Hanoi, Vietnam - A City of Contrasts

Hanoi is a city most people can visit over an extended weekend. Is it your first time? Then it is advisable to pack your flats, hit the street around the Old Quarter, and be prepared to enjoy some delightful architectural, cultural and dining surprises.

What to see and do?

Food fest

Head to Quan An Ngon (18 Phan Boi Chau), a fancy outdoor food court with low, casual tables. Here you can simple tasty local foods like Bun Cha (pork grilled over coal embers served in a sweet soup, with fresh white rice noodles and salad greens) and Banh Cuon (glutinous rice noodle dumpling with mushroom or pork filling). But if you are looking for a nicer ambience, go to Restaurant Bobby Chinn (No 1 Ba Trieu) - its red drapes, harem-like décor and interesting fusion cuisine will surely charm you. Want to know what French-Vietnamese fusion cuisine is like? You can't go wrong with Verticale (19 Ngo Van So), helmed by popular chef Didier Courlou. His artichokes from Da Lat served with Ha Long curry sauce is divine, and will have you licking your fingers to savor every morsel.

Buying spree

Hanoi is shopping haven, especially for chic house ware in lacquer, eggshell and mother-of-pearl. Silk bed linen, cushions and runners can be bought for such a low prices. For high quality home furnishings, visit Dome Interiors (10 Yen The St), La Casa (12 Nha Tho) and Mosaique (6 Ly Quoc Su). Little embroidered bags that will make your girlfriends green with envy can be found in shops around Nha Tho, as well as at the boutique in the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. If you're a fan of Ipa-Nima and the brand's flamboyantly embroidered and beaded bags, you simply have to go to the over-the-top pink palace on 34 Han Thuyen. Local tailors have a good reputation for quick and well-made clothes, so head to Hang Gai Street on your first day. You're sure to get the pieces a day or two later.

Art buying

From Van Gogh to current Vietnamese artists, Hanoi is bound to sell reproductions. But good originals are available too; there are many galleries on Hong Street and Trang Tien that cater to tourists. Keep your eyes open, though, as some well-established galleries may sell reproductions. Buy one if you wish, but don't allow yourself to be fooled into paying top dollar for it. If you're more interested in contemporary art, Art Vietnam (7 Nguyen Khac Nhu) and Suffusive Art (2B, Bao Khanh Lane) sell the works of young and up-and-coming artists at affordable prices.

Museum walk

If there is only one museum you have the time or inclination to visit, go to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (Nguyen Van Huyen Road, at 25,000 VND (Vietnamese Dong)). A little out of the centre (the 20-minute taxi ride from the hotel may cost around 70,000 VND), this museum features the rich heritage of the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam. Outside, a reconstruction of their different houses provide a fascinating insight into the lives of the tribe members, without you having to trek up the mountains to see them first-hand.