Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [247]
Hanoi, somewhat unjustly, remains less popular than Ho Chi Minh City as a jumping-off point for touring Vietnam, with many making the journey from south to north. Nevertheless, it provides a convenient base for excursions to Ha Long Bay, and to Sa Pa and the northern mountains, where you’ll be able to get away from the tourist hordes and sample life in rural Vietnam. There are also a few attractions much closer at hand, predominantly religious foundations such as the Perfume Pagoda, with its spectacular setting among limestone hills, and the spiral-shaped citadel of Co Loa, just north of today’s capital. The Red River Delta’s fertile alluvial soil supports one of the highest rural population densities in Southeast Asia, living in bamboo-screened villages dotted among the paddy fields. Some of these communities have been plying the same trade for generations, such as ceramics, carpentry or snake-breeding. While the more successful craft villages are becoming commercialized, it’s possible, with a bit of effort, to get well off the beaten track to where Confucianism still holds sway.
The best time to visit Hanoi is during the three months from October to December, when you’ll find warm, sunny days and levels of humidity below the norm of eighty percent, though it can be chilly at night. From January to March, cold winds from China combine with high humidity to give a fine mist which often hangs in the air for days. March and April usually bring better weather, before the extreme summer heat arrives in late April, accompanied by monsoon storms which peak in August and can last until early October, causing serious flooding throughout the delta.
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Hanoi and around |
Highlights
The Old Quarter Wander through the intoxicating tangle of streets that make up Hanoi’s commercial heart.
The Opera House Check out this stately signature-piece of French colonial architecture, which was modelled on the one in Paris.
Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum The ghostly figure of “Uncle Ho”, embalmed against his wishes, remains a strangely moving sight.
Temple of Literature Vietnam’s foremost Confucian sanctuary and centre of learning provides a haven of green lawns amidst the hubbub of Hanoi.
Tran Quoc Pagoda Hanoi’s oldest religious foundation attracts a constant stream of petitioners and sightseers.
Museum of Ethnology Discover the staggering variety and creativity of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities.
Pho bo Join the locals and slurp on Hanoi’s traditional beef-and-noodle breakfast soup.
Bia hoi bars As night falls parties gather for a few refreshing jars of the local brew.
Water-puppets Vietnam’s quirky but charming art form developed in the floodlands of the Red River Delta. (See "Traditional Vietnamese entertainment")
The Old Quarter, Hanoi
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Hanoi and around |
Some history
When Tang Chinese armies invaded Vietnam in the seventh century, they chose a small Red River fort as capital of their new protectorate, named, optimistically, Annam, the “Pacified South”. Three centuries later the rebellious Vietnamese ousted the Chinese from their “Great Nest”, Dai La, in 939 AD. After that, the citadel lay abandoned until 1010 when King Ly Thai To, usually credited as Hanoi’s founding father, recognized the site’s potential and established his own court beside the Red River. It seems the omens were on his side for, according to legend, when the king stepped from his royal barge onto the riverbank a golden dragon flew up towards the heavens. From then on Thang Long, “City of the Soaring Dragon”, was destined to be the nation’s capital, with only minor interruptions,