Hanoi Walking Tour

It's hot now in Vietnam but oh-so less expensive than in the winter. For those going or thinking of going to Hanoi, here's an article from the Asian Wall Street Journal that offers a nice walking tour of the city center.

Walking Vietnam's Capital, by Claudia Blume, 7/25/08

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Comments

[hel]

That walking tour was rubbish! I've lived in Hanoi two years. Moca Cafe on Nha Tho street? Come on. Ok, I eat there sometimes but if yr gonna be in Hanoi a few days why go to a place that does average food for average prices?
My tips.
Highway 4 on Hang Tre. Good variety of northern dishes, from normal (pork, etc) to "weird" (crickets, smoked dog meat) to traditional street foods (pho cuon,which you only get in Truc Bach) to awesome salads like papaya and banana flower.

Phung Hung - hotpot street. good hotpot.nighttime only.

sticky rice places on Nguyen Huu Huan street.

And for fine dining maybe Verticale. To hell with Bobby Chinns (he has a tv show too) unless you like self-adoring tossers.

[Maggie B]

If the previous poster has lived in Hanoi two years, why do you even bother to read a walking tour from the WSJ?

Anyway, Claudia Blume is a Hong Kong based correspondent, which explains the fairly surface-level observations of Hanoi, but at least she tries. The places she picked are fine, but I would throw in a few more "local" type experiences, such as a rich coffee on the street just off Hoan Kiem (is it Hang Hom) and a nice fresh fruit sinh to somewhere along Hai Ba Trung street, after the stop at Hoa Lo prison. Later, a nice indulgent dinner at Paris Deli on Ngo Quyen/Hai Ba Trung followed by kem xoi at the corner (just look for the crowd).

Ah yes, there's nothing like basing your day on food :)

[Andrea Nguyen]

Thanks Hel and Maggie B for your insights! Yes, Asian WSJ should broaden their readers horizons a bit more and hopefully your passionate viewpoints will be well taken. On the other hand, what are blogs for but for regular folks to get their 2 cents in!