The article "Footloose in Hanoi: Celebrate city's charm, street food and relics from past" by Zinara Rathnayake, published on March 1 in Nikkei Asia, vividly portrays Hanoi's allure, from its bustling Old Quarter and enticing street food to its unique coffee culture, rich history, and dynamic youth contributing to the city's vibrancy.
The Nikkei Asia article presents a charming Hanoi with friendly people, a heroic history, and a rich culture (Photo: Screenshot)
The piece opens with a depiction of a late December winter morning, where the author observes a lively and bustling Hanoi greeting the day. Female street vendors pedal bicycles laden with colorful roses, chrysanthemums, and tulips. Groups of elderly women dance energetically around Hoan Kiem Lake, while nearby, office workers in suits sit on plastic stools along the sidewalk, chatting over steaming bowls of pho.
Hanoi's Old Quarter is vividly illustrated with images of silversmiths crafting intricate jewelry on Hang Bac Street and Hang Ma Street, renowned for paper goods and stationery, transforming into a Christmas wonderland in December with festive white and red decorations. According to the city's tourism department, Hanoi welcomed 4 million foreign visitors in 2023, many of whom stayed in the bustling 36 streets of the vibrant Old Quarter.
Cuisine is an indispensable charm of Hanoi, featuring dishes like Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), banh xeo (Vietnamese crispy stuffed rice pancake), cha ca lang (Turmeric grilled catfish with dill and noodles), bun cha (Grilled pork with vermicelli noodles and dipping sauce), banh mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich), and banh khuc (Sticky rice cake with mugwort and khuc leaves). The author notes that Vietnamese cuisine strikes a balance between sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy flavors. The desire to introduce Vietnamese cuisine motivated her to undertake this exploration.
Addressing Hanoi's coffee culture, the author remarks that coffee runs in the veins of Vietnamese people and is ubiquitous throughout the city. Innovative specialties such as egg coffee, salted coffee, and yogurt coffee are among the famous variations.
Hanoi also stands as a historical and cultural site, with remnants of Vietnam's tumultuous past still evident, such as the Hoa Lo Prison Museum and Kham Thien Street. In a conversation with a young Hanoian, the author learns about Vietnam's history and how its people have overcome challenging periods in the past, now setting aside bygone hardships to move forward.
The article concludes with "10 must-do things when visiting Hanoi," including five activities related to exploring Vietnamese culture and history: learning about Vietnam's history on a walking tour; visiting the Hoa Lo Prison Museum; touring the Temple of Literature; watching a water puppet show at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater; and spending half a day at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which showcases the daily life and traditions of Vietnam's ethnic groups.
The remaining five suggestions involve culinary delights and experiences, such as joining a street food tour; tasting egg coffee at Cafe Giang; and strolling around Hoan Kiem Lake.
Through detailed and persuasive descriptions of these experiences, Hanoi emerges with its distinctive charms. The friendly people, rich and unique culture, and heroic history portrayed in the author's narrative truly make Hanoi an appealing destination.
