Old quarter of Hanoi

Sitting in the middle of the sprawling city of Hanoi and spread around the Hoan Kiem Lake, the old quarter is a mecca for the tourists to explore the old cultural heritage of Vietnam. There are no high rises, no fancy buildings in the old quarters and vendors can be found selling their products sitting by the side of the narrow streets. Old quarters or part of it are best explored by taking a leisurely walk from one street to the other, little bit of window shopping or negotiating with vendors to purchase a memento. If walking becomes tiring after a while, ‘cyclos’ are easily available in the streets of the old quarters. Decoupled completely from the modern life of Hanoi, old quarter is the true reflection of the life of the local people hundreds of years ago. After a long walk, you may want to sit down with a strong Vietnamese coffee in a coffee shop by the road side and watch life go by along the streets of the old quarter. With them, walk back to the past to feel the pulse of the old Vietnam hundred years ago.