Best places to visit in Hanoi no one has ever told you

Exploring the true beauty of Hanoi with these most worthwhile places to visit.
Hanoi is a large city and it is tempting to visit all of the city’s famous destinations. However, if your time here is limited, let’s sort out the best places for you to go that can help you feel its true beauty.

Even if you haven’t set foot in Hanoi, you may very well have heard of 36 bustling streets in the old quarter. Located outside the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, this quarter used to be the residential, manufacturing and commercial center, where each street was specialized in one specific type of manufacturing or commerce. Even now, several of the streets still specialize in what that gave them their names.
Hanoi Old Quarter is a place where you can see the fusion of the past and present as well as the history and culture of Vietnam’s capital. Aside from many historic sights, such as temples, pagodas, and assembly halls, the main architecture of the Old Quarter includes shophouses with slanted tile roofs, of which the side facing the street used to be used as entrance to the shop inside. Houses of this type were mostly built in the 18th and 19^th centuries. Since the end of the 20th century, the number of traditional houses have been dwindling in number and replaced by newly built modern house used as hotels, cafeterias, spas… It is the strange harmony that creates such an unique place in Hanoi that you could find nowhere else.

Hanoi is famous for being the city of many beautiful natural lakes. In feng shui, “where the water gathers is where people gather”. That’s one of the main reasons why Hanoi was chosen to be the kingdom of Vietnam more than one thousand years ago by King Ly Thai To.
Surrounded by the oldest streets of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem lake is known as the heart of this city. According to legend, Hoan Kiem Lake is where emperor Le Loi returned his magic sword that helped the country fight off the Ming of China to the Golden Turtle. Since then, it was given the name “Hoan Kiem”, which means “Lake of the Restored Sword”. Due to its historical values, it has lived in many poems, songs and paintings.
Another lake in Hanoi that is just as famous as Hoan Kiem lake is West lake. This is also the biggest freshwater lake of Hanoi, Vietnam, with a shore length of 17 km (about 10.6 miles) and 500 hectare (about 5 km2) in area. Thanks to its poetic and peaceful atmosphere, West lake is popular for recreation with many surrounding gardens, hotels and villas. For many Hanoians, it is a place to get away after a long and tiring working day. Walking or riding around the lake in the late afternoon and watching the sunset reflecting on the lake might have the power to ease any worry in your mind.

If you are searching for a place in Hanoi that offers the best displays of Vietnamese culture and fashion in silk and embroidery, then you must pay a visit to Tan My store situated at 66, Hang Gai street; and its sister Tanmy Design store on the opposite side
of the street, at number 61.
Tan My is considered the first and the oldest store to sell hand-embroidery in HangGai street even before it turned into a silk and embroidery heaven. It maintains its traditional values and offers a stunning array of products, featuring  hand embroidered bed linen, tablecloths, clothing and artworks. Tanmy Design was built in 2009 but Tan My Embroidery has had a history of more than five decades and four generations of women in Hanoi.  After 50 years,Tanmy Design has evolved into a contemporary emporium of gorgeous fabrics and fashion, silk products, lacquerware, art pieces, jewellery, accessories and more.Coming here, you will not only find the classiest and most meaningful Hanoi gifts for yourself and your beloved ones, but also learn a lot about Vietnamese traditional art and ways of life through Tanmy’s wide range of culturally-rich products.

Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer of the world, but what makes your coffee life here even greater is that we also have many beautiful must-visit cafes in Hanoi. From vintage to modern, from minimal to sophisticated, cafes in Hanoi have different styles from one another, but they all carry a  particular Hanoi vibe,  some nostalgic and historic, some modern and chic.
Coffee shops are not just for buying coffee in a paper cup then go, they are places to stay and feel. A few suggestions for your cafe discovery in Hanoi: Giang café (renowned for the best Vietnamese egg coffee), Cong cafés (with Vietnam’s late 20 th century vibe), Nola café, Loading T, The Railway Hanoi… Tanmy Design we mentioned above also offers a coffee space for you to contemplate Vietnam’s cultural quintessence while having your coffee. Such a worthwhile experience!