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EVENTS /// PROFILES /// GADGETS /// PLACES /// STYLE /// DRINK<br />
Find a sanctuary of calm amid<br />
the chaos and noise in Hanoi<br />
010<br />
FROM DAWN<br />
’TIL DUSK<br />
SPINNING<br />
THROUGH<br />
HANOI<br />
7.30am: A steamy bowl of pho (beef<br />
noodle soup) at the much-lauded<br />
Pho Thin can give you a head start<br />
in easing yourself into the city.<br />
61 Dinh Tien Hoang, Hoan Kiem,<br />
tel: +84 (4) 3824 9760.<br />
8.30am: A wake-me-up black brew<br />
or ca phe sua da (Vietnamese coffee<br />
with condensed milk) at Café Lam<br />
is a perfect follow-on to a hearty<br />
breakfast. Watch the world go by<br />
while enjoying the paintings of<br />
Hanoian veteran painter Bui Xuan<br />
Phai. 60 Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan<br />
Kiem, tel: +84 (4) 3824 5940.<br />
10am: Take a walk around the Old<br />
Quarter with its labyrinth of 36<br />
narrow streets, each plying a trade<br />
(shoes, mattress, toys, etc.) and<br />
see women washing dishes in giant<br />
bowls, grandma boiling water for<br />
tea and old men playing chess.<br />
Stop at 87 Ma May, a handsomely<br />
restored traditional house.<br />
12.30pm: Refuel with a bowl of bun<br />
cha (char-grilled pork burgers with<br />
rice vermicelli noodles). 6 Ngo Tram,<br />
Hoan Kiem, tel: +84 (4) 3828 8700.<br />
1.30pm: Head to Cho Hom Market<br />
for some shopping. On the ground<br />
level are stalls selling shoes, fruits<br />
and other food. Upstairs, kiosks<br />
cram the paths with garments so<br />
prepare to haggle hard! Opposite,<br />
Phung Khac Khoan Street is packed<br />
with garment stalls. Have a tailor<br />
make some bespoke clothes. Cnr<br />
Pho Hue and Tran Xuan Soan.<br />
NGUYEN THANH<br />
VAN, FREELANCE<br />
NGO WORKER<br />
“ There’s<br />
a face-off<br />
between<br />
the Hanoi<br />
in the<br />
day time<br />
and night<br />
time. It’s<br />
energetic<br />
and crazy<br />
by day and<br />
less chaotic,<br />
more<br />
inviting at<br />
night<br />
”<br />
CLOCKWISE FROM<br />
MAIN: Cyclos in the<br />
Old Quarter; rice paper<br />
rolls; Bar Betta<br />
3.30pm: Drop by Bookworm, one<br />
of Hanoi’s few independent (and<br />
well-stocked) foreign language<br />
bookshops. 44 Chau Long, Ba Dinh,<br />
tel: +84 (4) 3715 3711.<br />
6pm: Venture to Truc Bach Lake<br />
before walking down Ngu Xa Street,<br />
which is lined with dime-a-dozen food<br />
joints selling pho cuon (rice paper<br />
rolls stuffed with minced beef and<br />
fresh herbs). 29 Ngu Xa, Ba Dinh.<br />
8pm: Pop into Bar Betta for a<br />
nightcap. With an eclectic and quirky<br />
vibe — empty bottles hanging<br />
overhead, a gramophone perched on<br />
a cabinet and vinyl records gracing<br />
the walls — it’s one of Hanoi’s hip<br />
hangouts. 34C Cao Ba Quat, Ba Dinh,<br />
tel: +84 (4) 3734 9134.<br />
Jetstar has great low fares to Hanoi. Visit<br />
Jetstar.com to book.<br />
WORDS: NGA HOANG PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN): PHAN TUAN KHANH, PAUL XYMON GARCIA, CATE GUNN
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