The last post of Hanoi *winks* gonna focus on FOOD! We had a sumptuous dinner to spend all our Vietnam Dong before leaving this country! We chose the famous restaurant Nha Hang Ngon which was highly recommended by the locals.
I love the cozy ambiance and dim lighting :)
Banh Cuon- The outer layer is similar to the thick version of chu cheong fun (Malaysia's steamed rice flour rolls), while the inner fillings are a luscious mix of pork, black fungus, mushrooms, and vegetables, topped with fried shallots.
Cha ca la vong- Grilled cat fish in Lavong style. Hanoi specialty dish, only available exclusively in Vietnam. The renowned authentic restaurant for Cha ca la vong is actually located in Cha ca street, but it's too expensive and sharing is not allowed so we tried it in this restaurant. Hmmm still, this is ordinary grilled fish, so nothing special to me though.
After dinner, we walked back to the beer street near our hotel. I called it beer street haha but I forgot the actual street's name. The beers are so cheap! Only 5000VND (RM0.75)/glass! The beer is slightly diluted but still acceptable for me :)
Leaving Hanoi to Bangkok on the following morning. Bye Hanoi ^__^
I would like to line out some useful tips for those who wanna travel to Hanoi :)
Food and beverages
- Pho- Vietnamese noodle soup
- Bun Thang- Vietnamese spaghetti
- Banh Cuon- rolled cake (like our "chu cheong fan" rolls with the inner filling of meat)
- Cha Ca La Vong- grilled fish pie in Lavong style (an expensive local delicacy, nothing special to me lol but it's a must-try because it's only available exclusively in Vietnam)
- Spring roll- frankly their spring rolls taste like our "loh bak"
- Hanoi beer -go for the more flavourful Hanoi Beer instead of Bia Ha Noi
- Coffee- Trung Nguyen coffee (famous coffee's brand), weasel's coffee (famous coffee bean from the weasel's faeces >.< ), filter coffee (the local drinking style), highly recommend Avalon Cafe
- Nha Hang Ngon Restaurant is a must go too!
Places to visit
- Hoan Kiem Lake
- One pillar temple
- Temple of literature
- St. Joseph's Cathedral
- Museums
- Water puppet show
People
Most of the Vietnamese couldn't speak English fluently but they know simple words, use of body language is inevitable too lols Many of them also speak Mandarin. Don't be surprise that many of the Hanoians are very rude. They like to push people when we're in their way. The vendors like to force people to buy their stuffs and showed the despicable face when we bargained with them. We even came across two Vietnamese that approached us to promote the postcards, STICK to us even when we said we not gonna buy it! I scolded them but they still walked very close to me, and they opened the zip of my friend's bag! They even touched my pocket! IT WAS DAY TIME AND WE WERE WALKING AT THE MAIN STREET! Eventually they stopped tailing us when we quickly entered a shop. After that we walked to the famous Lake, several guys with baskets approached the tourists aggressively to glue their slippers even the tourists rejected it. They took away their slippers and forced them to pay :/ So if you wanna travel to Hanoi, be highly aware when you're walking at the streets.
Transport
If you travel in the old quarter, basically you can walk around there because everything is within walking distance. There're a lot of taxis with meters, so it's quite convenient and cheap to travel around.
Accommodation
- May de Ville ( http://maydevillebackpackershostel.com/)
I highly recommend May de Ville which located in the centre of old quarter near the "beer street" lol The service is extremely good, the staffs are very friendly and helpful. They also can speak English fluently Most importantly, they are very sincere. They offer package to Halong Bay, Tam Coc, Sabai etc with a slightly higher price but better service. The room rate is not expensive too. They offer both private rooms and dorm. Trust me, go for the private room, slightly expensive but very very comfortable and clean :) You can visit their website for more information.
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