City Information                       Resa till värme länder -  Queensway Travel
Airport
Noi Bai International Airport is 30km north of Hanoi city centre. Flight time from London can be anywhere between 14 and 18 hrs, with most flights routed via Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong. Facilities are basic, with limited duty-free opportunities and exchange rates are not the best, so it’s best to delay changing large amounts. Visitors to Hanoi should keep their customs declaration form and entry-exit forms. These are to be returned upon leaving the country – so be advised that fines and delays are certain if they’re lost. Be prepared also for the international departure tax of $10 and a domestic one of VND20,000 (about $1.50). A new international terminal is now under construction at Noi Bai Airport and due to open in 2001. It should make arrivals and departures quicker.
Airport to City Centre
You can buy a ticket for the 45-min journey into from the Airport Taxi booth just outside the terminal for $10, or from one of the drivers outside for about $12 up to $25. Vietnam Airlines provide a shuttle bus to the airline office in Quang Trung St in the centre, some 45-55 mins away. The cost is $4, but if you pay the driver an extra dollar he may be persuaded to take you to your final destination.
Orientation
The name of the administrative and political centre of Vietnam means ‘surrounded by river’, bordered as it is by the Red River and its delta to the east, so named because of the red silt that it carries down from the hills of China and north-west Vietnam, and by West Lake to the north-east. The Red River is unpredictable and presents a continual danger of flooding to those who live near it. Hanoi’s 3 million people live within an area of roughly 200 sq km divided into seven districts: Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, Ba Dinh, Tay Ho, Thanh Xuan, and Cau Giay. The heart of the city is Hoan Kiem district, the Old Quarter and around the southern end of Hoan Kiem Lake, where you’ll find the Opera house, state bank and post office, along with many remarkable buildings evoking Vietnam’s past and traditions. The delightful Old Quarter is the most atmospheric part of the city, a fascinating world of faded, historic merchant houses embellished with Chinese, art deco, French and even Soviet detail. Whole streets are dedicated to specific trades – everything from silk tailors to bamboo ladder-makers – a tradition that harks back to the 15c when the area was divided between 36 artisan guilds. West of the lake lie the cathedral, museums and what was once the residential quarter for Catholics at the end of last century. To the north-west, Ba Dinh district is the centre of political, diplomatic and cultural activities, containing government offices, the presidential palace, Central Party Committee office and many embassies in colonial government buildings and the very elegant houses of former high-ranking French officials. The business sector is centred mainly around Ngo Quyen St and Hai Ba Trung, although there are plans to develop a new business area outside the city towards the airport. Architecturally, the city is an eclectic mixture of traditional Vietnamese, Chinese, French and even Soviet styles. Much of this unique legacy was sadly neglected for some 50 years, largely sparing Hanoi from concrete and high-rises, but leaving many historical buildings in decay, and moves to return Hanoi to its former grandeur are running into financial difficulties and planning problems.
Excursions                                   - resebyrå - Queensway Travel
King’s Island Golf Course in Ho Tay Province is 1 hr 30 mins by car north-east of Hanoi, including a short boat ride across from the mainland to the island. It’s an 18-hole course with excellent views, though the clubhouse is very basic. The Perfume Pagoda lies some 60km from the capital in Ha Son Binh province. Getting to the Pagoda requires a boat trip along the Yen River that takes you through the surrounding limestone hills. The Perfume Pagoda site takes in a number of temples, dating from the 15c to the early 20c. A guide is not essential. From where the boat drops you follow the main path up the mountain and it’s about a 2km walk. The capital of ancient Vietnam during the 10c and 11c, Hoa Lu, is about a 2-hr drive away, taking around 8 hrs for a full day trip. Mai Chau is the nearest place to Hanoi where you can visit hill tribe villages in some of the most beautiful countryside in Vietnam, and the four-hour drive is well worth the effort. On your way back, stop off at Hoa Binh town and walk across the 1980s Russian-built hydro-electric dam which generates power for the North. The village of Ba Trang, a hamlet devoted to the making of fine ceramics, is about an hour by car from Hanoi. On the way, you’ll see clay brick furnaces used in all new construction in the Hanoi area. Once there, it’s best to simply wander through the town to see the specialities of each shop. Prices for these rare and beautiful pieces are low, often beginning at $1, ranging to $100 for some of the 2-metre-tall Chinese-style vases. Trips can be arranged through any travel agent, but one very good coffee shop, Memory Café at 33 Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem District, is the best for arranging tours at reasonable rates.
Getting Around
Public transport in Hanoi is limited to local buses that seldom run to schedule. The best way to get around is by taxi or – for the very brave – on the back of a scooter, generally known as a xe om. Both can be hailed in the street or can be found outside the main hotels. A car and driver can also be rented for the day either through a travel agency or through most hotels. Prices start at about $8 per hour or $35 per day. If you are not in a hurry, cyclos offer an alternative mode of transport, which is the easiest and most romantic way to know the city, especially at night when the streets are empty. Quite a few of the cyclo-drivers speak some English and they can be excellent tour guides. The price is usually between 50c and $1, although bargaining is essential and make sure you negotiate a price before setting off. There is a cyclo ban in some of the main streets around the city, particularly around Hoan Kiem Lake, so don’t worry if you think you are not taking the most direct route. If you are in town for more than a few days or over a weekend, try going around Hanoi on a bicycle – a hugely enjoyable way of seeing the city. Many hotels and cafés rent 
them out by the day for about $1.
What to see
Army Museum: This homage to Vietnam’s victory in wars against both the French and the US includes a Soviet-built MIG-21 jet fighter and the remnants of French and US aircraft. The museum features a diorama of the famous Dien Bien Phu battle, replete with lights showing encampments, battles, and capture. Request the English version video run with the diorama, as attendants are prone to show only the Vietnamese version if no one requests otherwise. The diorama of the capture of Saigon is seldom in good working order and not all that impressive. Rooms dedicated to war-hero mothers and their extraordinary losses merit attention. Reasonable English translations.
Vietnam Fine Arts Museum: Contains a broad range of Vietnam popular arts including paintings, lacquer, ceramics, Dong Son drums and terracotta exhibits. The museum owns ten paintings by modern master, Van Duong Thanh, that are well worth viewing.
Vietnam History Museum: Formally L’Ecole Française d’Extrême-Orient, this classic old building – a happy marriage of palatial Vietnamese and colonial French styles – is itself worth a visit. It now features some fine bronze drum exhibits from the Dong Son era and artefacts dating from the dynasty of the Hung Kings to modern pieces covering Vietnam’s victory over French and US forces.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum: Despite his wish to be cremated, Ho Chi Minh was placed on display in a mausoleum identical  to Lenin’s in Moscow. The mausoleum is closed every year for two months, normally in Oct and Nov, while Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed corpse is dispatched to Russia for its annual make-over. There’s a strict code of behaviour: no shorts or vests and a solemn silence must be maintained. Visitors must first register at 5 Ngoc Ha, near the imposing white Ho Chi Minh Museum. Also on-site is Ho Chi Minh’s residence for the decade before he died and the Ho Chi Minh Museum that features surprisingly lyrical displays to explain his life and times.
Hoa Lo Prison: One venue that remains unlisted in most guide books is the former French prison known as Maison Centrale to the thousands of Vietnamese prisoners and as ‘the Hanoi Hilton’ to the thousands of US POWs interred there during the last two wars. Although most of the complex has been demolished to make room for the looming Hanoi Central Towers, a vestigial element was retained to provide a powerful reminder of the past. The guillotine that stands in the centre of the room that US POWs used for dining is flanked by a plaque commemorating those executed under French occupation. The French-built prison is also the former residence of the current US Ambassador to Vietnam. 
Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam: the Temple of Literature is one of the most valued treasures of Confucionism and culture in Vietnam. Originally a university, it still bears 82 stone stelae on tortoise shells of different styles erected between 1484 and 1780. These pillars are engraved with the names of the 1,306 doctor laureates awarded under different dynasties. Each degree was awarded after passing an oral exam by the king. The temple is currently under excavation and older artefacts are being unearthed.
Vietnam Museum Of Ethnology: Sleek, modern museum depicting Vietnam’s 64 ethnic minorities through their cultures, customs and traditional dress. Displays are well documented in multi-lingual format and artefact presentation is excellent. There’s also a shop where visitors can buy modern handicrafts.
Where to walk                              - Svenska resebyråerna -          Queensway Travel
Begin at the front entrance of the Metropole Hotel on Ngo Quyen St, turn left into Trang Tien St towards the Opera House, a magnificent, newly-refurbished French building which first opened its doors in 1911. Original drawings and designs were unearthed in Paris, which helped restore the building to its original splendour. Walking back up Trang Tien St towards Hoan Kiem Lake, you pass a number of art galleries and bookshops selling an interesting line of photocopied English-language books. Walk around the west side of the lake and take the left fork turning into Hang Trong St and left again towards St Joseph’s Cathedral on Nha Tho St. If you have time there is usually a lively service around 1700. Drop in at Song shop, at 7 Nha Tho, which has some of the finest embroidered bed and table linens as well as other good-quality souvenirs. Take a pit stop for a refreshing drink at Café Moca opposite. Continue along Ly Quoc Su towards Hang Gai St, past a couple antique shops that are fun to wander through. Upstairs always seem to have the more interesting bits and pieces. Once in Hang Gai St you have reached one of the City’s business shopping areas known as ‘streets of the 36 markets’. Each street represents a guild or industry originally set up to serve the court. Hang Gai is known for its silk and cotton and has some of the best shops. Other highlights include handmade playthings in Wooden Toys Shop at 79 Duong Thanh and paintings and ceramics at Co Do Gallery at 46 Hang Bong. Hang Bac, or Silver St, is home to some of Vietnam’s busiest gold traders, most of whom are women. Most gold shops will do honest dollar exchanges with very good rates. The closer Hang Bong St gets to Hoan Kiem Lake, the more jewellery and knick-knack shops there are – and the street name changes to Hang Gai St. Drop into the Green Palm Gallery at No 9. Alternatively, take a short cycle ride to the Pastry and Yogurt Shop on 252 Hang Bong, one of Vietnam’s most famous cafés. Photographs of Catherine Deneuve adorn the walls, taken while filming Indochine in Vietnam in the early 1990s.
Weather and Climate
The typically hot and humid summer lasts from May to Sept, with average temperatures of 25ºC-33ºC and very heavy rains at the end of Aug and into Oct. In winter, from early Jan to Mar, the weather can be fairly cold at around 8ºC-15ºC. The best times of year to visit Hanoi are in spring from Mar to May, and during autumn from late Oct to Dec.