Ha Noi

Click here if you would like to read an overview of my 3 months experience in Vietnam, 

I was in Hanoi for 6 weeks but i spent most of my time volunteering. There isn't any itinerary that i can share, but there are a couple of wonderful places that i enjoyed very much:

• Long Bien Bridge - Go there especially if you love photography. The bridge was designed by Gustave Eiffel, who is best known for the world-famous Eiffel Tower. I dare you to climb into the tracks, you surely will be able to take great shots there.

• West Lake - Go there if you are seeking for some peace and quiet. It's a huge lake that will probably take you hours to walk around. 

• Art MuseFine Art Museum - It is a great place to visit if you have any slight interest in Arts! You will fine a variety of Vietnamese artworks from 11th to 20th century. It showcases many artworks of different styles - Lacquer painting, silk painting, painting on paper, oil and sculptures too. The artworks are exhibited according to dates, which gave me a good insight about Vietnam art history development.

• Hoan Kiem Lake - A pleasant park situated at the centre of the town. It's where locals go to for a run in the morning or to sit and read in the afternoon. There's a story behind this lake and a giant turtle that used to live there but has died recently. Head to Ngoc Son Temple, located by the lake to find out more about the story. 

• Roam around the Old Quarters - Look at the street name and find out what does it stands for. "Clothes Street", "Book Street" etc is probably what you will get. Yes, in the past, every street sells just what it is named as. You will still find majority of those items on that particular street. Though i wasn't much into shopping, roaming around the old quarters, observing the old building that has a mixture of Asian and French Culture was a simple pleasure for me. 

• Catch a movie at Lotte Cinema and order popcorns! - The movie ticket cost about $5. Lotte Cinema has a variety of popcorn flavors to choose from! You got to try the Bacon flavor.  I love it!

• Cafe hopping! What's Vietnam most famous for? COFFEE! It shouldn't be a suprise that there are plenty of cafes in Vietnam. You got to try the famous Hanoi Egg Coffee! I love the one at Cafe Dinh, 13 Dinh Tien Hoang, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.

• Best Local Ice Cream - It's not the creamy gelato kind of ice cream, but it's still tasty and they have a couple of unique flavors like green bean and glutinous rice.  Trang Tien street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi city

• Eat lots of spring rolls, Bun Cha and Banh Cuon -  I wrote about my favorite food in Vietnam at the bottom of my previous entry. All of it is in Hanoi, lol, so do check it out!

Lastly, do check out Teatalk Cafe and Bakery, the social enterprise cafe that I volunteered at for a month. It was established by a fellow Singaporean who I admire a lot. Watch the video below to find out more about their story: