HANOI, VIETNAM

1. St. Joseph's Cathedral (Pho Nha Chung, Hanoi)

St. Joseph's Cathedral, which anchors one of Hanoi's most touristy streets, offers a glimpse into a bygone era. Speckles of light still dance through stained glass work, leaving a kaleidoscope of color on the towers, which stretch toward the sky. Its doors first swung open in 1886, during the earliest days of colonial rule, and the cathedral still holds mass twice daily. During other hours, visitors can enter through a door on the side of the cathedral.

When entered the church, its high ceilings and big fans was an amazing experience. The service was all in Vietnamese. It’s definitely a place to go to attend Mass if you are Catholic.

Should go there first of all and it is a MUST SEE.

Contact: +84 4 926 3366

Open Hours: Mo to Su from 05:00 AM to 10:00 PM

How to get there?

From Hoan Kiem Lake head to Hang Gai Street, keep going until reach Ly Quoc Su Street on the left hand side. Walks pass Ly Quoc Su and you will reach Nha Chung – the Cathedral is the connecting point of these 2 streets.

St Joshep Cathedral (Upper); Regina Pacis (Queen of Peace), St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi, Vietnam (Bottom left); St Josephs Inside (Bottom right)

More photo online

2. Hoan Kiem Lake (Pho Le Thai To, Hanoi)

It is located at the heart of Hanoi – symbol of the city and also the symbol of home for any Hanoian oversea. Around it, there are clubs, restaurants, bars, theaters and all other fun places.

This small lake between the Old Quarter and the French Quarter is central to Hanoian folklore. A ghostly shrine (the Turtle Pagoda) standing on an islet at its center pays homage to a golden turtle. 

In the 15th century, this heroic reptile is said to have returned a magic sword to its home in the lake after it had been taken. These days, the sculptured park along the banks plays host to postcard sellers, hawkers, old men playing chess, freelance money changers, lone photographers looking for a lucrative snap and, at about 5am every day, locals practicing tai chi.

It's a wonderful lake, very nice with trees and you can feel fresh air in here. If you hungry or thirsty, you can find what you want near Hoàn Kiếm Lake like: Thủy Tạ (ice-cream, delicious dish), Hồ Gươm Xanh (coffee, fast food, music) and some food-moving shop on side-walk. Hanoi's people very lovely and friendly. Come and feel it ^^

The location map at Hanoi, Vietnam

A street in old quarter and street-corner-barber

beautiful architecture

night market

Railway tracks through Hanoi

 Other information related to Hoan Kiem Lake and HANOI.

3. Temple of Literature (Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam)

The first University of Vietnam

Situated at the south of Thang Long citadel, it is on top of the historical and beautiful sightseeing of the beautiful capital of Vietnam.

The oldest and possibly the finest architectural complex in Hanoi, Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam or Temple of Literature, was established in 1070, during the Ly Dynasty (1009 - 1225). Founded in honor of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, it served as a center for higher learning, educating future mandarins for more than seven centuries. The temple was modeled on the original Temple of Confucius in the Chinese city of Qufu, and consists of five courtyards, the first two of which feature well-tended lawns. Each courtyard is separated by walls and ornamental gateways, and a central pathway through the complex divides it into two symmetrical halves.

 

A half day planned trip for Ha Noi City

Point A: Hoan Kiem Lake

Point B: Temple of Literature (Quốc Tử Giám)

Point C: Ho Chi Minh Museum

Point D: One Pillar Pagoda

The time of driving direction for A to B is about 5min (2.2km); from B to C about 4min (1.3km); C to D about 3min (0.8km).

The location map of Hanoi, Vietnam

4. Ho Chi Minh Museum

Contact           : 04/ 846- 3752

Open Hours   : 08.00 to 11.00 and from 13.30 to 16.30 daily

Location         : 3, Ngoc Ha Street, Hanoi, Vietnam

Existing in the same complex with "Uncle Ho's" mausoleum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum provides a comprehensive overview of his life and leadership for Vietnamese independence from the early 1940s until his death in 1979. It was built in memory of a great man whose name is written in golden alphabets in the history of Vietnam. It provides a comprehensive overview of the man’s life and work and his vision of peace and happiness.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

 The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Area

5. One Pillar Pagoda (Chùa Một Cột), Hanoi

Contact           : +84 4 942 1061

Open Hours   : 8am-5pm daily

Location         : western part of the city, near Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Ong Ich Khiem St., Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

It is a historic Buddhist temple in Hanoi. It is regarded alongside the Perfume Temple, as one of Vietnam's two most iconic temples.

The temple was built by Emperor Lý Thái Tông, who ruled from 1028 to 1054. According to the court records, Lý Thái Tông was childless and dreamt that he met the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who handed him a baby son while seated on a lotus flower. Lý Thái Tông then married a peasant girl that he had met and she bore him a son. The emperor constructed the temple in gratitude for this in 1049, having been told by a monk named Thiền Tuệ to build the temple, by erecting a pillar in the middle of a lotus pond, similar to the one he saw in the dream.

One Pillar Pagoda; Small shrine devoted to the Boddhisatva of Mercy inside the pagoda

 

Sadly, the first One Pillar Pagoda was destroyed during the French War. The new Vietnamese government rebuilt the temple in 1955. It was originally constructed by Emperor Ly Thai Tong to commemorate the long awaited birth of an heir. He believed that the luck had been foretold in a dream about the Goddess of Mercy handing him a male child on a lotus flower. He then built the original small wooden pagoda to resemble a lotus blossom to pay tribute to his good fortune.

Vietnamese Food

Long overshadowed by the cuisine of China and Thailand, Vietnamese food is rapidly developing a following all its own. The ever influential Chinese stimulated the used of chopsticks and desire for noodles. The Cham added spice and curry. The Mongols spurred an appetite for beef. Or maybe it was the French, harbingers of bread, coffee, and cheese who truly turned on the taste buds to beef. No matter, it’s all been absorbed and made new as Vietnamese. 

You’ll find little butter in Vietnamese cuisine, little salt, no reduction sauces, no salad oil, no gooey red basting – hence the Vietnamese reputation for lightness.

Unlike anywhere else in Southeast Asia, people here consume aromatic herbs like vegetables. A bounty of herbs accompanies many dishes, usually uncooked to retain flavor and each on a dish of its own. Asian basil, coriander, and mint top the list of favorites, joined by spring onion, chives, and watercress.

Vietnamese eateries break down into four broad categories – restaurants, bistros, rice and noodles shops, and street stalls.

Given Vietnam’s 3,444 km coastline and countless rivers, lagoons, canals, and waterways, seafood is plentiful, fresh, and wonderfully prepared and thanks to Buddhist influences, vegetarian food is widely available and a beneficiary of long culinary cultivation.

Banh chung: This square cake of sticky rice, bean curd, and pork meat is wrapped in bananas leaves and cooked all night. It is integral to Tet celebrations.

Bun cha: this snack of skewered, grilled pork and noodles is eaten with fish sauce, vinegar and aromatic herbs.

Pho: Steeped in aromatic herbs, including coriander and mint, this rice-noodle broth features thin-sliced morsels of parboiled beef as many as two dozen other ingredients.

Link about Vietnam