RESTAURANT
In recent years Hanoi has undergone a miraculous transformation
from culinary wasteland to a premier city for eating and drinking.
The city boasts everything from cheap backpacker joints to
exquisite Vietnamese restaurants and a growing legion of chic
cafés. You can combine food for the body with food for the soul
at Hoa Sua restaurant and Koto, both are recommended for their
good food and vocational training program for street kids.
Restaurants, bars, and cafés have a strong tendency to change
names, location, management, and just about everything else, so
ask around and keep an eye out in for current listings the Guide
and Time Out.
One of Hanoi's most famous food specialties is Cha Ca or
fishcake. Cha Ca La Vong is the best known Cha Ca restaurant in
town, has been family-run for five generations. Other worthy
places to try Vietnamese local delicacy include Pho Bo Dac Biet
which is a place to go for a bowl of beef noodle soup (Pho Bo),
honey-barbequed squid at Quan Com Pho, or chicken noodle soup (Pho
Ga) at Tiem Pho. Restaurant 1,2,3 just diagonally across the
corner is a kind of upmarket fast-food restaurant that serves
terrific barbequed fish and fish porridge.
ENTERTAINMENT
Pub & Bar
Major area to look for high-rank pubs and bars is the Old Quarter
area where you can find a wide variety of pubs and bars such as
Highway 4, a popular gathering point for members of Hanoi's
notorious Minsk Club. It is said to be a place to discover the
mystical, medicinal (and intoxicating) qualities of Vietnamese
rice wine. Surprisingly, this is also a place where you can find
information on motor-biking Vietnam. Others are Bar Le Maquis, a
cozy little bar; Funky Monkey, a bar with pool table, loud music,
and serious cocktails.
Nightclub
If you want to see how fashionable Vietnamese yuppies 'do the
hustle', there are several local discos to check out. These places
have a strong tendency to change with the wind, so ask around for
what's hot or not during your visit. Most clubs have a cover
charge of around US$4.
Circus Troupes
The Central Circus is one Russian entertainment tradition that has
survived and thrived in Vietnam. Performers - gymnasts, jugglers,
animal trainers - were originally trained in Eastern Europe,
though today's new recruits learn their skills from their
Vietnamese elders. The Circus has performances in a huge tent near
the northern entrance to Lenin Park (Cong Vien Le Nin). There is a
special show staged for children on Sunday mornings.
Water Puppets
This art form originated in northern Vietnam and Hanoi is
considered the best place to see. Municipal Water Puppet Theater
is just near the shore of Hoan Kiem Lake. The higher admission
price will get you the best seats and a take-home cassette of the
music; fans and multilingual programs are free and it helps to
read the title of each vignette in the program as it's performed.
SHOPPING
Whether or not you wish to buy anything, you first encounter
will likely be with the children who sell postcards and maps. Of
course, they are found all over the country, but in Hanoi many are
orphans who have a special card to prove it, which they will
immediately show to foreigners. They are also the most notorious
over-chargers, asking about triple the going price. A reasonable
amount of bargaining is called for.
Handicraft & Antique
There are quite a number of stores in Hanoi offering new and
antique Vietnamese handicrafts (lacquer-ware, mother-of-pearl
inlaid furniture, ceramics, sandalwood statuettes etc), as well as
watercolors, oil paintings, prints and assorted antiques (real and
fake). Pho Hang Gai, Pho To Tich, Pho Hang Khai and Pho Cau Go are
good areas for souvenir hunting.
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