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Hanoi Images 20 images Created 18 Dec 2008

Hanoi's Old Quarter is the city's liveliest place and one of the most evocative spots in Vietnam. Although there are two official marketplaces here, the entire area is one large market. In the quarter, you can browse for giant red candlesticks, silk, snake wine, woven mats, coffee, musical instruments or lacquerware - or just have a bowl of pho noodle soup. Just navigating the maze of streets and alleys is an adventure.
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  • Tai chi is popular with many Vietnamese ladies.  Hoan Kiem Lake or "Lake of the Returned Sword" is located in the historical center of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam and one of the more scenic spots in the city and also serves as a focal point for its public life, including early morning tai chi sessions.
    hoan-kiem-tai-chi-1.jpg
  • Despite the traffic, the Old Quarter of Hanoi retains its original street layout and architecture. At the beginning of the 20th century the entire city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now the old quarter. Each street had merchants and artisans specialized in a particular trade such as silk, jewellery, coffee and herbalists. Its small streets are still very much alive with color and local life.
    hanoi-street-scene.jpg
  • Vietnamese water puppets at the puppet show in  Hanoi.  Though water puppet shows were originally presented as an amusement for rice farmers, using rice paddies for the “stage”, they have become a big hit, especially in Hanoi.
    water-puppet-theatre.jpg
  • One of the most endearing sights of Hanoi is that of its ubiquitous vendors peddling baskets of crackers, fruit or baguettes through the streets.  Whether sold from the back of a bicycle or baskets balanced on bamboo shoulder poles street vendors are a part of the Hanoi scene.
    vietnamese-cracker-vendor.jpg
  • Huc Bridge or "bridge where light is absorbed" over Hoan Kiem Lake or the Lake of the Returned Sword is located in the historical center of Hanoi.  The lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and also serves as the center for its public life.
    huc-bridge-2.jpg
  • Bird Shop, Hanoi Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem lake, has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. Each area merchants and artisans specialize in a particular trade such as silk, live animals, jewellery, coffee or herbalists. The street names reflect these specializations. Nowadays the streets and areas are more of a hodgepodge of specializations though few remain exclusively devoted to their original commerce.
    old-hanoi-6.jpg
  • Trang An Landscape Complex covers a very large area surrounded by rice fields containing three distinct areas: Hoa Lu Ancient Citadel, Trang An, and Tam Coc Bich Dong.  Collectively it is called the Trang An Landscape Complex, situated near the Red River Delta. This is a mountainous area blending mountains surrounded  by water basins that are connected through underground streams and caverns.
    trang-an-4.jpg
  • The Hanoi Opera House was built during the French colonial administration of Vietnam between 1901 and 1911 and was modeled on the Palais Garnier in Paris. It is one of the architectural landmarks of Hanoi.  After the departure of the French the opera house became the scene for several political events.  After independence the venue was mostly used for performances of Vietnamese plays and folk dances, but in recent years has begun to stage classical music, ballet and operas once again.
    hanoi-opera-house-1.jpg
  • Sofitel Metropole is a 5 star historic luxury hotel built in 1901 in the French colonial style. It is located in Hanoi, Vietnam. The hotel has a rich history and a century-long tradition of welcoming ambassadors, writers, heads of state and entrepreneurs including Charlie Chaplin, Jane Fonda, George H. W. Bush, François Mitterrand, and Jacques Chirac. <br />
Sofitel Metropole was chosen as hotel as one the only Best hotels in the World by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine in 2007.
    sofitel-metropole-2.jpg
  • Rose Vendor - One of the most endearing images of Hanoi is that of its ubiquitous vendors peddling bushels of fresh roses and other items from the back of a bicycle or baskets balanced on bamboo shoulder poles, fresh fruit or flowers are popular items for Hanoi vendors.
    old-hanoi-2.jpg
  • Hanoi Old Quarter Herbalist - The old quarter retains much of its original vibe with merchants specializing in a particular trade such as herbal remedies, jewellery, silk or coffee. The street names reflect these specializations.  Today only a very few remain true to their original specializations.
    old-hanoi-4.jpg
  • Vietnamese women in conical hats fishing the cold waters of Tay Ho Lake, Hanoi. No matter the season or how cold it may be, tough fishermen will be found trawling Vietnam's waters for the catch of the day - their own survival depends on it.
    tay-ho-lake.jpg
  • As the oldest continuously developed area of Vietnam, Hanoi's Old Quarter has a history that spans 2,000 years and represents the eternal soul of the city. In the early 13th century the collection of tiny workshop villages which clustered around the palace walls evolved into craft cooperatives, or guilds. By the seventeenth century the city was protected by 16 gates which were locked at night by heavy wooden doors. The Quan Chuong gate built in 1744 still stands at the end of Hang Chieu street.
    quan-chuong-gate.jpg
  • The Chua Quan Su Pagoda, or "Ambassador Pagoda" has its origins in the 15th century when a hall was built to welcome ambassadors who came to visit the king. Soon after a pagoda was built, the Ambassador's Pagoda. The hall was destroyed in a blaze, but the pagoda survived. Nowadays this is one of the most active pagodas in Hanoi, and it is the headquarters for the Vietnam Buddhist Association. Dozens of young monks reside in the complex and study in its classrooms.
    ambassador-pagoda.jpg
  • Coffee was introduced into Vietnam by French colonists in the late 19th century and the country quickly became a major exporter of coffee.  Vietnamese coffee is often roasted with butter to give it a distinctively mellow aroma though it is almost always served very strong.  Outdoor cafes are a ubiquituous part of the scene in almost any Vietnamese city and serve as neighborhood hangouts for locals.
    coffee-cup.jpg
  • The Temple of Literature is a Confucian temple - formerly a center of learning in Hanoi. It was once called Imperial Academy - Vietnam's first university.  It is one of several temples in Vietnam which are dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars. The various pavilions, halls, statues and stelae of doctors are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and the strict exams of the Dai Viet took place. The temple is shown on the 100,000 Vietnamese Dong banknote.
    temple-of-literature-7.jpg
  • Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi is the oldest pagoda in the city, originally constructed in the sixth century, making it more than 1400 years old. When founded the temple was sited on the shores of the Red River.  When the river started to encroach, the temple was relocated to West Lake.  A narrow causeway links it to the mainland.  Its architecture takes advantage of the watery landscape of the lake making the pagoda a picturesque attraction for tourism, as well as having a devout following among Hanoians.
    tran-quoc-4.jpg
  • Turtle Tower, which is also called Tortoise Tower, is a small tower in the middle of Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake. Both Turtle Tower and Hoan Kiem Lake are often portrayed as the icons of Hanoi.
    Tortoise-Tower-1.jpg
  • The One Pillar Pagoda or as it is sometimes known the Single Pillar Pagoda (In Vietnamese: Chua Mot Cot) is a historic Buddhist temple in Hanoi and regarded with the Perfume Temple as one of Vietnam's most iconic temples. <br />
The temple is built of wood on a single pillar and was designed to resemble a lotus blossom, the Buddhist symbol of purity.
    single-pillar-pagoda-1.jpg
  • Along the northern shores of Hoan Kiem Lake nestled on tiny Jade Island is the site of Temple of the Jade Mountain or Ngoc Son Temple as it is known in Vietnamese. The temple was erected in the 18th century and honors Tran Hung Dao, Van Xuong and Nguyen Van Sieu.  Jade Island and Ngoc Son Temple is connected to the shore by the red, wooden Huc Bridge which means Morning Sunlight Bridge.   Surrounded by water and shaded by trees, the temple contains fine ceramics, gongs,  ancient bells and a stuffed  turtle, which weighed  250 kilos when it was alive.
    ngoc-son-hanoi-1.jpg