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I visited Hanoi for the weekend during end of August for a short 3d2n trip. The weather was crazily hot since it is summer. It was just a short trip so we decided to cut off Halong Bay ; so it was just chill around in the city .
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I got kinda excited seeing glass bottle coke.
#1 Giảng Cafe
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I was really excited to try out Vietnamese egg coffee ; and my thought of coffee changed ever since because it is THAT good.
Cafe Giang is one of the most old school cafe that serves egg coffee in Hanoi. It is pretty easy to miss out the entrance if you are not careful since it is not a shoplot itself. You need to passed through a short tunnel to get in, and head upstairs.
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It is a little more thick than usual coffee , and the sweetness is just right. The coffee is very very creamy, and you could gulp it down easily. I like how the bitterness mix so well with the egg. I think they do put a little butter in it because I tasted butter.
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good coffee = happy me.
#2 Che Ngon 93
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This one of famous 'Che' in Old Quarter Hanoi . ' Che ' means a bowl of dessert , probably almost the same like Kakigori in Japan, Bingsu in Korea and Ais Kacang in Malaysia.
This place serve hot dessert as well as cold desserts. The weather was really hot so we opt for cold ones.
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I think this is pretty special .
It is pandan glutinous rice , coconut jelly and cempedak.
#3 Hoàn Kiếm Lake
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This lake is one of the famous tourist attraction. The lake surrounds Ngoc Son Temple, a pagoda sitting in the center on a small island.
#4 Pho Thin by the Hoan Kiem Lake
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Was a little skeptical about this place because it is pretty dirty . The smell of the drain was pretty bad due to the hot weather. However, it is famous too so we need to try it.
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We ordered pho and Viet 'yao char koay' ; they usually dip it into the soup. I prefer to have it alone since I don't want the oil to sip into the clear broth. I need to say that the bowl of pho was pretty nice and they give generous amount of coriander ( yes, I like coriander). However, this is not the best I have - and until now, I am not sure if it is because of the environment or the pho was just a so-so .
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Busy streets of Hanoi.
I risk my life just to take pictures .
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#5 29 Phung Hung Hotpot
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We walked quite a distance to look for this vietnamese hotpot restaurant. When we arrived, we were actually disappointed because it is not a restaurant at all. We sit by the roadside and they have stools to put the pots and ingredients. However, the food turn out to be great.
Lau is what they call their hotpot ; it is almost the same as Chinese hotpot but their soup based are usually clear soup based and their food is usually eaten with their own viet dipping sauce which is a mixture of fresh chilli, garlic, salt and lime juice. Their dipping sauce is really the key to their food. it made them taste so much better.
#6 St. Joseph's Cathedral
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St. Joseph's Cathedral is a 19th-century Gothic Revival church in the Hoàn Kiếm District
#7 Stroll Around Trang Tien Street
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Stroll Around Trang Tien Street and visit Trang Tien Plaza where it is the first and only luxury shopping complex in Vietnam ; it is a really small mall so you can easily find what you need in there.
#8 Bun Cha Ta
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It's pretty difficult for me to find Bun Cha back here in KL , and this is also the first time I have Bun Cha. Definitely, the best local Bun Cha can only be found on streets. I did try one of the famous one by the corner of the street. Unfortunately , I did not have many pictures.
If you opt for a more comfortable place for lunch, Bun Cha Ta is a good place to head over. After having Bun Cha here, you can actually walk down the streets to Giang Cafe for egg coffee in less than 5 minutes. One thing I love here is actually like pork spring rolls - too good!
#9 Highway 4 Restaurant
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There are four branches of Highway4 restaurants in Vietnam ; and one of their best out of the four is in Vietnam. I insisted to visit after reading all the good reviews online and I am not disappointed at all. This place serves Vietnamese-Western fusion to cater the locals and western foreigners.
Of course, they mainly promote Viet cuisine.
I would recommend their Crab Spring Rolls and Fried sweet potato ball!
#10 Cafe Nuôi
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Having viet coffee by the roadside/outside the shop , sitting on the wooden stool and overlooking the busy narrow streets seems like a culture in Vietnam. I am glad that I experienced it. I wouldn't say that it was bad - it was indeed one of the most fun thing I experienced there. Maybe it was because of the coffee.
This place wasn't in the itinerary . It is just a place few steps away from where I stay. It is crowded day and night with the locals. I suppose that this is one of the to go place for them.
After I came back, I googled this place. It is listed as one of the best cafe in Hanoi .
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Of viet coffee in glass , blue stools and cigarette buds on the floor.
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Bareface.
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Everyone I know told me that Hanoi is great and enjoyable but I did not enjoy myself at all due to the hot weather. It is summer over there and the temperature went up to 39 degrees. It was so stuffy since the city is pretty small and there are always people around. I was a little sick too. And I missed out Halong Bay due to the time constraint.
I remember wanting to go home on the first night itself because this is not what I expect to be. This city is something I am really unfamiliar with and I genuinely did not like it. But looking at the photos I took, I slowly realize the beauty of it. It wasn't that bad at all. It was just me , and the goddamn hot weather.
I will definitely revisit Hanoi. I deserve a chance to enjoy Hanoi , to visit Halong Bay and that very next time, I think I'll love this city. The next time, I will visit during winter. Hanoi deserves a chance to show me their beauty. And I deserve to enjoy it.
xx.