Dispatch from Hanoi

It’s taken me much too long to begin traveling in South East Asia, a region I’d overlooked while in my 20s and living in Australia, in favor of trips to Europe with friends (no regrets). More recently, living in New York, my daydreams around travel kept coming back to these places I felt like I’d missed. I decided that after visiting Australia for the holidays, it was time to start addressing this travel blind spot and booked my return to NYC via Hanoi.

It was my stomach that led me to Vietnam—a collection of stories from friends and family about meals they’d had while there, as well as an accumulation of screenshots and saved posts from people I follow on socials, all painted a vision of daily Phos, crispy rice pancakes (a favorite) and piles of herbs served alongside each meal. My youngest sister, Sinéad, was on board with this vision of travel as a feast, and joined me on our first trip together without the rest of the family. An enthusiastic travel companion who was down to try and eat (nearly) everything, and who’s expressive enjoyment and delight during our travels, amplified my own. 

An original itinerary that also took in the south, with time spent in Ho Chi Minh City and the Con Dao Islands, was scrapped after deciding to keep the trip to 7 nights. Instead we focused on Hanoi and Ninh Binh, a semi-rural region a few hours south of the capital described as “Hạ Long Bay on land,” which appealed as a perhaps less-touristed way to experience those cinematic karst mountain landscapes. While it can be visited as a day trip, I’d suggest heading to the village of Tam Coc for a few nights and allowing yourself to catch the slower pace of life here.  

For where to stay, I looked through the sites of travel agencies who work in the region to see what affordable boutique options they had noted in Hanoi and went with Aira Hanoi, located on the edge of the old quarter (a few minutes on from Hanoi’s famous train street), where rooms were comfortable and nicely done but lacked a little of the gleam from the website imagery. It had a great little spa which we made nearly daily use of, and in the lobby, a tailor shop in lieu of a gift store, which felt right given so many people come to Vietnam to get measured and fitted. If budget isn’t a constraint, then I’d recommend checking in to the Bill Bensley designed Capella Hanoi, a short walk from the Opera House in the French Quarter, or one of the historic rooms across the street at the storied Sofitel Legend Metropole. 

Craft and Shopping

54 Traditions Gallery: Craft and antiques were another thing I was searching out during this trip, as outside of the agency work I do at Studio Santos, I’m also in the process of buying for Gallery Folly, a vintage furniture showroom that will open in Chelsea this spring. One of my first stops in Hanoi was to this well-established gallery covering antiques and artifacts from the country’s 54 ethnic groups. Set over multiple levels, the experience is closer to an intimate museum. Be sure to take up the gallery staff’s offer to walk you through the collection, which includes antique ceramics salvaged from shipwrecks, ritual costumes and beautiful examples of baskets from the central highlands.    

Van Tribal Art: Gemma Cagnacci, whose Instagram I’ve long followed for her vivid images of life in Saigon, offered this store as her first and strongest recommendation when I messaged asking for intel on craft and antiques in the city—an endorsement I’m now echoing. The tiny shop is so layered with objects, it requires a patient and steady pace to take it all in without missing something brilliant. I left with a carved wooden bell made for a buffalo, some antique polaroids with poetic glimpses of life in old Vietnam, and a paper ceremonial mask that would have been tied around the head of a shaman to evoke a deity during rituals. 

Hanoia House: The spot to go for high-end lacquerware: think trays, tea caddies and decorative objects in bold, glossy and brilliant colors. Not that most people are in the market for furniture while on the road, but the larger pieces were chic and well priced for this technique. If you’re interested in more traditional and low-key designs, then head towards the Vietnamese Craft Guild shop (worth a visit to pop upstairs and see textiles from various ethnic groups); the street it’s on is dotted with vendors who specialize in the craft. 

The 27 Klub: A lot of the magazine guides to Hanoi I was finding were dated, so outside of Gemma’s recommendation, I crawled the streets on Google maps to find stores that caught my eye. There were a number of vintage clothing stores that ended up being a hit-and-miss bunch, but The 27 Klub was a stand-out with a great edit of largely American workwear and denim. I left with the store’s signature piece, a Carhartt jacket that they have altered, giving it a fresh cropped fit. 

Khuôn: Xôi, bánh, oản: I usually try to make the most of jet lag and be up before the sun on my first morning. As it turns out, Hanoi is not so much of an early-morning city, but I did catch a glimpse of this beautiful little store selling hand-carved wooden molds for sweets like Banh Deo (moon cakes) in traditional motifs like a carp, dragon and rose, as well as seals and stamps, including the option of a simple and sweet line-drawing translation from a photograph to a wooden stamp.    

Eat 

Mr Bảy Miền Tây – Bánh Xèo: A favorite spot we returned to a few times while in Hanoi. Specializing in dishes from the Mekong Delta, what we ate confirmed that I will be coming back to Vietnam to travel in the south. The order here is their crispy rice pancake stuffed with pork and shrimp and served with a mountain of greens and herbs (lettuce, mint, mustard greens, ambarella, to name a few), which you wrap in a sheet of rice paper and dunk in a bowl of salty, sweet-and-sour Nước chấm. To properly explore the menu, come with a small group or return as we did—proportions are generous, everything is delicious. 

Bún chả que tre Bình Chung: There are no shortage of options in Hanoi for Bun Cha, the city’s signature dish, made with grilled ground pork patties, vermicelli noodles, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs alongside a dipping broth. I tried a bunch that either came as personal recommendations or through the Michelin Guide, which was a great resource for eating at all levels in the city. It might be simply because this was the first place I tasted Bun Cha, but it stood out to me from the others for the wonderful smoky flavor and crisp texture of the pork patties that have been cooked over charcoal.

Azubu: Even though this isn’t a Vietnamese restaurant, I’m throwing it in as a recommendation, as sometimes during a trip you just start to crave something else. On day 7, my craving was for Japanese, so we jumped on a scooter to head to this restaurant in the ​​Hôtel du Parc that I’d seen noted on Michelin’s listings as a great lunch spot. A serene and delicious dining experience that was incredibly good value. 

Banh Mi 25: My sister and I have strong opinions on Sydney’s Banh Mi options (it’s Hong Ha in Mascot and Xcel Roll in Coogee, or bust), so we sampled as many options as we could as we walked around the city, stopping if we saw a line that looked worth joining. If you’re looking to regroup and take a seat while you eat, then this was a great option. I tried a bunch of the sandwiches and the barbeque pork and paté was the most moreish. 

Cửa hàng bánh gối Lý Quốc Sư: A restaurant specializing in mostly fried dishes—heaven, really. As you sit you’re given a menu, an order sheet and pencil to mark that’s collected before the food appears in a flash. The fried fermented pork was a favorite, but the crispy spring rolls filled with minced pork, glass noodles and mushrooms and the lemongrass pork skewers also went down perfectly with a Hanoi beer (the accompaniment to most of our meals while in Vietnam). Like everywhere we ate, portions are very generous and food comes out quickly, so start conservatively and add on as needed. This street has a number of great spots to eat, and nearby Phở 10 Lý Quốc Sư and Bánh My Mama, should be on your list for a bowl of Phở and Bánh Mi respectively. 

Drink

The Halflington: We jumped off our ride on a Grab scooter (while Hanoi is a very walkable city, this is a useful app to have on your phone to access a scooter or car for the times you’d rather not walk), and were greeted by a smartly dressed host at an anonymous-looking doorway, who who led us upstairs to the atrium bar. Awarded Vietnam’s best cocktail bar from 50 Best, the speakeasy-style bar serves seasonal menus of story-driven cocktails (the menu comes as a bound and illustrated book) alongside their take on classics. Drinks were 10/10.    

Coffee: Hanoi is a coffee city, and it feels a little unnecessary to specify particular cafes after our experience walking into whatever cafe we passed that had a crowd—always leaving with a great (and very strong) cup. Look out for the various locations of Cộng Cà Phê, each with their own aesthetic, dotted around the city (try the iced coconut coffee), and if you’re into a solemn and serious kind of coffee spot, head to Reng Reng cafe before following the alleyway around to Thợ, a sartorial vintage clothing shop specializing in more workwear. 

Out of the city

Craft Villages 

Thủ Sỹ and Bần Yên Nhân: After some last minute reading on craft in Hanoi, I realized I was going to want to to explore further afield than the old quarter’s “36 streets,” areas in the city that were (and in some cases still are) home to different craft guilds, from silversmiths to makers of lacquerware, all trading in a cluster. I’d seen some beautiful images of rows and rows of oversized terracotta pots in Bần Yên Nhân, where soy sauce is made, and lucked out when selecting a tour online that took in Bần Yên Nhân and Thủ Sỹ, two of Hanoi’s traditional craft villages (the operator was Tinny Travel and our wonderful guide was named Phong). These villages are centers for traditional ways of making, and there are hundreds of craft villages throughout Vietnam. At Thủ Sỹ, we learned how these ingenious bamboo fish traps work with the natural flow of water as it moves through the rice paddies, funneling fish into the traps to be collected later in the day. Today, the traditional weaving of these traps is largely sustained by international orders for the designs as decor.  

Ninh Binh and Tam Coc 

Tràng An Nature Complex: I was a little worried about whether I’d enjoy this site given much of the imagery I’d seen shows a snaking processions of rowboats moving through the river (impressive in its own way, but less ideal for allowing my mind to wander as to what it might have been like during the 13th century). We chose route number two (there are 4 options), which had us on the boat for 3 hours, during which there were multiple times where we were the only boat in sight, allowing us to feel like we had this wildly beautiful place all to ourselves. If you’d like a private boat (you do), then buy four tickets no matter your group size and I’d look to time your visit for the beginning or end of the day. Once inside the complex and reading the signage on the history, I wanted to know more about these palaces and temples from the Tran Dynasty, so finding a guide to join isn’t a bad idea. Crowds or not, I loved this experience.

Hang Múa: A simple (but still challenging) hike up 450 stairs of varying heights to these twin peaks with panoramic views of the tower-karst landscapes, rivers and rice paddies below. We arrived at the site at 7am, which was in line with sunrise for January (as well as the noted opening hour), and lucked out with clear skies—not always the case with smog—and only a handful of other visitors. A meditative experience getting to sit up amongst these. 

Tam Coc Garden: A great garden, a good restaurant (stick to the Vietnamese dishes) and stylish rooms with local character. We stayed in the Mountain Veranda room and loved this little boutique property that is set outside of the main town, but is easily accessible on one of the hotel’s complimentary bikes. They had a fab little selection of items for sale from local craftspeople in the lobby, and were very accommodating for any of our requests to organize cars or excursions. On-site spa and complimentary daily yoga classes make it a great spot if you’re just looking to unwind and take in the surrounding landscape.