Is Hanoi Vietnam’s Best City? Here’s What I Found
Hi guys, welcome to a new location. Already the last episode of my Vietnam travel vlog series. We started all the way in the south in Ho Choi Min City and worked our way up to the north to end this great adventure in the beautiful capital of Vietnam, Hanoi. Here you will find the center of art, culture, history, and home for almost 9 million people, making it the second largest city in Vietnam after Ho Chi Min. Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina during the French rule of Asia. Later, when Vietnam was independent from the French, it became the capital of North Vietnam. The French pass is still clearly visible in the city. These influences are mostly presented in white boulevards and old villas, but there’s also a French quarter in the city. So, we will have a stroll there together with lots of other things because there’s so much to do here in the city. I will show you the best things to do. We are now here in the green lung of Hanoi. Afterwards, we’re going to a prison, a cathedral. We’re going to the heart of the city, which is the lake. We’re going to have a drink in the popular train street. We’re going to the old quarter. Of course, this is my favorite part of the city. Afterwards, we are going to catch a sunset in the long tin bridge. But for now, let’s uh wander around the Tong Nut Park, the green lung of Hanoi. Look how beautiful. It’s a Saturday, so there are lots of people outside. It’s a very very uh vibrant atmosphere that you have here. So let’s start our walk through the capital of Vietnam. So the Tongut Park is a little bit outside of the center. It’s in the south of Hanoi. We are going walk our way up to the center and the first stop we going to make is the Ha Prison. And yeah, they have an abandoned building. [Music] No idea what this was used to be, but yeah, it’s located right next to this beautiful lake. And there are some people playing karaoke, which is very popular here in Vietnam. I didn’t know that, but when we did the hijang loop and also in Halong Bay, a lot of people are playing the karaoke. So lovely to see. They just enjoy it that much. [Music] You see, it’s a hot spot for the locals. They just enjoy their weekend. Now, it’s a Saturday. So now from this park, it’s a 10-minute walk to our first stop, the prison. So look at this beautiful statue dedicated to the police and firemen officers. Just when you walk out, it’s a tongue park. Let’s have a little snack here at beautiful house. Thank you. It’s okay. Thank you. Bye-bye. So, I got one of these chocolate can be bad. Let’s try it. It’s very good. So here you have the halo prison or me central or Hanoi Hilton is also called sometimes. This prison was used by the French to hold Vietnamese political prisoners. And during the Vietnam War, captured American pilots were brought here. So, let’s have a look at 50,000 Vietnamese dong for the entrance fee. [Music] Happy [Music] honey. [Music] [Music] [Music] Now that was a very interesting museum. Let’s go to another beautiful building, the St. Joseph Cathedral located in the center of the city. No, nothing. [Music] So here we have the St. Joseph Cathedral. It’s the oldest church in Hanoi. It’s built in the late 19th century. And especially front of the church is so beautiful. Next stop is the Hanoi train. Oh, no. Thank you. Thank you. So, here we are in the train street of Hanoi in the old quarter. [Music] So, we have a seat here in one of the trusses next to the train street. Maybe, just maybe, a train will pass by. We don’t know. So, I ordered a iced chocolate. So from here it’s not touristic anymore. It’s uh like the end of the train street. Next up we are going to do is going to the mazoleon of And here the nice open park with a beautiful statue of the former Russian revolutional leader Vladimir Lenin. And across the park you have the Hanoi flag tower. There you have the entrance of the imperial city of Hanoi. I’m not going to visit it. It is 100,000 Vietnamese dong for the entrance. If you are here more than one day like 2 three days then it’s definitely worth a stop I think. So from uh the train street to mleumo it’s quite a walk 25 minutes we’re almost there. Look what a queue to go to. I think it’s for the maseline. Mazim is there. The waiting line is really too long. I’m not going to queue up here. Let’s uh try to see it from a different view outside of the restricted area. And there on top of the mausoleum stands O Chin Ming. But yeah, I don’t know why it’s so crowded like this. Uh yeah, maybe because it’s Saturday or a national holiday I’m not aware of. But yeah, definitely worth a visit. Maybe in a weekday that’s better. Min is really loved by every Vietnamese that I came across in the last 5 weeks. And there was also like a karaoke song. Vietnam bo which are here every time. And when you sang along with the locals, they really love it. So it’s a way of respect I guess. So, we’re now going back to the old quarter, but it’s a 35minut walk, which is a little bit too long for me. Going to order a Grab scooter. They can bring me to the old quarter for only 20,000 Vietnamese dong. It’s less than a euro. Heat. Heat. So, they just dropped me off at Old Quarter. Let’s have a stroll here. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. Oh, hey. [Music] [Applause] [Music] In the old quarter, you can find many beautiful colonial houses and also many restaurant with delicious Vietnamese food. But in the evening, it’s even better because then there are less cars and it’s a pleasure to stroll around. And we are now on our way to the most popular meeting point of the Vietnamese people, the Lake of Hanoi. Now, one of my favorite shops here where you can buy Monster Energy. I’m staying in Hanoi Oldtown Nomi Host and it’s here in this alley. [Music] So this is the reception of the Hanoi Oldtown Nomad Hostel and the TR is full. So I’m sitting here enjoying my monster And in 30 minutes, we continue. This is really the busiest part of Hanoi. Everyone is standing here taking pictures of the buildings, I guess, and just socializing with each other. It’s uh look how busy. And in the weekend, this area is far free. The whole area around the lake. So that’s uh nice. And there you can buy tickets for the hop on hop off booster tour. How many different? Yeah. [Music] [Music] That is the entrance to the temple, but you have to buy a ticket only the foreign people. But I’m not going to do that. I’m just going to walk around the lake. [Music] So that was a one keem lake, the central point in the heart of Hanoi. Really, really cozy. Now here, this part of Hanoi is a French carter. French Carter. So, we’ll stroll there before going to the bridge. Famous bridge here in Hanoi for the sunset. Here we have a statue of Lee Tai, the founder of Vietnam. Yeah. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] So just so I want to go to that bridge to follow this route. The long beam bridge is the first steel bridge in Hanoi and also one of the first bridges built by the French from 1899 to 1902. [Music] During the Vietnam War and especially between 1965 to 1972, the long beam bridge was heavily bombed by American aircraft because of its crucial position between the two largest cities in North Vietnam, Hanoi and Hyong. The war was so severe that the bridge was bombed 14 times, destroying most of the spans. Today, it’s an icon of the city. Check out this beautiful view of the bridge, the urban area of Hanoi. And here we have the Red River. Look at all this trash thrown in the Oh my god. Now we’re almost back in the old quarter. Let’s go back to the host, refresh myself a little bit, and then go eat and stroll around the old quarter by night. [Music] So, we’re back at my host. So, I’m here in the best sandwich bar in Hanoi. Grilled beef and grilled pork. Now, let’s have a stroll through the cozy old quarter of Hanoi. Heat. Heat. I think the only downside of it is that many scooters drive around here in the old quarter. Sometimes really hectic crowded as you can see. Heat. Heat. One last view of the lake with a beautiful red bridge. And look at this square. Even busier than before. Look, even the whole street is filled with people. And in this short madness, the busting city of Hanoi, I’m going to say goodbye. It was my last episode here in Vietnam. What a lovely journey. It was 5 weeks and already 4 months here in Southeast Asia. Tomorrow I will take a flight to Singapore. I’ll stay there for 4 days and after that I think I’m going to do a city trip to Athens or Istanbul. We will see about that. So if you like this video then please give me a thumbs up and reaction in the comment section down below. Do you want to support my travels then? You can buy me a coffee in the link down below. 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In this 15th and last episode of my journey through Vietnam I will visit the capital city of the country, Hanoi.
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