Ha Noi is the much chiller city to Sai Gon’s blood boiling chaos. Granted there are about 5 + million motorbikes here but it definitely doesn’t feel like it. Most of the hot spots center around Hoan Kiem Lake and are easily walked from there. The weather is noticeably cooler albeit cold in some months but after a week in Ha Noi, you’ll never want to go back to Sai Gon again.
- French Quarter- My favorite part of Ha Noi. Wide European leafy avenues with hardly a car/motorbike insight. Great for a break from the chaos. Metropole Hotel is here, beautifully restored colonial architecture.
- Hoan Kiem Lake- Lake in the heart of Ha Noi. Very peaceful with temple reached from iconic red wooden bridge
- Old Quarter- old Ha Noi architecture and the local crafts man at work. Streets are very narrow and crowded with commerce. Each street is named for the product sold there, Key street, Metal street, etc
- Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum- Uncle Ho’s final resting place.
- One Pillar Pagoda- a pagoda standing on just 1 leg. Near the Ha Noi national museum
- Vietnam History Museum- For history buffs, great museum about the country and it’s period of colonization.
- Boat tours in Perfume river
- Hoa Lo Prison or the Ha Noi Hilton- where John McCain was kept for 5.5 years
- Side trips. Ha Noi is a great launching point for trips to Ha Long Bay or a weekend trip up into the mountains of Sa Pa.
- Enjoy some French-Vietnamese fusion cuisine. When Pho just isnt enough. Try Hoa Sua, Le Beaulieu in the Metropole or Indochine
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- Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi Center
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- Ha Noi Opera House
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- Durian- Perhaps the World’s nastiest fruit
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- Street specializing in rice- Ha Noi
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- One Legged Pagoda
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- Uncle Ho’s final Resting PLace
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