Uncovering Hanoi, Vietnam’s rich culture and cuisine

Vietnam might have transformed into a Southeast Asian powerhouse over recent decades but its elegant capital remains imbued with the past. The city’s location – “between the rivers”, as “ha noi” translates as – made it an obvious place in which to build a citadel, with records stretching back to the third century BC. Hanoi’s many historic monuments and contemporary venues allude to its position as Vietnam’s cultural nerve centre today. According to interpreter Pham Thi Thuy Duong, art director Suzanne Lecht and musician Pham Truong Son, the Old Quarter, in Hoan Kiem district, is the best place in which to get acquainted with the capital and its cuisine. “The streets are named after artisanal trades,” says Lecht, referring to the 36 guilds this congested square kilometre was once divided among. “It’s a garden of many different flowers,” says Son, who recommends walking among the craft shops, market stalls and tall, narrow “tube” houses of the Old Quarter, to soak up the atmosphere. Street eats and veggie food “If you don’t eat on the street, you haven’t been to Hanoi,” says Duong. “The pavements aren’t really for walking; they’re for parking motorbikes and sitting on tiny plastic chairs to eat banh mi [Vietnamese-style baguettes] and drink iced coffee. It’s a Hanoi thing.” Duong, who hails from nearby Halong City, came to Hanoi to study at Vietnam National University in 2017. “Our favourite place wasn’t Beer Street,” she says, referring to Ta Hien Street, a lively tourist strip. Instead, Duong and friends frequented Ma May Street, a block to the east, which has a recorded history of 500 years and the architecture to prove it. In pre-colonial times, this was where merchants built their houses, evident in the many dinh (communal houses) and incense-infused guild halls. But for young Hanoians, it’s the grilled pork vermicelli and Bia Ha Noi lager consumed street-side that make Ma May special. “If you visit in the autumn, you need to try com,” she says, referring to a seasonal delicacy that originated in nearby Vong Village. “It’s basically sticky green rice. We eat it as a snack served on a lotus leaf; they sell it all over Hanoi.” For pho, a rice noodle soup consumed nationwide, Duong’s go-to joint is Pho Manh Cuong, on the eastern edge of the Old Quarter. “You’ll see locals inside, which is always a good sign,” she says. “The pho tai gau is made with super-thin slices of beef on top of the noodles. They just pour hot soup over it, which cooks it. One portion keeps me full the whole day and it only costs 60,000 dong [HK$18]. “Katze Vegan and Vegetarian is hidden on a second floor [in the southeast of the Old Quarter] and it’s like dining in someone’s house. The dishes are typical home-made Vietnamese, cooked by a lovely couple, an auntie and uncle, and you can watch them make it.” Lecht says being vegetarian used to be challenging in Hanoi but a plethora of options have popped up to cater to an emerging class of herbivore. “Veggie Castle has several locations in Hanoi doing vegan buffet food which is excellent and inexpensive,” she says. “But my favourite is a wonderful place that was designed by an artist, called Caga Restaurant. It has a cool retro interior and serves fabulous green and healthy food.” Caga Cafe and Restaurant is located about 2km south of the Old Quarter. Exhibitions and performances Lecht arrived in 1994, attracted by the expressive works of an art collective known as the Gang of Five. She opened her first public gallery in 2002, one of three she would run until 2017. Nowadays, she works from home, as director of the Art Vietnam Salon Gallery. When not curating or selling art, Lecht is a regular at Hanoi’s various creative spaces. “The Outpost Art Organisation is very contemporary,” she says. “And Manzi, to the north of the Old Quarter, is an art cafe housed in an old French villa that has consistently good shows.” But it is across the Red River, in Long Bien district, that visitors will discover “the new cultural hotspot of Hanoi”, according to Lecht, the area’s many cafes and artist studios including A Space, a gallery focusing on experimental practices. The Vietnamese capital is also a music hub, according to Son, who teaches violin at the Vietnam National Academy of Music and can trace his Hanoian heritage back four generations. “For symphonic music, there are basically three venues: the National Academy’s Grand Concert Hall, in Dong Da district; a newly built, multipurpose theatre called Ho Guom Opera [where, on November 30, pop vocalist Hong Nhung will perform a night of songs about Hanoi], which is located downtown; and the Hanoi Opera House, of course.” The mustard-coloured walls and white pillars of the latter, built by the French in 1911, make it a popular photo stop. Less well-known is a discreet music bar located just behind the Opera House. “Binh Minh Jazz Club was the first of its kind in the city,” Son says, of a venue, run by local musician Quyen Van Minh, that draws aficionados to nightly live sessions. City sights Both venues are to the southeast of Hoan Kiem Lake, considered to be “the soul of the city”. “We call it the Lake of the Restored Sword,” says Duong, who tells the legend of Emperor Le Loi, whose sword was returned to a divine turtle after he fought off Ming forces during a Chinese incursion in the 15th century, an episode commemorated at Turtle Tower, a pagoda on an island in the lake. The area is best enjoyed at weekends, when traffic is prohibited and “you can walk around and see modern and traditional performances, there’s always something happening”, says Duong. “And it’s free.” Lecht prefers Ho Tay, or West Lake, the 17km shoreline of which she cycles at dawn. “If you go early enough you’ll pass people dancing, playing chess and badminton, or even cooking. There are lots of pagodas right on the lake and you can hear the monks chanting. It’s a magical thing to do.” To get a deeper sense of ancient Hanoi, all interviewees name the Temple of Literature, in Dong Da district, Vietnam’s oldest university, according Son, dating back to 1070. Known as the Van Mieu, it is, in fact, a Confucian academy. Fronted by an arched gate, the landscaped courtyards, altars and shrines invoke the symmetry and style of a classical Chinese temple, albeit with Vietnamese characteristics. “At any time of year you’re going to see students praying for good luck in exams or taking a yearbook photo,” says Duong. Another of the city’s 1,000-year-old sites, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, located to the north of the Van Mieu, is overlooked, believes Duong, although it’s a no less interesting a destination. Built during the Ly dynasty, in the 11th century, on the foundations of a 7th century Chinese fortress, the Imperial Citadel includes a number of gates, pavilions, galleries and ornate gardens, which have earned it a Unesco listing. “It’s huge and has lots of archaeological exhibitions inside,” says Duong. “You could spend the whole day there and the entrance ticket is just 30,000 dong.” The French connection Vietnam’s colonial period ended with bloodshed but the French left an indelible mark on the city, evident in a vibrant cafe culture, landmarks such as the neo-Gothic St Joseph’s Cathedral and the railway, which winds through the centre of the city. “Train Street is a very famous spot in Hanoi mostly because of Instagram,” says Duong, of a stretch of track where tube houses, many of them now housing colourful cafes, stand inches from the rails. But Duong prefers grabbing a coffee near Ga Long Bien and watching trains roll out across the Red River. The Long Bien Bridge was opened in 1902 but came to represent Vietnamese resistance after being repeatedly bombed by the Americans in the 1970s. “It has survived so many things; it’s definitely a symbol of Hanoi,” says Duong. The city’s finest hotel is also of French provenance. “The Grand Metropole [Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi] is a classic hotel that was built in 1901,” says Lecht. “Many famous writers including Graham Greene stayed there, so there’s a lot of history. Plus the location is perfect as the French Quarter fans out from the hotel.” For those without deep-enough pockets to stay in five-star accommodation, Son recommends a boutique hotel that uses only natural cleansing and cleaning agents. “Hay Bay Hotel is on Hang Bong Street, in the middle of the Old Quarter, but you wouldn’t know it; it’s so quiet inside, you can really get a good night’s sleep,” he says. “Ask for a room at the back. If you open the window, you can see the roof gardens of old Hanoi and hear the cathedral bells chime at night.”

Uncovering Hanoi, Vietnam’s rich culture and cuisine

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Locals recommend the Vietnamese capital’s best street food, creative spaces and historical sights

Locals recommend the Vietnamese capital’s best street food, creative spaces and historical sights