By : Chha
Flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia directly to Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi takes approximately around 3 hours and Vietnam time is 1 hour behind Malaysia. So by the time we arrive at Hanoi, it is already around 4.00 pm in the evening. As usual, sky here become dark pretty early at around 6.30 pm the sky start to turn dark. So, there was not much we can do on the first day here in Hanoi.
Getting To Hanoi Old Quarter :
Arriving at Noi Bai International Airport, we tried to flag down some cheap private car or mini van but was unable to. So we decided to take the standard taxi from Airport which cost us 570,000 ₫ for one way.
You can make your taxi reservation at Airport Tourist Information Counter and make the payment on the spot in cash. A Standard Taxi can fit up to 5 people comfortably including driver.
It only takes us around 5 minutes to wait for the taxi to come pick us up at the entrance of Noi Bai Airport but the journey to Hanoi Old Quarter from Noi Bai Airport takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the traffic on that day. The taxi also provide each of us a small bottle of mineral water, which i think is a good service, haha !
The road to Hanoi Old Quarter is comfortable, there is no pot holes or bumpy road .. ! I kinda enjoy the 1 hour ride, haha !
But the moment we enter Hanoi Old Quarter, it is like hell break loose .. motorbike over taking here and there, cars and motor horn non stop at each other .. It makes me feels like as if there is no traffic rules here in Hanoi, you can just drive or ride how every you like, haha !
We went straight to Hanoi Traveller Hostel to check into our rooms before heading out for our late late Lunch which end up to be our Dinner too, haha ! I love the food here in Hanoi, especially those hot Pho which means Noodles in Vietnam.
After dinner we only manage to walk around some part of Hanoi Old Quarter doing some window shopping.
The Old Quarter [Vietnamese: Phố cổ Hà Nội] is the name commonly given to that part of Hanoi that has been in existence since imperial times and which used to be located outside the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long. This quarter used to be a residential, manufacturing, and commercial center, where each street was specialized in one specific type of manufacturing or commerce. Nowadays, the quarter is an attraction for people interested in the history of Hanoi (Source).
So as you walk along the streets of Hanoi Old Quarter you will realize that each street are selling different category of items. Example, Street Number 1 selling items on Wedding, Street Number 2 selling items like candy and tidbits, Street Number 3 selling items made from Stainless Steel and Street Number 4 selling items on Decoration for Chinese New Year which is coming up really soon and in Vietnam they celebrate it grandly !
St. Joseph's Cathedral (Nha Tho Lon)
GPS Coordinate : 21.028795, 105.849007
I am kinda surprise when i see this amazing Cathedral here in Hanoi. Imagine walking through an old town with old building around you and suddenly you see a majestic Cathedral right in front of you, with architecture so different from what you see in Hanoi is really amazing ! I like this Cathedral, it is special ..
Walk way outside of shops in Hanoi are like parking place for motors, there are no proper parking space here at the Old Quarter's of Hanoi, neither for car or even motor so they just park by the road side, this actually make the road become small and crowded.
If you like shopping, Hanoi is a great place to be, there is basically rows and rows of shops selling different things.
Visited : January 2018
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Posted Date : 24 January 2018
Posted Time : 7.54 pm
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