I am Vietnamese, so I am happy to kick off my travel post series by writing about the capital of my country :) I really hope I will inspire you to know more and visit my country - the land of amazing foods, unlimited historical stories, stunning nature and kindness.
To me Hà Nội (Hanoi) is a strange city. (I come from Saigon by the way :P)
Sometimes I like it. Sometimes I love it. Sometimes I hate it.
But all the time when I think about it, I miss it badly. And to be honest, I still do not know the reason why?!
Actually there are many famous songs mentioning about the nostalgia of Hanoi. Hardly did I feel the lyrics, until I actually got that feeling when I leave, until now.
There are some things about this city that make a part of your heart stays there. Sometimes I think it's because of the amazing foods - the moments when you sit inside a small local restaurant or street food stand to have your favorite hot bowl of Phở or Bún or even Ice-cream in the middle of cold winter. Or maybe because of the people who are super conservative but their kindness will make you feel like home after some talks. Or it can be because of the feeling when you are on a motorbike going around many to watch hundreds of people (& other motorbikes), to smell the random good foods from everywhere, to feel their slow family lifestyle. Or maybe, all of these reasons.
The lifestyles between Hanoi (our capital) and Saigon (our biggest city from the South) are totally different though they are both top dynamic cities in Asia. Hanoi is slower, more traditional, more conservative, more artistic & more community-oriented.
Hanoi was our capital since 1010 although it was eclipsed by Huế city during Nguyễn Dynasty from 1802 - 1945. For more then 1000 years as the most important city, there is no doubt that it has all the most famous historical monuments of our country. This is definitely the best destination for you to explore Vietnamese culture.
(The Turtle Tower with the famous fairy tale)
Life in Hanoi is colorful
(Sorry my phone camera was very bad at that time :P)
Hà Nội means 'inside the river' or sometimes it is called 'the city of lakes'. Hoàn Kiếm (Sword Lake) is the most famous lake located right in the centre of the city and Hồ Tây (West Lake) is the biggest one. Around Hoàn Kiếm lake, there is Old Quarter/Old Town (Phố Cổ) where you can walk around and enjoy best foods in the city. Also, sometimes you will be surprised when seeing such a tiny house with only 1 meter width.
Around Hoàn Kiếm lake
(Áo Dài is our national costume - unlike in most of the countries where people only wear the traditional costume in special events, we wear Áo Dài everyday and it is the uniform for high school girls as well)
You can notice strong French architecture influence around the city including Opera House, city train station, government offices, etc
In my next post I would love to talk more about foods in Hanoi, trust me, you will love it <3