Have you ever been to any Train Street with restaurants by its side from where the train passes by, and you can enjoy the view sipping Egg Coffee or Egg Chocolate Coffee?
If not, come with us on an exciting day trip to Hanoi. You would enjoy this blog and this will help you plan your itinerary. Before we start, let’s go through a small recap…..
In case you don’t know who we are………..
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
Table of Contents
1. How much we have explored in Vietnam?
It was our fifth day in Vietnam. You would love read the previous blogs of this series.
We took a flight morning flight from Da Nang and reached Hanoi around 12:30 PM. As soon as we arrived, we sensed the weather was cold here. Hence, we took out our jackets. After collecting the luggage from the baggage belts, we proceeded towards the exit and booked the Grab.
Our stay was in Ibiz City Hostel at the Old Quarters Hanoi on one of the famous streets, Beer Street. It took us around 1 hour to reach our stay from Airport. The Old Quarters area was a happening place. As soon as we reached, we quickly completed the check-in formalities and went up to our room which was on the 4th floor.
As we settled in and freshened up, it was almost around 2:30 PM. We had some sticky rice (a staple Vietnamese food item) which we got packed from Da Nang. In the meantime, our day trip guide called us as he arrived and was waiting for us in the lobby. We have booked the City tour from here.
We hopped into the car and were on the way to our first destination for the day.
Now, you must be thinking……..
2. Which was our first destination in Hanoi?
Our first destination was Tran Quoc Pagoda. It was early evening by the time we reached. It was crowded as this was the Tet holiday. The temple was situated by West Lake (Ho Tay).
It was chilly and cold outside. Visitors can enjoy the serene surroundings and take a stroll there. Many people were praying over there.
The main tower of this pagoda is an 11-storey stupa and is the tallest in Vietnam. This is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Vietnam. It is one of the centres of attraction for Buddhist followers, especially during Tet or Lunar New Year.
We saw a strange custom in which people were burning paper notes at one of the corners of the pagoda. They believed that it was a way to offer prayer to their deceased family members. Also, it will bring fortune to them along with health and happiness.
We explored the entire place for about an hour. One can spend the evening sitting by its lakeside area.
Soon, we left for our next spot.
3. Where were we heading to?
Our next stop was a Thang Long palace which means Ascending Dragon in Vietnamese. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also known as Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
This place is around 1000 years old. It is one of the most significant cultural and historical sites of Hanoi. There was a museum exhibiting pottery, coins, war remnants, etc.
Also, there was a large beautiful garden. Being the Tet time, it was beautifully decorated.
This place offers an amazing educational experience for those who are into history and want to understand Vietnamese culture.
Do you remember the question we have asked at the beginning of this blog?
Now it was time for…..
4. How was the experience at Train Street?
Train Street is one of the most famous and Instagram-able spots in Hanoi. This is one of the must-visit while in Hanoi. Initially, when we were heading towards Train Street, our driver told us that he was unsure of the train timings and mentioned we might not get a chance to see any train due to its schedule.
But we were determined to visit the place with fingers crossed for a train sighting. And yeah, we were lucky enough that the train arrived pretty early that day.
It was a narrow street, with railway tracks in the middle and small, cosy cafes on both sides. All cafes seemed occupied as travellers waited for this iconic train to pass.
They were ready with cameras and mobiles in hand. We also took seats in one of the nearby cafes. We went upstairs for a good view.
There was some time left for the train to come. So we ordered Train Street’s famous Egg Coffee, Egg Chocolate Coffee, and Fried Noodles. We were a bit sceptical while ordering this, but it turned out so delicious that we recommend trying out this while in Train Street.
Tip: Beware when the train arrives; don’t get too close to it.
The most awaited moment came when we heard the train honking, and locals requested travellers to keep a safe distance from the tracks.
People were jumping out of joy, taking pics and making videos. A few started clapping out of happiness as soon as the train crossed. Many were video-calling their friends and family members to show this; even one of us did the same :).
We also took the pictures and decided to return to our stay…
Wait, on the way, we explored…..
5. What did we explore on the way back to our stay?
It was St. Joseph’s Cathedral, around 2 km from the Train Street. The architecture was graceful and dated back to the 19th century. As we went inside, prayers were going on.
After spending some time in the Cathedral, as we came out, our driver mentioned a Buddhist temple (Ba Da Pagoda) on the opposite side of the road. We thought to visit this place as well. Chua Ba Da Pagoda is known for its stone statue of a woman. This is the reason it is also referred to as Stone Lady Pagoda. We felt at peace visiting this place.
One unique ritual we observed at the Pagoda was people were making offerings by placing pins/stones on a Buddha painting. We also tried the same with the help of a local sitting over there. It came out to be beautiful.
Now it was time to go back to our stay. We hopped into our car again. The drive to our stay was around 3kms from this place. We reached in no time.
As it was getting dark the temperature dipped more. The harsh cold winds were blowing. But it barely affected the crowd in the Beer Street. There were multiple restaurants were people were sitting outside on small chairs and stools, enjoying the famous Hanoi Beer with Vietnamese cuisine.
Being tired and hungry we searched for a place that had some sitting area. We ordered Egg Fried Rice with veggie bowls. In the blink of an eye, we finished off the dinner as all of us were starving.
After dinner, we took a stroll in the streets checking out a few souvenir shops. There were many shops around from where one can buy. We also bought a few souvenirs then headed back to our stay.
With this we called off our day in Hanoi. Being tired, we all went to sleep as we had a long planned day, the next morning.
Apart from the places we mentioned above, you can also plan to visit One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature and National University.
We hope you got a glimpse of what you can plan in Hanoi city. If you have a shortage of time, you can follow our itinerary. If you need any help, we are just a click away.
Wait! We are not ending this blog without this last question.
6. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Srilanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of Vietnam. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau