There are landmarks that photograph well, and then there are landmarks that mean something. The Hanoi Flag Tower, known in Vietnamese as Cot Co Ha Noi, one of Hanoi attractions, belongs firmly in the second category. Standing at 41 meters from base to tip of flagpole, this three-tiered stone tower has risen above the western…
There are places in Hanoi that tell you about history, and then there is the Ho Chi Minh Museum, which tells you about the man who made it. More than a conventional collection of artifacts behind glass, this is one of the most conceptually ambitious museum experiences in Southeast Asia, built around the life of…
Most travelers arrive in Hanoi thinking about beef pho. They leave thinking about chicken. Pho ga Hanoi, the chicken noodle soup that has been a fixture of Hanoi’s morning streets since the mid-20th century, is quieter than its beef counterpart, less dramatic in color and aroma, and considerably easier to underestimate. It is also, for…
There is a saying many foreign visitors use to describe bun dau mam tom Hanoi: it smells terrifying but tastes like heaven. That line sounds like an exaggeration, but it is almost exactly right. Among all the dishes that make up Hanoi street food, bun dau mam tom is the one that makes the most…
Few structures in Vietnam carry as much weight, quite literally and figuratively, as Long Bien Bridge Hanoi. Stretching across the Red River on the edge of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, this century old steel bridge has survived colonial rule, two wars, countless floods, and decades of relentless traffic, and it is still standing, still rusted, still…
Some dishes are inseparable from the city that created them. For Hanoi, that dish is bun cha. Among the endless options that define Hanoi street food, bun cha holds a special place. It is humble, refined in its own quiet way, and powerful enough to charm even the most discerning visitors, including a sitting president…
Quick Facts Official Name St. Joseph’s Cathedral (Nha Tho Lon Ha Noi) Also Known as The Notre Dame of Hanoi Address 40 Nha Chung Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi Architectural Style Gothic Revival (Neo-Gothic) Year Completed December 1886 Entrance Fee Free Exterior Viewing Open 24 hours, 7 days a week Interior Visitor Hours 8:00 AM…
Quick Facts Vietnamese Name Chua Mot Cot (Chùa Một Cột) Official Temple Name Dien Huu Tu (Pagoda of Eternal Blessing) Also Known As Lien Hoa Dai (Lotus Terrace) Address Chua Mot Cot Street, Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi Location Context Within the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, next to Ho Chi Minh Museum Opening…
Quick Facts Vietnamese Name Nhà Hát Lớn Hanoi Address No. 1 Trang Tien Street, Cua Nam Ward, Hanoi Year Built 1901 to 1911 Architectural Style French Neoclassical (inspired by the Palais Garnier, Paris) Seating Capacity Approximately 900 seats Exterior Visit Free, accessible at all hours Guided Tour Ticket 120,000 VND per person Tour with Art…
Ha Long Bay gets the headlines. The cruise ships, the photography tours, the bucket-list checkboxes – it’s all very well earned, and very well attended. But tucked just to the northeast, in the calmer waters of Bai Tu Long Bay Vietnam, lies an island that operates at an entirely different frequency. Quan Lan Island has…
