Hanoi – the city of mopeds

Thang Long, Dong Do, Dong Quan – the capital city in the north of Vietnam had various different names before it was called Hanoi in 1835. It was already mentioned as the country’s capital in the 11^th century and its different names can be translated as “surging dragon”, “eastern capital” and “eastern gateway”. Its current name means the “city within the rivers”.

Hanoi, which has been the capital of reunited Vietnam since 1976, is located on the western bank of the Red River, which has its source in the mountains in the province of Yunnan and flows into the Gulf of Tonkin to the south east of Hanoi after covering a distance of 1,150 kilometres. The river has dominated the country’s culture, history and landscape and brought prosperity to the city.

Not every visitor falls in love with the densely populated city overnight, but its varied cityscape is a large part of what makes Hanoi attractive. South-east Asian flair mixes with socialist architecture and relics from the colonial period. Numerous lakes and expansive green spaces encourage people to spend time there and they give the city its special charm – which oscillates between calm serenity and bustling chaos.

Hanoi can best be discovered on foot, but you can also cycle or use a motorbike taxi. It is also cheap to travel around on the public buses. The old city is the most popular district and a good starting point to get to know Hanoi a little better: clattering mopeds, lively cafés and hawkers set the mood here. And the city pulses with life not only during the day, but at night as well. By the way: many streets in the old city have been named after craftsmen’s workshops that were once based here.

The pedestrian bridge “of the rising sun”, Thé Huc, is a major attraction with its bright crimson colour. It takes people to the Temple of the Jade Mountain, which is located on a small island in Hoan Kiem Lake and is dedicated to the patron god of the literates and the god of the healers.

The traffic roars all around Hoan Kiem Lake. Many visitors need time to grow accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the city. The best thing to do is to act like the locals and make your way through the mass of countless mopeds – people say the city has five million of them, maybe even more.

When walking round Hanoi, you should definitely not miss this architectural highlight: the Van Mieu Temple of Literature is regarded as one of the best preserved structures reflecting traditional Vietnamese architecture. This is where Vietnam’s first university was established in 1076 in honour of the Chinese philosopher Confucius.  

The expansive site covers an area measuring more than five hectares and involves several buildings, five inner courtyards and a square pond, the “Source of heavenly light”. Eighty-two headstones, which bear the names of more than one thousand graduates of the academy who once earned their doctorate here, are enthroned on the backs of stone turtles in one of the inner courtyards. They have been part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage portfolio since 2010.

If you keep heading north, you will arrive at the Tran Quoc Pagoda after about a 20 minutes' walk. This is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi. It has an idyllic location on West Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Hanoi. The pagoda with its eleven storeys and gleaming red bricks is one of the most beautiful temples in Vietnam. It glistens majestically, especially at dusk.

All this sightseeing in the city makes you hungry. So make sure that you try out the wide variety of street food: a Pho noodle soup, a filled Banh-mi bun or the Bun Cha rice noodle dish. And Hanoi also has some delicacies to offer those who are thirsty – ranging from egg coffee to lemon tea and even Bia Hoi – a draught beer that is freshly brewed every day. As the locals say: “Mot, Hai, Ba, Yo“ – one, two, three, cheers.