As i was staying in a different part of Hanoi, walking into the old quarter is very different to the rest of the city - its old french style and architecture remind you of what Hanoi was like back in the day under French occupation.
I made my way along the walk ways next to Hoan Kiem Lake where a lot f other tourists seemed to be soaking up the sights. In the middle of the lake there's what looks like a temple that's hard to miss that i later learn is called The Turtle Tower. There is a legend about the Vietnamese emperor while boating on the lake being approached by a turtle looking to reclaim the emperors sword for a local god that was lent to him to defeat the Chinese.
Turtle Tower
As i make my way further along the lake i can't help notice a bright red bridge connecting the edge of the lake to a small island on the lake where what looks like a temple stands. This is Huc Bridge and it leads to Jade Island where Ngoc Son Temple stands, the temple is dedicated to General Tran Hung Dao whom defeated the Mongolians in the 13th century, La To who is the patron saint of physicians and the scholar Van Xuong.
Huc Bridge
Wandering around some more on foot i get lots of offers to be taken around on a rickshaw style bike though decline as i always prefer walking around such areas. This way i find more interesting sights such as Ly Thai To park which is named after and depicts a statue of Ly Thai To whom is one of the most important figures in Vietnams history and is the one who established Hanoi as Vietnams capitol.
Ly Thai To
The Old Quarter is the tourist hub of Hanoi and its easy to see why, shops all over are selling North Face merchandise and being a bit of a travel gear freak i of course am sucked right in! Now to be honest I'm under no illusion that a lot if not all of this gear is fake but trust me its still definitely worth a look.
After browsing for a while close to the middle of the quarter i check out some of the back roads, here they seem to be selling the same things. I check out a shop with a friendly looking elderly man and ask how much for one of the medium sized North Face duffel bags and get a 500,000 dong answer back. This in my opinion is a pretty god opening price seeing how a few other shops in the main area of the quarter started out at 700,000 dong! After checking out the bag a bit more thoroughly (mostly the stitching and zippers) and finding out they seem to be of really good quality i ask if hell let it go for 400,000, he seems satisfied with that and i walk away with a new travel duffel for about $22.00 Australian! What a bargain!
One example of a shop in the Old Quarter
Deciding to take a coffee break I make my way to one of the Cong Cafes, these are communist themed cafes (which to be honest is why i decided to check it out) and to my supprise found another of the old quarters big sights just across the road St Josephs Cathedral. St Josephs Cathedral was the first structure build by the French Colonial Government and with its gothic style construction is definitely worth checking out.
St Josephs Cathedral
If you find yourself in Hanoi its probably a good idea to base yourself here in the Old Quarter, it bases you closer to many selection of eateries, shopping and tours. Theres also the bar scene Bia Joi junction which is pretty sweet and reminded me of a called down version of Khao San road in Bangkok.
Exploring the Old Quarter
