Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [290]
Harbour View 4 Tran Phu 031/382 7827, www.harbourviewvietnam.com. This mock-colonial, international-class hotel is as plush as Haiphong gets. It boasts two restaurants, a piano bar and a pocket-sized pool, not to mention very stylish rooms and impeccable service. US$76–150
Huu Nghi 60 Dien Bien Phu 031/382 3244, huunghihotel@hn.vnn.vn. The central strip’s glitziest hotel is housed in an unsympathetic eleven-storey block, one of the tallest buildings in town. Some rooms are looking a bit worn, but facilities include a small pool, tennis court and fitness centre. US$51–75
Kim Thanh 67 Dien Bien Phu 031/374 7216, vntourism.hp@bdvn.vnmail.vnd.net. A reasonable budget choice on the central strip. Don’t expect much in the way of frills, but the rooms are clean and well maintained and the staff friendly. US$11–20
Maxim 3k Ly Tu Trong 031/374 6540, maximhotelvn@yahoo.com. You’d be wise to book ahead at this attractive new hotel offering excellent value for money with its well-equipped rooms, with satellite TV, a/c, phones and fridges. It’s worth paying a couple of dollars extra for a room with a window – and great views from the top floors. There’s free internet access and the hotel is also home to one of Haiphong’s best restaurants, the Truc Lam. US$11–20
Monaco 103 Dien Bien Phu 031/374 6468, monacohotel@vnn.vn. With its museum-like reception hall and arty guestrooms, some with kitchenettes, this small three-star hotel provides the best value rooms in town. US$21–30
Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard | Haiphong |
The city centre
Despite its recent history, old Haiphong is surprisingly well preserved. The crescent-shaped nineteenth-century core, which holds most places of interest, lies between the curve of the Tam Bac River and the loop of the train tracks. To the north of the main artery, Dien Bien Phu, you’ll find an area of broad, sleepy avenues and Haiphong’s most attractive colonial architecture. On Dien Bien Phu itself is a mix of hotels, banks and shops and the classic wine-red facade of the Haiphong Museum (Tues & Thurs 8–10.30am, Wed & Sun 7.30–9.30pm; 2000đ) at no. 66. Even during its advertised opening hours the museum is often closed, but you’re not missing much – it houses a motley collection of stuffed animals and a few moderately interesting photos of Haiphong under French rule. Instead, head southwest towards the square tower of Haiphong cathedral, built in the late nineteenth century and recently renovated after years of neglect, and continue down bustling Hoang Van Thu to the buttermilk-yellow theatre. Constructed of materials shipped from France in the early 1900s, it faces onto a wide, open square – a site remembered locally for the deaths of forty revolutionaries during the street battles of November 1946 “after a valiant fight against French invaders”.
In earlier times the Bonnal Canal ran past this square, linking the Tam Bac and Cua Cam rivers. For most of its length it’s now gardens, cutting a green swathe through the city, but the canal’s western section survives as Tam Bac Lake. The wide, shady boulevards bordering the lake and gardens make for a pleasant stroll, and the massive bronze statue of the city’s heroine, Le Chan (See "The city centre"), made in the bold style of Soviet Social Realism, adds to the area’s appeal. North of the lake you’ll find Haiphong’s merchants’ quarter, a lively area of street markets, chandlers and ironmongers between Tran Trinh and Cho Sat. Sat Market’s nineteenth-century halls have been replaced by an ugly, six-storey block, but there’s still plenty of streetlife around. Also of interest in the central district is Den Nghe, on the corner of Me Linh and Le Chan, an unusually cramped temple noted for its sculptures. The finest carvings are on the massive stone table in the first courtyard, but make sure you also look above the perfumed haze of incense for some detailed friezes. General Le Chan, who led the Trung Sisters’ Rebellion (See "Chinese rule"), is worshipped at the main altar; on the eighth day of each second