Strolling new pockets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, enjoying the colorful street scenes…
The old quarter is of course only one small section of Hanoi, with other areas quite built up. Surprisingly while we understand Vietnams’ history with French colonialism, we did not expect the city to be so remindful of Paris in parts. Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam and bustling with vendors, shops, modern buildings and traffic.
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| Lots of fruit vendors, but also flowers… |
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| Ubiquitous fruit distribution system… |
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| Hanoi as a city was structured around 45 or so “guilds” (i.e. leather, metal works… here, the bamboo street… a wink to CO2 Bambu) |
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| Best to travel the city by motorbike – Xe Om… here, a driver awaiting his next ride |
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| We walk past a Kung Fu class for people under 3 feet tall… (too cute!) |
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| Ben likes his coffee as much as anyone else we know… but MAN this Vietnamese coffee is STRONG!!! Back to the “guilds” concept – this street is store after store of coffee only. |
To each neighborhood, its temple… This is Bach Ma temple, the oldest temple in the city. It was built by King Ly Thai To, to honor a white horse that guided him to the site to construct his city walls. The pagoda includes a statue of the legendary white horse.
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| Peta getting acquainted “face to face” with the temple’s guardian |
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| And a mighty guardian he is… |
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King Ly Thai To’s white horse…
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| Huge red lacquered drum used in ceremony |
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| Note the offering of cans of coke to the deities… |
To each neighborhood, its culinary discovery…
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| Open air “food court” with specialties from each region |
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An old time favorite – Vietnamese “pancake” – YUM!!
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| The customary spices that transform basic ingredients into Vietnamese magic |
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| A shout out to Adam! “this fishy’s for you!” |
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| Crispy mini tilapia… yum! |
Other French influences: I remember the popularity of baguette being a surprise (and especially the sandwiches – “banh mi”), as well as the many bakeries.