We planned on staying in Vietnam for a month, backpacking from its southern city, Ho Chi Minh, to its northern capital, Hanoi, by land. Everything was well planned. What we hadn’t counted on was our visa validity in Vietnam—Filipinos are only allowed twenty one days in Vietnam—well, at least for free. Should we want to extend, we would need to shell out some dongs. Weighing things down, we decided to scrap some places to visit on our list and shorten some stay on others. Finally, we trimmed it down to three weeks. Our Vietnam backpacking itinerary still looked good, and we were quite excited to explore this country!

Our last stop, before ending our two-month backpacking trip across Asia, is the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long or simply, Hanoi Citadel. The place, with its gated walls stretching for a city block, caught our attention during our Ba Dinh District Tour of Hanoi. Unfortunately, it was already closed when we spotted it, so we had to come back the next day just to see it.

PART OF THE CITADEL WALL

But why come back at all when we can simply chill on our last day of our Same Same Summer Trip? From the outside, it does look impressive, add in the massive Doan Mon Gate and its label as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—one of the seven in Vietnam—and we just knew that we’d have to see what’s inside its walls.

After doing the requisite Hanoi Old Quarter and French Quarter walking tour, it’s time to see other parts of the city. And yes, there’s more to Hanoi than the places around Hoan Kiem District, and what’s nice about it is that these are all very walkable from Hoan Kiem Lake.

Ba Dinh District is mostly characterized by stately government buildings and wide tree-lined streets, a breather from the tight roadways of the Old Quarter. But besides these, it also has the most beautiful temples in Hanoi, even boasting of a certified UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Like the Hoan Kiem walking tour, this would take almost the whole day—check out my Hanoi Food Trip post for places where you can eat along the way. If you haven’t ran your soles to the ground just yet, then get your cameras and let’s see what the western side of Hanoi has to offer!

 

 

HANOI TRAIN STREET

  ADDRESS: DIEN BIEN PHU ROAD, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 24 HOURS DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE

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Walking from either Hang Bong Street from the Old Quarter, or Trang Thi Road at the French Quarter, stop at the train tracks along the Dien Bien Phu Road and enter Hanoi’s Train Street. It’s a proper street—houses on both sides with kids playing along, people going about their daily routine on a narrow roadway reminiscent of those at the Old Quarter—the only difference is that there’s an actual train track right in the middle!

And yes, there’s an actual big-ass train that passes along this route, not once, but twice a day at 3:30PM and 7:30PM. The area is really narrow, so if you’re planning to catch the train, find a safe spot before the designated time, and watch the southern end of the rail for the incoming locomotive.

 

 

TEMPLE OF LITERATURE

  ADDRESS: 58 QUOC TU GIAM STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 8:00PM - 6:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 30,000.00 (USD 1.50)

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About 600 meters away from the train tracks is the Temple of Literature. Featured at the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong and the Starbucks City Icon mug, it is one of the most beautiful temples in Hanoi.

It was built in 1070 on a 54,000 square meter plot of land subdivided into five walled courtyards. The landscapes, well maintained and very serene, matches well with the ornate imperial Chinese architecture. It is dedicated to the teachings of Confucius, with the complex housing the first ever national university in Vietnam, Quốc Tử Giám, or the Imperial Academy. Its prominence fell when the capital was moved to the Imperial City of Hue, but its majesty remained.

It would take more than an hour to explore every nook and crannies of this place, so make sure you’d had breakfast before going in.

 

 

LENIN PARK

  ADDRESS: 28A DIEN BIEN PHU STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 24 HOURS DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE

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Head northwards and you’d find a park dedicated to Russia’s communist revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin. It’s a small park replete with trees, nothing really remarkable except for the Lenin statue. It’s not everyday that you get to see this guy’s likeness on parks across South East Asia.

 

 

VIETNAM MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM

  ADDRESS: 28 DIEN BIEN PHU STREET, BA DINH DIST. | OPEN HOURS: 8:00AM-4:30PM, CLOSED FRIDAY | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 30,000 (USD 1.50)

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Right across the street, fronting Gospodin Lenin, is the Vietnam Military History Museum, or simply Army Museum. You actually won’t notice it, since it’s fronted by a nondescript two-story building, except for the MIG-21 jet fighter (it shot down fourteen US planes during the war) docked on its left flank.

Besides war relics displayed inside the museum, on its courtyard, you’d find a couple of planes, a chopper, wreckage of an American B-52 bomber, and the actual military tank that crashed through the gates of Saigon’s Presidential Palace which ended the Vietnam War in 1975.

 

 

HANOI FLAG TOWER

  ADDRESS: LE HONG PHONG STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 9:00AM - 5:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 30,000.00 (USD 1.50)

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Right beside the Army Museum is the iconic Hanoi Flag Tower. Rising to a height of forty one meters with a gigantic red Vietnamese flag dancing with the wind, it’s almost always visible along the Ba Dinh District. Built in 1812, more than 200 years from today, its octagonal tower stands on three brick platforms. It’s one of the rare architectural gems that weren’t destroyed during the French-colonial times in Vietnam.

 

 

IMPERIAL CITADEL OF THANG LONG

  ADDRESS: HOANG DIEU STREET, BA DINH DIST. | OPEN HOURS: 8:30AM-5:00PM, CLOSED ON MONDAY | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 30,000 (USD 1.50)

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From the flag tower, head north to see the Hanoi Citadel. Dubbed as the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, it’s one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Vietnam. The massive site served as the political center of Vietnam for thirteen consecutive centuries and the capital of the country for eight centuries. It has a long historical past, with archeological diggings unearthing 6th and 20th century artifacts—from foundations of old palaces to ancient roads, ceramics, and coins.

This place is massive and it would take a couple of hours to tour its grounds, it wholly deserves a separate article.

 

 

VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL

  ADDRESS: HOANG DIEU STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 24 HOURS DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE

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A hundred meters away from the gates of Hanoi Citadel is the Dai Liet Si Quoc Gia. Directly translated, it means National Martyr’s Hall or more popularly known as the Vietnam War Memorial.

With massive blocks of stone carved with a traditional golden pagoda, its construction is a fusion of Vietnamese and modernist architecture. Constructed in 1993, it commemorates the sacrifices of its people during the bloody Vietnam War.

 

 

CUA BAC CHURCH

  ADDRESS: 56 PHAN DINH PHUNG STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE

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If you head straight along the highway, which we did not, you’ll arrive at the Cua Bac Church, one of the three major churches in Hanoi. Originally named as the Church of the Martyrs, it was built by the French in 1932 during the colonial period in Vietnam. A fusion in Art Deco and local Vietnamese architecture, it is characterized by a handsome belfry and massive rose windows on its front façade and transepts.

 

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QUAN THANH TEMPLE

  ADDRESS: THAN NIEN STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 7:00AM – 5:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 10,000.00 (USD 0.50)

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Another place we missed, but were within striking distance of our Ba Dinh District walk, was the Quan Thanh Temple. It’s a Taoist temple built in the 11th century and one of the Four Sacred Temples in Hanoi. It was built over one of the four cardinal directions to protect the city from evil spirits.

 

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TRAN QUOC PAGODA

  ADDRESS: THAN NIEN STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 7:00AM – 5:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 10,000.00 (USD 0.50)

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And yet another one we missed, the Tran Quoc Pagoda. It’s about 300 meters from the Quan Thanh Temple, jutting over Hanoi’s gigantic West Lake. The Buddhist temple is set on a causeway on the east side of the water and features an eleven-storey red pagoda where monk’s ashes are reverently kept.

The temple was constructed in the 6th century, making it the oldest pagoda in Hanoi. Besides its structures, one of the more important things to see inside the complex is a Bodhi tree, a cutting of the original tree in India where Buddha sat and achieved nirvana. It was a gift by Indian president Rajendra Prasad in 1959.

The best time to actually go here is during sunsets, so should you prefer to, you can go to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and its nearby attractions first before going here to make this your final destination of the tour.

 

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HANOI PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

  ADDRESS: HUNG VUONG STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 7:30AM - 1:30PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 25,000.00 (USD 1.25)

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Painted in bright yellows, Hanoi’s Presidential Palace can be viewed only from the wrought iron gates outside the compound. Or that’s what we thought. It turned out visitors can actually tour the ground, but not enter the palace itself. It was constructed in Italian Renaissance style by the French.

It was said that Ho Chi Minh refused to live in the palace during his time, preferring to live on a traditional Vietnamese stilt house that he asked to be built within the same grounds.

 

 

HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM

  ADDRESS: HUNG VUONG STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 8:00AM – 5:00PM | ENTRANCE FEE: NONE

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Ho Chi Minh’s final resting place is the centerpiece of Ba Dinh District. Located on Ba Dinh Square, the structure, clad in grey granite, was inspired by Lenin’s in Moscow. It was built in 1975 with a height of 21.6 meters; it’s both regal and imposing. The embalmed body of the Vietnamese leader is preserved inside the hall where visitors are allowed to enter, it was just unfortunate that it was closed when we visited.

 

 

ONE PILLAR PAGODA

  ADDRESS: CHUA MOT COT STREET, BA DINH DISTRICT, HANOI | OPENING HOURS: 7:30AM - 1:30PM | ENTRANCE FEE: VND 25,000.00 (USD 1.25)

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And like an encore, the final destination for our Ba Dinh District tour is the One Pillar Pagoda. It is located just beside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, hidden behind a wall.

We were actually looking for a pagoda within the vicinity, thinking, we could not possibly miss a pagoda in such an open environment. Well, we failed in finding it. The reason? It was so small! The Buddhist pagoda, built in 1049, stands at a mere four meters! But still, it is considered as one of the two most iconic temples in the whole of Vietnam.

 

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Having already done a chaotic no-direction two-day walking tour of Hanoi on our first visit to the city, it was time to do a more organized one this time around. But having seen some of the sights before at the French Quarter and Hanoi’s Old Quarter, we turned to those we haven’t been to before.

But just for your sake, my dear readers, I’m rounding out a one day walking itinerary of Hanoi’s Old Quarter and French Quarter—which, by the way, are both in Hoan Kiem District—in one go. And this one’s much more organized than what we actually did in real life.

I recommend starting your Hanoi DIY walking tour from Hoan Kiem Lake. Well, you can actually start anywhere near your lodging, but for the sake of this guide, since the lake is one of the central area of the district, I’ll start there. For food stops, check out my Hanoi Food Trip post, or you can just eat wherever suits your fancy, you won’t run out of food places in Hanoi. And lastly, keep your eyes open between destinations, it’s where you’d really find what Hanoi is all about. So, ready your walking shoes, this would take almost the whole day!

On our second trip to Hanoi, Vietnamese street food, again, became our staple for our everyday gastronomic needs. From our arrival from the Imperial Citadel of Hue, to our departure going back to the Philippines (where Jollibee awaited), we ate on nothing but the cheap eats found on the sidewalks of the city. Definitely no fancy restaurants for us!

A TYPICAL FRUIT VENDOR ON THE STREETS OF HANOI

I was originally planning to include these on my previous Hanoi food trip article, but the variety of Vietnamese food is just too overwhelming, so I’m posting this separately!

“Where are the motorbikes?!” We were totally baffled the morning we arrived at Hanoi after visiting the Imperial Citadel of Hue. The streets around Hoan Kiem Lake were devoid of motorbikes, or any motorized vehicle for that matter. It was a Sunday morning, the weather was a bit nippy with magenta bougainvillea flowers and yellow blossoms from the trees littering the road. It was quite a refreshing sight, totally very not Hanoi, but in a very good way!

HOAM KIEM LAKE IN HANOI

It turns out that Hanoi has started to pedestrianize the roadways around Hoan Kiem Lake. The testing stage started as far back as 2014, with six major streets barricaded against motorized traffic. By September 2016, fifteen more streets were added in.

Hanoi was the base of operation for our Sapa trip and our overnight Halong Bay Cruise. On our first Hanoi visit, we had a taste of its French Colonial past at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, but this time around, we wanted to experience the buzz of the Old Quarter, so what we did, we booked a few nights on one of the newest hostel in town, Cocoon Inn.

TA HIEN STREET AT NIGHT

Located at the busy Hang Buom Road, it’s a stone throw’s away from the weekend market and our favorite hangout at the Old Quarter—the backpacker district, Ta Hien Street. It’s a busy intersection where we usually have our bia hoi from the afternoons up to late evenings.

From karate chops and thrown punches, the martial arts group that was with us stopped their frenzied activities and finally paused to enjoy the scenery. Night was slowly descending, aboard a medium-sized cruise boat, we watched from the topside as the sky, a fiery orange a moment ago, transformed into muted pastels. Halong Bay’s waters, reflecting the heavens, was absolutely golden.

HALONG BAY ON OUR MIND

This was our first time in Halong Bay, but it wasn’t the first time we’ve booked a trip here. Almost a year back, during our first visit to Hanoi, we availed of Klook’s Halong Bay Daytour Cruise, but due to inclement weather we had to cancel.

From our window at Song Anh Hotel, I spotted an antenna tower jutting from a low cliff lined with terraces of vegetation. Visiting Sapa without trekking is indeed possible, we hate trekking, but to let the panoramic view we witness day in and day out from our lodging without actually stepping foot on it was, I guess, unforgivable. So one misty afternoon, we decided to forego our usual town jaunt and headed over to that particular antenna. We have no idea what we would see there, but what the heck.

VIOLET ROAD IN SAPA

CREW BREAK, ONE OF THE MANY CONSTRUCTION SITES IN SAPA

Our route took us down Fansipan Road, rounding the bend to Violet. Passing numerous constructions—development in Sapa seems to be on the fast track—the streets were deserted and the sun started to reveal itself. Still, the air felt nippy and the walk was pleasant enough.

What to do in Sapa? That was the question that was running through our pho-addled minds as we alternately sipped its warm broth and munched on the deliciously fried cha gio on our table. We initially went to Sapa to trek its mountains (gasp!), but since our plan to stay a couple of days on one of its remote villages didn’t push through, we were left with nothing to do but explore the town. I mean, we could’ve still gone. But let’s face it, we hate hiking.

A LOCAL HMONG KID FROM SAPA

With our bowl almost empty, we decided we’ll simply do what we do best. Nothing. We’re experts when it comes to doing just that and Sapa proves to be one of those towns where you can do nothing and still enjoy every minute of it.

And we have four days to do it too.

Sapa welcomed us with a bright blue sky. The air felt nippy and it felt wonderful walking about with Vietnamese mountain people on their colorful garbs along its sun-strewn sidewalks. Trees abound, pines mostly, making us reminiscent of certain regions in the Philippines.

MORNING AT SAPA PARK, THIS WAS WHERE OUR BUS DROPPED US OFF

“This feels like Baguio”, I told C. “No, it’s more like Sagada,” she threw right back at me. Well, Sapa seemed like a combination of both, ten or twenty years back. Throw in a dash of Banaue into the mix and it almost encapsulates our first impressions of the town. Well, almost.

Coming from Hue’s relative idyllic pace, we took a sixteen-hour overnight ride via Sinh Tourist’s Open Bus to the chaotic streets of Hanoi. It’s been almost a year since we first visited this northern Vietnamese city, and it felt like coming home; we’re definitely much more enamored by Hanoi than its southern counterpart, Saigon. But we were not about to stay just yet.

BACK IN HANOI’S OLD QUARTER

Arriving bleary eyed early the next morning, we dropped our backpacks at Cocoon Inn Hanoi (where we would eventually stay) asking nicely if we could deposit them for a few days while we continue our journey north. Our target destination was Sapa, one of Vietnam’s mountainous regions. We reckon we really didn’t need to bring all our bloody belongings all the way up there, we just needed a few change of clothes and our cameras with us.

We walked the same path leading to the Imperial Citadel of Hue, the same one we trodded on twelve hours ago. The difference was, it was fully dark then—the former imperial capital of Vietnam, its red walls shining bright like a gem against a darkened sky. Now, with a background of gray brooding skies, it looked drab and lifeless. But we really didn’t have much of a choice, we can’t wait for bright blue skies and sunshine with less than a day left in Hue.

THE CITADEL FLAG TOWER IN HUE

Waking early from Flora Hotel Hue, we hailed a cab that took us straight to the ancient Imperial City. It was about thirty minutes away by foot, definitely walkable, but we were chasing time. We exit out of Hue towards Hanoi that same afternoon—we’re thinking of Kiwitaxi, one of the most reliable transfers in Vietnam.

With intuition as tool, we roamed the evening roads of Hue, looking for its crown jewel, the Imperial Citadel—the country’s former seat of power before modern Vietnam. And finally after an hour or so of dodging motorcycles, with cameras aimed, we came face to face with what we came to this old city for.

TAKING THE BUS FROM HOI AN TO HUE

Coming from the ancient town of Hoi An, it took a three-hour bus ride before we arrived on our third stop for the Vietnam leg of our Same Same Summer Trip, Hue. Using the very convenient hop-on hop-off bus from Sinh Tourists, we alighted late in the afternoon right beside the Perfume River, one of the things Hue is known for, and proceeded on foot towards our lodging.

While temples and museums are alright with us, visiting a slew of them in one go is simply too much. We’ve had our fair share of temple runs in Siem Reap, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Ayutthaya, Penang, and Yogyakarta, and we always felt, well, ran out, afterwards. It was too much of a sensory overload. This time, we’re having it at, of all places, Vietnam. I’d never thought there’d be that many temples (and museums) in a single area on a socialist country like Vietnam.

INSIDE ONE OF THE MANY MUSEUMS IN HOI AN

We never really signed up for this, it was totally forced on us. While entering the Hoi An Ancient Town, we were stopped by a guard and was asked to buy a ticket containing five entrance stubs to any temples, museums, or workshops we would like to go for VND120,000.00 (USD5.30 | PHP270.00). They didn’t tell us we don’t really need this to enter old town. And should they have, we would have entirely forgone this part of our Hoi An tour.

There are two things that the Ancient Town of Hoi An are proud of. The first is its inimitable history and heritage, the second is food. Lots of it. Hoi An, being a sort of melting pot after its history of being a trading post during the 16th century has amassed an arsenal of diverse food choices that can make your head spin, and your tummies, absolutely happy.

A TYPICAL SIT DOWN FOOD AFFAIR AT HOI AN

Hoi An is well known for three dishes, cao lau noodles, white rose dumplings, and banh xeo. But more than these, there are still a plethora of things you can eat while in town—be it on fancy riverside restaurants or street vendors from the sidewalk.