Hanoi is a bustling city filled with motor scooters, vendors, rickshaws, good food, amazing art and kind people. We would have liked to stay longer but were only able to stay for one day and one night.
HOTEL:
*Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake– We were happy with the hotel, it is large with residences which include kitchenettes and washing machines. There is a nice pool for the kids and golf carts to take you around to your rooms. The concierge was helpful with recommendations. The hotel is situated on a large lake with most rooms looking out onto the water. If I were to visit Hanoi again, I would recommend staying in the “Old Quarter” because this is where many of the restaurants and boutiques are. The Sofitel comes highly recommended. The Intercon was only a 20 min. cab ride to the Old Quarter; however, we missed the charm and ambience of staying in the Old Quarter.
SIGHTS:
*Museum of Ethnology- This place was wonderful, especially with kids! It is a museum that displays clothes, jewelry, tools, etc. from 54 different ethnic groups in Vietnam. There is a small area for kids where they can create woodblock prints. Outside you can tour the houses of the diverse ethnic groups, some with ladders or stairs, view where they slept and cooked.
*Hanoi Kids Tours- These are tours by kids that are learning English and they are free. You can choose various tours, one including the Old Quarter. Mrs. Lan (+84-978-162-283) organizes the tours.
*Rickshaw tour- We took a one hour tour through the old quarter on the rickshaw which was a great way to see the city.
*Art Galleries– We had heard about the famous galleries filled with amazing paintings by vietnamese artists. Some that I recommend are: Green Palm Gallery; Apricot Gallery; CoDo Gallery. Many of these are along the same street which is in the Old Quarter on Hang Bong street.
*Other places to see if we had more time include: Ho Chi Minh Complex; Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple; Kim Lien Pagoda
FOOD:
*Green Tangerine– This restaurant is in the Old Quarter and serves french/vietnamese food (ask to sit outside in the courtyard).
*Cau Go- This is a lovely restaurant that serves vietnamese cuisine in the Old Quarter. It is situated on the top of a building where you can sit outside on a veranda overlooking the city. (Picture with view below)
*Quan An Ngon- Such a lovely authentic place, great for lunch. It is open air and a favorite for the locals. (Pictured below)
