of the best massages I had in Vietnam (and I went to one in almost every city we went too….). To read more about them: www.midorispa.org.vn
