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-- Saskia James, Australia
 
 

Walking city tours of Hanoi

Would you like to see through the clouds of incense and understand the religious beliefs behind Vietnam’s colourful temples and pagodas? Or plunge into Hanoi’s labyrinth of streets, knowing you won’t get lost? Why not try the delicious array of local street food and learn what it is and what to call it next time?

Our completely fluent guides are guaranteed to communicate their enthusiasm for Vietnamese culture as well as their knowledge of the city.

Take a walk with us.


OLD QUARTER

Topics: Traditional architecture, Vietnamese social structure and life in the Old Quarter

We begin this experience in a very local coffee shop located at the bottom of the Old Quarter over looking Hoan Kiem Lake (the Lake of the Returned Sword) that shows the traditional style of architecture in the Old Quarter.

The guests will learn why the houses in the old quarter are very narrow? Why most the street names are started with Hang? Then walking in to the 36 streets and guilds with the guidance of a very knowledgeable guide.

The tour is beautifully finished by 30 minutes relaxing on cycles watching around the streets full of only one type of product.

Duration: 2 hours

Price: $20/person (min. 2 persons)

Meeting Place - 11 Hang Gai St, Hoan Kiem.

FRENCH QUARTER

Topics: The diversity of Hanoi’s Twentieth-century architecture, French colonialism, Vietnamese Buddhism.

Hidden Hanoi is all about unlocking the city's secrets, and this tour is no exception.

Almost unique amongst Asian capital cities, Hanoi's French quarter is now fully recognized as an important part of Vietnam's heritage. Yet much of the history behind it still remains a mystery to most.

This tour explores the French Quarter through the ideas of its architects and the shape of its stones.

It sets about unraveling all the threads of civilization, which have left their mark on the area, beginning with recent reminders of Soviet style.

Only just around the corner discover a different world altogether as we visit the Buddhist pagoda of Quan Su, the centre of Vietnamese Buddhism.

Awe-inspiring monuments to the French colonial project are clustered together. We will learn about the French approach to justice and punishment and hear tales of daring Vietnamese resistance to the repressive regime.

One of Hanoi's unsung treasures is its art deco architecture. After modernism and colonialism, this will be the third twentieth-century architectural style we will see on the tour.

Duration: 1 1/2 hours

Price: $15/person (min. 2 persons)

Meet: Corner of Quan Su and Tran Hung Dao streets, opposite the Friendship palace (pictured opposite).

STREET FOOD

Are your taste buds ready for an adventure? Our guides will take you to the places they eat and through the markets where they buy their groceries.

Topics: Hanoian cuisine, social importance of food and how to spot the freshest and tastiest local dishes

Option 1:Crab noodle soup, green papaya salad, fresh spring rolls and dessert.

Option 2: Bun cha (barbecued pork with fresh noodle), green papaya salad, fresh spring rolls, dessert.

Option 1: Meet at 9B Hoa Ma for a bowl of bun rieu, a delicious crab and noodle soup.

Option 2: Meet at 47 c Mai Hac De street for Bun cha, tasting fresh noodle deep in the dipping fish sauce with some green papaya, slice and meat ball barbecue pork combine with fresh herbs.

Take a short walk to Cho Hom market off Pho Hue street, passing some more tempting food stands on the way.

Explore Cho Hom market, one of the biggest markets in Hanoi with its colourful arrays of fruit and vegetables, sweets, meats and elaborate temple offerings.

Stop to try some fresh spring rolls and papaya salad before finishing off with a refreshing glass of che, a sweet snack prepared to your own taste.

N.B: Hidden Hanoi has carefully selected the places it believes to offer tasty, good quality food. However, guests should be aware that the standards of food hygiene may not always be up to the standards of their home country, and Hidden Hanoi can accept no responsibility for guests' gastric sensitivities.

Duration: 1 1/2 hours

Price: $20/person (min. 2 persons)

TEMPLE TOUR

Topics: Hanoi's cityscape, local life, religion, local legends.

Once open countryside south of the city centre, now an inner suburb just inside an ancient dyke, the Kim Lien quarter embodies so many aspects of the city’s history.

As we walk through a residential quarter, we will learn more about how Hanoi residents live and how recent reforms have revolutionized the cityscape.

A guided tour of Kim Lien communal house, and the temple guarding Hanoi's southern gate, is an ideal introduction to Vietnam's complex belief system.

During our tour, we will find out more about the legendary spirit to whom this temple is dedicated and hear stories of his great deeds. We will examine typical features of traditional Vietnamese architecture and compare it to Western styles.

Vietnamese religious beliefs are a complex mix of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and the age-old worship of animistic deities.

The area we will be visiting is home to some truly unique artifacts which speak volumes about Vietnamese values.

Duration: 1 1/2 hours

Price: $15/person (min. 2 persons)

Meeting Place: Corner of Ho Ba Mau lake, just across the railway tracks opposite the entrance to Thong Nhat (a.k.a. Lenin Park).

© Hidden Hanoi 2007