Travels

36 Hours in Hanoi, Vietnam | The New York Times

Posted on by [email protected]
18
Nov



Hanoi is changing fast, but with its tree-lined lanes, graceful old architecture, a flourishing arts scene and sophisticated night life, the city is having its moment.

40 thoughts on “36 Hours in Hanoi, Vietnam | The New York Times”

  3. J Smith says:

    I love when these 1st world ppl go to 3rd world & fall over themselves trying to glorify places that r basically dumps. And yes, u can find a fancy hotel or mall almost anywhere in world – that doesn't a country/city make.

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  13. valar says:

    They didn't show one of the biggest attractions in Hanoi, the Sofitale Legend Metropole Hanoi, a five-star hotel built by the French in the colonial style in 1901. But that was probably too cliched and too well-known.

    The Vietnamese had an ambiguous relationship to French colonial architecture for a long time. On the one hand, it was a symbol of colonial oppression. On the other, the French were gone and they were just buildings, and fancy ones at that. Many were left empty or used for random purposes for a long time, but eventually the Vietnamese were like, "Fine, these buildings are nice and tourists want to see them, let's renovate them and invite people to come." The Metropole Hanoi is a successful product of this shift in attitudes and an opulent one at that.

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  18. Veritas Est Lux says:

    Thousands of American soldiers were brutally sacrificed by evil politicians (Democrats and Republicans) for their own political measures, affirming in their own words: "to stop the spread of communism" during the cold war in Vietnam. Additionally, Hanoi – which was the headquarters of the old Communist politburo during the Vietnam war, is now yearning for CAPITALISM after three decades of Stalinist economic policies. The policies were the vision of Le Duan. He was the communist hypocrite (among other elite communist leaders that stood in the shadows of Ho Chi Minh), who sent his OWN PRIVILEGED son whilst in North Vietnam to study abroad as hundreds of thousands of Viet Kong peasants and NVA fought and died to reunite all of Vietnam under the Socialist umbrella. Further, it is also ironic that so many Vietnamese people who lived under a SOCIALIST system (during and after the Vietnam war) are willing to break away from socialist policies. At the same time — indolent, entitled, and intellectually embarrassing millennials (pseudo-socialists) with iPhones and material possessions acquired via a capitalist system in the USA wish to transform the USA into a socialist country. It is truly ironic.

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  23. mickey pang says:

    Starbucks can't compare to Cong Caphe in terms of quality (Coconut cacao smoothie is top notch too), plus you don't have to brand yourself a chump, paying for overpriced coffee for over roasted droppings.
    When in Hanoi of course you are going to have fun in the Old Quarter and the East of West Lake (Tay Ho) but also take an afternoon and get lost in the Van Chuong neighbourhood (between the Turtle (scholar) "museum" and the train station) and explore the fascinating streets (đường/ngõ/phố) & alleyways (hẻm) where you witness daily vibrance & authenticity of a culture that is for life. After the sun sets, walk half a km south to a long market alley called Ngõ Chợ Khâm Thiên and don't get offended as people honk behind or to the side of you, it's a gesture saying "hey I'm here behind you coming up so don't be surprised".

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  34. Kevin Labnon says:

    I ask my Vietnamese friend what Vietnam was like when she lived there. She told me that Vietnam is a fulled with big streets with a lot of motorcycle and tall building that are guarded by dogs. I thought Vietnam was not suitable for any expat for live or visit there, after watching this video now I see more about Vietnam than my friend could tell me.

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  35. mcworld999 says:

    The weather like all of SE Asia sucks. Very hot humid, tropical rainy clammy weather. If you can tolerate that then Vietnam is terrific. Very cheap, affordable to visit and live. A bowl of Pho is under $2 usd where as the same thing in north american viet restaurants are $8-12 and worse quality. Apartments are western style and relatively cheap between $600-800 mo. usd for 2 bedroom.

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  36. mcworld999 says:

    Tropical fruits are not "Vietnamese fruits". They are available everywhere around the world. In fact central america produces the vast majority of tropical fruits. They arent called 'banana republics' for nothing. Haha.

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