Completing our Vietnam itinerary of this Indochina travel blog series, I will be sharing today our stroll to the beautiful city of Hanoi, around the Hoan Kiem District where tourist destinations and spots are just some foot away from each other.
This is our last day in Vietnam and the day that we will be traveling by land to Laos. We utilized the day by strolling around the city since our bus trip was still scheduled in the afternoon. On this city stroll, we visited the Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, and the St. Joseph Cathedral, which are just within walking distance of each other.
Hoan Kiem Lake
We took a grab car from our hotel street for $0.38 to go to the city center where Hoan Kiem Lake is located. There is no entrance fee to access the lake so everyone can take a stroll along its sidewalk with a serene and beautiful view. It is also located just beside the highway- something amazing, a lake in the center of the city.
There are benches also available in this public park, so anyone can chill and have a seat to have a good time lingering around under the trees beside the lake.
Right across from where we stand, is the red bridge of the Ngoc Son Temple, which we just strolled for around 3 mins to get to the entrance of the temple.
Ngoc Son Temple
This is the entrance to the Ngoc Son Temple, the temple that rests in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake.
To access the temple and the Red Bridge, we paid an Entrance Fee of 30,000 VND or around $1.20 per person.
We witnessed how the Vietnamese pray, and pay respect to their Gods, something that we experienced what embracing culture is, first-hand.
Right after we handed our tickets at the entrance, we passed on the Red Bridge before proceeding to the temple in the lake.
The Red Bridge
The Red Bridge has a vibe on its own, it gives an accent to the nature of the lake. It feels like, it is something that will take you to somewhere paradise-like.
Of course, we grabbed the chance to take good photos on the red bridge on that very good day with the scenery of the lake and the trees in the background.
Just grasping any little opportunity where there is not much crowd, as this bridge gets too crowded most of the time with people passing on it.
The Temple in the middle of the Lake
When we entered the premises of the temple, we were greeted by pretty flowers and plants. The temple was filled with gardens on each of every corner.
Anyone can pay a tribute or prayer inside the temple. I am always astonished by their architecture which is richly applied to their temples and any structures around Vietnam.
According to the legends, Emperor Le Loi was sent a sword from heaven to be used to drive away the Chinese from Vietnam, during the mid-15th century. And a giant golden turtle grabbed the sword after the war, and disappeared into the depths of this lake, to return the sword to its divine owners.
That is why this lake is named "Hoan Kiem Lake" which means Lake of the Returned Sword.
Right behind us is the Tháp Rùa or the Turtle Tower, which stands in the center of the lake.
After spending an hour strolling around and taking photos in Hoan Kiem Lake, we continued strolling around the city to find good food for lunch.
Walking around the Hoan Kiem District, I realized that not every corner and street of Hanoi City is as noisy as the other streets we experienced on our first day.
In contrast, I felt the serenity of the city complementing the trees around the streets giving shade to its sidewalks, something that I really like about Hanoi- a city with preserved nature parks.
Purposely, we were looking for restaurants and cafes while navigating on Google Maps so we could just dine around the corner of our next destination- The St. Joseph Cathedral.
Luckily, we found this cafe named Take Tacos II, Coffee & Food, which is strategically located just across the cathedral.
Another goal achieved on our Vietnam bucket list with 
The food and drinks in this cafe were so delicious, well, the foods anywhere in Hanoi City are actually tasty. We just appreciate this cafe because aside from good dishes and coffee, which I tried their coconut coffee, they also have a good internet connection, so we got a good lunch while talking to our friends online. 
St. Joseph Cathedral
The St. Joseph Cathedral was the only catholic church that I actually saw throughout our Indochina tri-city trip, as Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand's religion is Buddhism. Unfortunately, during our visit, the cathedral was closed so we didn't get a chance to see the interior of the cathedral.
Silently, I prayed from the outside. It was a great chance to thank the Father for hearing our prayers- to pass the Philippine immigration, to have great weather throughout the trip, and of course to have a memorable and safe travel experience.
The right one below is actually the scenario on the ground's premises, it is a very touristy place!
We just paved our way to the corners to find a good spot to get rid of the crowd in the background 😉 tourists come and go on this place.
We ended our 3D2N Vietnam trip with a blast!
I have attached our travel itinerary with travel expenses below, in case you'll be interested in taking the route of our journey, as well as my blog links of this travel blog series.
Thank you for strolling with me today, and see you on my next blog post in Laos!
Xoxo,
Kim, thestrollingmind
Blog thread for this Vietnam trip
Magical & Mystical Stroll to Mua Caves and Lotus Garden of Ninh Binh
Tam Coc - Bich Dong : Caving & River Cruising to the Paradise in Ninh Binh
About the Author
Hi! I am Kim- The Strolling Mind.
I love to travel, I have been traveling in my beautiful country- the Philippines, and some Asian countries, as well. My pleasure to share them here in Hive.
I believe that our mind is so powerful that anything we think is anything we can reach and achieve.
It is our mind that'll lead us to where we are heading to, so....