Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital lies in the North of the country and is one of the country’s top tourist hot spots.
It offers French-colonial architecture, a rich food culture and a long history (the city celebrated its millennium in 2010.) The most well known and important districts in Hanoi are Ba Dinh District (aka the French Quarter) where the government offices are located and Hoan Kiem District (aka the Old Quarter) which is considered the city’s business hub and main tourist destination. One of Hanoi’s most common sights is that of streets packed with scooters, bicycles and cars swarming around pedestrians like a school of fish.
Each street name refers to a certain kind of product which was sold in the past. For example, “Hang Da” means the street where leather was sold. “Hang Dao” means the street selling silk. Then there are the many sidewalk vendors and people simply out for a stroll and the popular Old Quarter is no exception so walking around this district is distinct from a leisurely stroll in the park. Visitors have no choice but to face the traffic in the local style but the experience of exploring the historical area is a must-do and truly well worth it.
Nowadays, there are thousands of tourists choose The Old Quarter to stay to explore the typical daily life of the old French Colony over a century.