Hanoi, Vietnam – The charming one-thousand capital
Crazy traffic, an incredibly wide range of street food, a hub filled with lively museums, countless pagodas, and a lot of charming architectural landmarks are the experiences embedded in the hearts of most foreigners. Thanks to the good feng-shui and the strategic location, Hanoi has been chosen to be the capital of Vietnam since 1010, starting from the Ly Dynasty. Through the ups and downs of the history, Hanoi has stood vividly and witnessed all of the important events and significant changes in the country. Only in Hanoi can you see the old pagoda built under the Federal Dynasty, the beautiful architectures constructed from French Colony, together with the remnant bridges suffered from the bomb rain during the American War.
Hanoi is the hub of culture and history as well as the center of politic and economy. Hanoi is the combination of the old and the modern, the peace and the chaos, the crazy noise in daylight and the incredible quiet at night, the youthful energy and timeless tranquility. Hanoi features the highlight of both Eastern and Western culture. Thanks to the beauty and considerable values, Hanoi may charm all your senses.
Top Hanoi Attractions for Historical & Cultural South East Asia Tour:
- Museum: Vietnam Military History Museum, National Museum of Vietnamese History, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Hoa Lo Museum, Fine Arts Museum of Hanoi, Vietnamese Women’s Museum, Museum of Vietnamese Revolution
- Pagoda & Temple: Temple of Literature, Bach Ma Temple, Tay Ho Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hai Ba Trung Temple, One Pillar Pagoda, Ngoc Son Temple, Ambassador’s Pagoda, Quan Thanh Temple
- Others: Heritage House, Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, The St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi Opera House, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Presidential Palace, Hanoi Ceramic Mosaic Mural, Hanoi’s Flag Tower, Statue of Lenin
Top Hanoi Attractions for Sightseeing South East Asia Tour
Hanoi Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, Hoang Dieu Street, Le Hong Phong Street, Lotte Observation Deck, Long Bien Bridge, Thong Nhat Park, Truc Bach Lake, conquer Dong Xuan Market, wish for luck and health at one pagoda, learn and try making ceramic products in Bat Trang Village, Turtle Tower
Top Hanoi dish for South East Asia Food Tour
Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup), Grilled Pork and noodle, Cha ca La Vong (Grilled Chopped Fish of La Vong), Com (Vietnamese Green Rice), Egg Coffee, Sugared/Salted Dry Fruit.
Top things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam
Discover the amazing street food, join the walking street at the weekend, drink Vietnamese beer in Ta Hien Street, enjoy the Vietnamese egg-coffee, try Vietnamese iced lemon tea and chit chat with your friend.
How to travel from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi?
Saigon, Vietnam – Most energetic and lively city in Vietnam
I’m writing this article on the day of the opening ceremony of Landmark 91 – the highest building in Vietnam. With the shape of a bamboo hedge which is the symbol of Vietnamese rural, this 81-floor building contributes significantly to the enchanting beauty and thriving lifestyle of Saigon. Like Hanoi, Saigon has a long period being the colony of the French. Therefore, Saigon boats a lot of impressive French architectures as well as the cathedral of Gothic Revival Style.
Saigon is under influence of foreign cultures more strongly than Hanoi. Hanoi is famous for many traditional music events and folk performance. Meanwhile, Saigon is well known for cutting-edge music events, lively electronic dance music nights, and youthful art performances. The lifestyle of Saigon is more open, spontaneous and free than any city in Vietnam. Travelers visiting Ho Chi Minh City will be attractive with those streets which are bustle and hustle regardless of time as well as its classy cocktail lounge. It happens to you to visit Saigon, Vietnam, don’t forget to explore the ubiquitous street food and visit the local market to shop for everything without worrying about prices.
Top attractions for Historical & Cultural South East Asia Tour in Saigon, Vietnam
Cu Chi Tunnels, War Remnants Ho Chi Minh Museum , Independence Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ho Chi Minh City Hall, Saigon Opera House (Municipal Theatre), Thien Hau Temple, Gia Long Palace, Museum of Vietnamese History, Jade Emperor Pagoda, Tan Dinh Church, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Giac Lam Pagoda, Ben Duoc Memorial Temple, Buu Long Pagoda, The Bamboo Village, Temple Goddess Mariamma
Top attractions for Freestyle South East Asia Tour in Saigon, Vietnam
Suoi Tien Amusement Park, Bitexco Financial Tower, Landmark 81, The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Ben Thanh Market, Bui Vien Street, Dam Sen Park, Dragon Wharf, Dam Sen Water Park, Thuy Chau Tourist Site, Turtle Lake, Le Thi Rieng Park, White Rabbit Amusement Park
Top dishes for South East Asia Street Food Tour in Saigon
Banh Mi Huynh Hoa, Banh Mi Pork Sliders, Hu Tiu, Bun Rieu (golden fried tofu and crab noodle soup), bun mam, Hue Beef Noodle Soup, banh canh cua (soup cake), Banh Tam Bi (Vietnamese Sweet Coconut Milk Soft Cake), Ban Khot (Vietnamese Mini Pancake with shrimp)
Martin Wynn
Priya
