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real travelers here at VirtualTourist. See the Hanoi Travel GuideInside advice from real people on:Overview, Hotels, Things to Do, Restaurants, Nightlife, Shopping, General Tips, Transportation, Off the Beaten Path, Tourist Traps, Warnings or Dangers, Local Customs, Packing Lists or Sports Travel.
 2368 Hanoi Tips.4326 Hanoi Photos.8 Hanoi Videos. Hanoi Pages by bpacker
Tips 1 - 10 of 21 Hanoi Off The Beaten Path
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Make-shift barber stalls use to dot the streets of Singapore. Today, you can only find them in places in Hanoi City
Street side barbers clip their customer's hair in the open. They work fast and concentrate well despite the buzz from the traffic.Hum the "Barber of Seville" when you see them..Where:On a little street, outside of Hilton Hanoi
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Observe the old folks around Ho An Kiem Lake if you can. Do it discretely and with respect of course. You can catch them dancing tai chi, reading or playing chess in groups.
A small old man reads in solitude at Ngoc Son Temple. Clad against the cold only in a wolly warm Russian Hat and thin blue-striped pajamas.
Where:Ho An Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple.
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If you love legends, you're gonna love this tale about how an emperor named drove out some Chinese bastards with a sword loaned from the Sea King. After victory however, the emperor decided to keep the sword and made the Sea King explode in fits. After Neptune calmed down, he sent a tortoise to retrieve his sword. Well, he didn't have to really, the sword magically flew from the scabbard into the mouth of the retriever. The lake became known as the lake of the restored sword ever since.A sword on its back instead of its mouth! An artist's mistake displayed at the Ngoc Son.Where: Entrance to Ngoc Son Temple, Ho An Kiem Lake
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The old folks at Ho An Kiem Lake are a fascinating lot. Observe them from a distance discretely and watch them play Chinese Chess.
Brows furrowed in concentration, contemplating their every move on a wooden chess board.Where:A Pavilion at Ngoc Son Temple, Ho An Kiam Lake
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Not many know this but the ‘tortoises’ of Hoan Kiem Lake are actually rare Asian soft-shelled freshwater giant TURTLES .It's rumoured that one of these creatures grabbed a sword from an emperor once and returned it to heaven. Look out for a preserved specimen in the temple.
Preserved for the eternity, the sword grabber maintains an austere pose for locals and tourists alike.Where:Ngoc Son Temple, Ho An Kiem Lake
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The red bridge at Ho An Kiem has a Vietnamese name that roughly translates to "where the sun light is absorbed" . The bridge leads to Dac Nguyet Lau or "Moon Light tower" which is Ngoc Son shrine. Hmm, the sun and moon meeting. Sounds like a song from Ms Saigon.
The Sun and Moon meets at the Lake of the Restored Sword. Where:Ho An Kiem Lake, near Old Quarters
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The narrow houses that you see in the Old Quarters are known as tube or tunnel houses. There's a gd reason for this. Businesses were formerly taxed according to the width of their storefront and this resulted in shops only two metres wide with a maze of rooms extending behind to a length of up to 60m.
Ancient narrow houses line the streets of the Old Quarters, each squeezed against the otherWhere:The Old Quarters
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If you're ever in the History Museum, look out for the big presidential investiture painting and see if you notice anything strange.
Pray tell me, why are the soldiers pointing the guns at the civilians during the presidential investiture of Uncle Ho?Where: 2nd floor, History Museum
#1 Trang Tien Street
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Every nook and cranny in the Old Quarters are used by street vendors, peddaling their wares and local culinary delights.Hanoians huddle around a halo of light and smoke in a corner, feasting on a midnight snack.Where:Somewhere in the depths of the Old Quarters
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Not too far away from the lake is a public square where there are statues of revolutionary figures. Children play freely in that area.The young play carefree admist propaganda images and messages.Where:Opposite Ngoc Son Temple, Ho An Kiem Lake
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Join a Discussion Hanoi to Chiang Mai?
(2 replies, Monday, Jul 7, 2008, 9:46 PM UTC) Cao Son market and Ecolodge?
(1 replies, Wednesday, Jul 9, 2008, 3:07 AM UTC) Holiday in Hanoi
(7 replies, Wednesday, Jul 9, 2008, 2:45 AM UTC) Be the first to reply to these questions Muslim community and Halal Food in Hanoi
(no replies yet, Saturday, Jun 21, 2008, 9:39 AM UTC) Henrietta Levine's Bad experience with APT Travel, Hanoi
(no replies yet, Monday, May 12, 2008, 9:40 AM UTC) VT Meeting in Hanoi?
(no replies yet, Monday, Apr 14, 2008, 4:32 AM UTC) » All Hanoi Posts
» Ask about Hanoi |
 Comments for bpacker about Hanoi | | | | |
asianbelle Wed Jun 11, 2008 03:13 UTC
thanks for the tip glen. guess, we have to choose only 1 to spend a bit more time in hanoi. | dancinbudgie Sun Feb 3, 2008 01:41 UTC
Your pages made me laugh! Tips are excellent. Tankyou. Tracey | wen_viaggio Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:26 UTC
Haha! Crap from a civet cat that tastes great? That's my kind of ***. :D Looks like I have to give it a go when I visit Hanoi. :D | angiebabe Sat Oct 27, 2007 16:01 UTC
loads of interesting info and very good people shots, colourful photos - motivating me to get to Vietnam one day!thought i was Chinese in a past life but with all those scarey restaurant ingredients i cant have been - mustve been Moroccan! |
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