Love at first bite in Hanoi

After having visited Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), I was quite apprehensive about visiting Hanoi. In HCMC, I felt that my senses were constantly being assaulted, whether it be the mad scooters on the road, the unforgiving heat or the sheer number of people walking in all directions. But after spending 3 days in Hanoi (sandwiching a trip to Halong Bay: itinerary coming soon!), I can say that I absolutely loved it and it completely surpassed my expectations.

All the things I didn’t like in HCMC, whilst still being there in Hanoi, was significantly toned down. For example, you will still find erratic moped drivers, however they do actually stop when the traffic light turns red or if you’re at a zebra crossing (as opposed to continuing to drive, and just going around you!). There are also significantly fewer people on the streets in Hanoi which means it’s not a constant obstacle course trying to make your way down the streets.

Having spoken to friends, I know that HCMC and Hanoi are polarising, you either like one or the other. However if you liked the food and buzz of HCMC, but wouldn’t mind somewhere a bit more relaxed and less congested, than Hanoi might be the place for you. Not only is Hanoi beautiful but it is also a foodie paradise. There are eateries and cafes everywhere and they are crazy cheap. You'll see from the post below that we certainly made the most of it!

Details

Where did I go: Hanoi, Vietnam

How long did I go for: Saturday – Wednesday (4.5 days)

We flew to Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines taking the 1:05pm flight on Saturday from Changi, arriving at 3:25pm in Hanoi.

We flew back with Vietnam Airlines on the Wednesday at 10:40am, arriving in Changi at 2:50pm (our trip was a bit longer than a standard weekender since we also spent 1 night in Halong Bay, but you could definitely do Hanoi in a weekend).

For flights to Hanoi from Singapore, check here

For flights from Hanoi to Singapore, check here

Tip: If you can, I would highly recommend flying with Vietnam Airlines. Whilst considered a ‘budget airline’, it most certainly wasn’t. There was loads of legroom, the stewards were attentive and friendly, and we were even served a meal on the flight which was really tasty (for plane food). It was definitely the best budget airline, I’ve EVER been on.

Travel time: 6 hours

In advance of our holiday, we’d arranged through our hotel for a car to come and collect us. One of the people in our group was pregnant, so we wanted to make sure there was as little waiting around as possible. The cost of a 7-seater (to fit 4 people and our luggage) was US$22 only per way, so it was a no-brainer!

Immigration was straight forward, and the queues moved very quickly. Once we were through immigration, our driver was waiting for us with a card, and with 45 minutes we were checking in to our hotel. Part of our group did need visas, which they could get upon arrival. As soon as you're off the plane, try to get through everyone as quick as possible and when you come in to the immigration hall, the visa-on-arrival counter is on your left (opposite the immigration desks). Check, using the link below, what you'll need to bring with you, and then once you've handed it all in, your visa will be put in to your passport and your name called ( or an image of your passport photo page will be shown on a screen) for collection.

Visa Requirements: No (for British Passport holders)

Not sure if you need a visa? Check the link below under “Useful information”

Where did I stay: Hanoi La Selva Hotel

This hotel is definitely one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed at since travelling around Hanoi. If you're in the process of planning a trip to Hanoi, you HAVE to stay here. It’s a boutique hotel located about 5 - 7 minutes walk from Hoan Kiem Lake so it's smack back in the centre and is conveniently surrounded by hundreds of cafes and eateries.

The level of service we received at the hotel was incredible. As soon as we arrived, the front of house was ready to help us, equipping us with a map, information on what to do around Hanoi and also a couple of ‘local’ restaurants which they themselves frequent. In terms of service that we received throughout our stay: on the first night, our room was road facing and it was quite noisy due to the traffic outside. When we spoke to the receptionist, they immediately changed our room, without asking any further questions.

The breakfast at the hotel is also specifically worth noting. It’s held on the top floor of the hotel (9th floor) and you get panoramic views of Hanoi. Instead of a buffet, it’s à la carte, but, you can order unlimited amounts! This ensures the hotel doesn’t waste unnecessarily. The waitresses were some of the best I’ve encountered in all my travels. On the 2nd day, they had remembered our orders down to the drinks and extras we’d ordered with our breakfast i.e. “you had an extra sausage yesterday, do you want one today too?” There were a lot of people staying at the hotel, so it wasn't like it was empty. Standout dishes were the traditional pho, french toast and local sausages.

The biggest surprise came on the day it was my friend's birthday. I want to point out that none of us had organised any sort of surprise. We didn’t contact the hotel in advance or anything like that. They actually saw the birthday on her passport when we were checking in, and accordingly took it upon themselves to organise a cake, which they ALSO PERSONALISED. I have never seen service like this in any hotel before and I can completely understand now why this hotel is rated so high across the board.

Hanoi La Selva is SG$70 per night, however the hotel will provide Jetset Foodie readers 15% discount when you book directly through the website and reference my name "Sanskriti" (they ordinarily will only provide 10% discount).

Itinerary

Hoan Kiem Lake

This lake is considered Hanoi’s physical and symbolic centre point. As is to be expected, the lake is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Hanoi. Around the lake and the bridge you'll find fruit sellers, caricaturists, drink stalls, toy stalls, the list goes on. But other than it being a major tourist haunt, it’s also lovely just to walk around and take in the sites.

The legend of Hoan Kiem Lake: A friend of Le Loi King caught a shiny metal bar when he was fishing. The King asked for the bar, brought it home and moulded it into a sword. Out of nowhere, two words appeared on the sword “Thuan Thien” (harmonious with heaven). Le Loi believed the sword was a gift from heaven and used it for in a battle against a neighbouring country. At the beginning of 1428, when peace prevailed, on one of his trip to the Thuy Quan (now Hoan Kiem) Lake, there was a tortoise rising above water and shouting: “Please return the sword to the Dragon King”. Without hesitation, the King threw the sword to the lake. The tortoise took the sword and dove down the water. From then on, Thuy Quan became Hoan Kiem lake.

Hanoi Old Quarter

This is a fascinating part of the city where visitors can see examples of colonial architecture and narrow streets reminiscent of older times when Hanoi was under the French influence. Along with the fruit and vegetable sellers, there is also a lot of souvenir shopping that can be done. You can find shoes, bags, hats, clothes, Vietnamese souvenirs, scarves and much more, all at negotiable prices. You'll also find cafes and an endless number of local Vietnamese eateries where you can eat for very, very cheap. I would advise exploring this area on foot, as it really is where Hanoi comes to life.

As we only had a day before we set off to Halong Bay, the above, mixed in with eating (lots!) was all we had time for. But for more ideas on things to do in Hanoi, check here.

Foodie Highlights

Orchid Cooking Class and Restaurant

On our first night we went for dinner at the Orchid Restaurant, on recommendation from our hotel. It turns out that this restaurants is in the top 10 restaurants out of 1,500 restaurants in Hanoi so there wasn’t much discussion on whether or not to go! We dove straight in, ordering a mixed meat and seafood hot pot. The food was exquisite. We had a waiter cooking the meat over the hot pot as we ate, and every piece (chicken, fish, prawns, beef) was cooked to perfection. The meat was succulent and the fish was incredibly fresh, the flavour from the hot pot enhanced it all. We also had a selection of vegetables (carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage and more) which again, were cooked perfectly. The meal in terms of price was at the slightly higher end at SG$15 per person (4 of us) however still very reasonable. However given the food was amazing, service was on point, I would still recommend visiting, perhaps just keep this meal to a special night!

Hotpot, also known as steamboat, consists of a steaming pot of broth a the centre of the dining table. Whilst the pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table and are eaten as soon as cooked. Typical hot pot ingredients are thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, tofu and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce.

Banh My 25

You can’t visit Vietnam without having your fill of Banh Mi. And Banh My 25 certainly doesn’t disappoint. I opted for an ‘everything sandwich’ which had jambon, pate, barbecued pork and sausage served on crusty French bread, with pickled vegetables, all topped with fresh coriander. You can’t really fault the inventors of the sandwich, and after speaking to one of the owners, we learnt that the recipe for the pate at this particular join had been handed down through the generations in this family run café. A super cheap meal (more of a snack depending on how hungry you are!) at less than US$3 per sandwich.

Banh Mi is a Vietnamese term for all kinda of bread. The Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich is a product of French colonialism and combines French ingredients (baguettes, pâté, mayonnaise) with Vietnamese ones (coriander, cucumber, and pickled carrots). The classic version, bánh mì thịt nguội, sometimes known as bánh mì đặc biệt or "special combo" consists of sliced Vietnamese cold cuts which are (usually) pork-based along with the chicken liver pâté and vegetables like carrot or cucumbers.

Pho

Similar to Banh Mi, it’s a no brainer to have Pho in Vietnam. At less than SG$3.50 a bowl, you can slurp your way through a flavoursome and meaty broth with pieces of meat and flat rice noodles cooked perfectly al dente.

Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, flat rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and meat (primarily beef or chicken) and is a popular street food in Vietnam. Southern Vietnamese eat it for breakfast and occasionally lunch, whereas northern Vietnamese have it at any time of the day.

Highway 4

We visited this restaurant twice, because on top of the food at the restaurant being excellent, the décor was really unique (we sat at a table which was a refurbished antique sewing table, still with the step at the bottom!). The food was very good local food however service was a little on the slow side. If you go, definitely go for the Bun cha, Highway 4 Fried Rice and the Beef cooked in Banana Leaves. Price point was around SG$8 per person, for A LOT of food as we wanted to try it all, as well as A LOT of beers!

Bún chả is a vietnamese dish, though to have originated in Hanoi, and consists of deep fried spring rolls served over white rice noodle and with pickled vegetables and herbs. The vegetables and herbs are mixed together with the spring rolls, and the dish is eaten with a side dipping sauce.

Trippy Land

I’m mentioning this restaurant for 2 reasons: 1) it was round the corner from our hotel and 2) it served the most amazing ‘snow coffee’. For those of you who don’t know, snow coffee is Vietnamese coffee served with sweetened coconut milk (instead of the normal condensed milk). You can get a hot version or iced, but because of the weather, I went for an iced one. The coconut milk was frozen and turned in to a sort of ice cream slush which you could mix in to the coffee as well as eat from the top, and gave the coffee a distinctly bounty flavour. I LOVED IT. If you’re not that keen on coconut, then obviously this isn’t for you. But fret not, there are a whole list of other types of coffees, tea, juices, smoothies etc that you can enkoy. The café overlooks a main road, and all the chairs (as is typical for Hanoi) are turned towards the main road. So you can slowly sip your coffee as you people watch, and throw in a bit of shisha too if you fancy it!

Always Cafe

Earlier this year, a Harry Potter cafe opened in Hanoi. Yes, that's what Always Cafe is, and yes, they serve Butter Beer. After years of wanting to visit the Harry Potter studios in Watford, to try this particular drink, it turns out that Butter Beer is just cream soda with whipped cream on top. Whilst I wasn't a fan (it was too sweet for me), I'm sure others out there would love it. Given it's a novelty, the cafe is slightly on the pricey side. The butter beers are around SG$8 per person.