Asia Destinations

Hello Hanoi!

March 31, 2017
Hanoi street photography

Hanoi, Vietnam in March: I’m desperately cleaning my feet with the last piece of tissue because I thought wearing sandals on the wet, dirty streets was a good idea. I switched back to my chucks. It’s been the first day of my vacation and I couldn’t wait to change into my summer clothes as soon as possible. Little did I know that Hanoi suffers a constant overcast sky, rain or drizzle during that time of the year. But it made walking around the city more pleasant than burning, tropical sunshine. And walking is quintessential in Hanoi: A city with a poor public transport system and never-ending motorbike traffic, but where’s so much to explore around every corner. People sit on their little plastic stools, goods are sold on bicycles and the street (or railway tracks) becomes everyone’s living room – the charm of the old days in a fast developing economy is what makes Hanoi so fascinating!

And between all the traffic, gigantic trees and decaying colonial buildings, you’ll find places full of beauty and charm, like the Cathedral, the Hoàn Kiem Lake and the Temple of Literature. Hanoi is vintage and real (not the hipster vintage kind), extremely photogenic and an amazing playground for street photographers!

A coffee break at the quaint rooftop of the Hanoi Social Club was more than welcome after all the walking…

One important thing when being in Vietnam is enjoying its fantastic cuisine. Vietnamese food is a favourite staple of my bf’s and mine diet, so we turned that trip into our little pho mission! Out of hundreds of pho spots, we picked wisely and can certainly recommend these places: Quán Pho Thìn (see map here) and Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su (see map here).

However we had our fair share of spring rolls, fruit shakes and fine-dining too 😉 (in this case at the elegant Sofitel Metropole)

I hope I was able to give a little intro and feel about Vietnam’s charming capital 🙂 Our short stay in Hanoi has been a blast, and I’m thanking my friends Stefan and Katya for hosting us ❤️


Interested into other Vietnam articles? You may also like:

From the archives: Vietnam – Halong Bay

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34 Comments

  • Reply Marissa_Travel Greece, Travel Europe March 31, 2017 at 5:33 pm

    I have never been to Vietnam. Would love to go to Hanoi one day. Love the vibe your captured in your pics of the city. Like I am there…

    • Reply sileas April 8, 2017 at 4:41 pm

      Thank you, I’m glad I could give you a feel for the city!

  • Reply equinoxio21 March 31, 2017 at 8:36 pm

    Thanks for the trip. (I love Pho) 😉

    • Reply sileas April 8, 2017 at 4:47 pm

      Pho pho everyone 😉

  • Reply SueT唐 梦 琇 April 1, 2017 at 2:46 am

    I think you have captured all the greats of Hanoi (without me ever being there [yet]). I love the street photos of the people and dog asleep on the bike…all great photos Julia. Must have been a great trip.

    • Reply sileas April 8, 2017 at 4:49 pm

      Thanks Sue, Hanoi boasts so many great photo subjects!

  • Reply The Wayfarer April 1, 2017 at 7:52 am

    Hanoi looks amazing! I especially love the photo of the woman getting her hair cut on the street, and the sleeping puppy. Can’t wait to see more!

    • Reply Vy from VYLYST April 2, 2017 at 3:47 pm

      This is my hometown! 🙂

    • Reply sileas April 8, 2017 at 4:51 pm

      It’s so interesting to see how people literally use the streets as a big common living room 🙂

  • Reply Blueberry Stories April 1, 2017 at 3:02 pm

    I’ve just finished watching a documentary on Hanoi… and now, reading your post, I can’t help thinking that Vietnam is a wonderful country, full of places to discover and things to learn. Besides, I love Vietnamese cuisine, too. Great photos!

    • Reply sileas April 8, 2017 at 5:00 pm

      Vietnam indeed is an amazing country to visit! Especially if you like the food 😉

  • Reply Paleica April 3, 2017 at 8:08 am

    ich stelle fest, dass ich noch nicht oft bilder von hanoi gesehen habe. toll sehen sie in jedem fall aus!!

    • Reply sileas April 8, 2017 at 5:02 pm

      Vielen Dank! Es freut mich, dass ich dir was Neues zeigen konnte 😉

  • Reply PinaySkattebasse April 3, 2017 at 8:47 am

    Nice photos Julia. I like the one with a woman having her hair cut in a busy street. How cool is that! 🙂 Your chucks probably needs some washing now. Hehehe

    • Reply sileas April 8, 2017 at 5:05 pm

      Who needs a hair salon right? 😉 I should have worn my chucks from the beginning… I had to throw my sandals away after that trip :/

  • Reply Hanna April 4, 2017 at 5:47 am

    “Hanoi Rocks and Shanghai Shakes” 😉
    Never been to Hanoi, but would love. It looks so fascinating. Fantastic photos as always. Those gigantic “jungle book trees” look awesome.

    • Reply sileas April 10, 2017 at 10:44 am

      Thanks Hanna! Those trees in the middle of the city really amazed me too 🙂

  • Reply Vicky T. April 4, 2017 at 5:29 pm

    My family is actually from Vietnam but I’ve never been to Hanoi. The streets definitely look very photogenic and seems like a fun place to visit

    Vicky
    https://vickysscrapbook.com/

    • Reply sileas April 10, 2017 at 10:45 am

      Oh that’s so cool! I’m sure you’d enjoy it a lot 😉

  • Reply Chiara Pannozzo (@wine_and_olives) April 4, 2017 at 7:00 pm

    Hanoi looks amazing! And that food, wow!xxx

    • Reply sileas April 10, 2017 at 10:48 am

      Mmm I wouldn’t mind another bowl of pho 😉

  • Reply Mitzie Mee April 5, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    I was in hanoi during Tet, so I didn’t get the chance to experience all the hustle and bustle. Would love to go back one day. Your photos from the railroad track are truly amazing!

    • Reply sileas April 10, 2017 at 10:50 am

      I remember your post, it was very quiet right? I’m sure you’ll be back soon during your frequent travels to Asia 😉

  • Reply Christina April 7, 2017 at 10:45 am

    wow, it truly is a photogenic place! It makes me want to wander the streets without any direction – just enjoying the buildings, streets and people!

    • Reply sileas April 10, 2017 at 10:52 am

      Hanoi is exactly that kind of place!

  • Reply tayonthemove April 7, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    I love this, this reminds me of my recent visit to Pakistan! There’s people living traditionally and some living more modern lifestyles, all in one area. It’s beautiful!

    • Reply sileas April 10, 2017 at 10:55 am

      It really is! Something that is rare to see in such developed cities in “the West”…

  • Reply Miyang April 8, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    Your pictures looks enticing!😊

    • Reply sileas April 10, 2017 at 10:55 am

      Thank you!

  • Reply lulir87 April 13, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    After having a look at your pictures I want to visit! I had heard good things about Hanoi but you gave me the perspective I needed to put it on my Bucket list. The food looks yummy and liked the fact you went Pho hunting hehe

    • Reply sileas April 18, 2017 at 1:41 pm

      Thanks Lucila! Pho hunting is a must when in Hanoi 😉

  • Reply jewels April 19, 2017 at 5:41 am

    Not sure how I missed this post!! Great pictures! I can’t wait to head back up to Hanoi and see how it compares from 5.5 years ago!

    • Reply sileas April 19, 2017 at 3:29 pm

      Thank you Julie! Looking forward to seeing your pics too 😉

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