Feeling at Home in Old Quarter

Surrounding Hoàn Kiếm Lake is Old Quarter, Vietnam’s old Hanoi.  This is the country’s business center where trade and commerce take place 24/7.  It is comprised of 36 narrow streets which were named according to the street’s merchandise and are filled with shop houses.  These are old slender buildings of ground floor shop and second floor house that are not as colorful and impressive as Haji Lane‘s in Singapore.

We were glad that Rulyn’s Travel Hub booked our hotel here in the name of Hanoi Bluemoon Hotel.  It is conveniently located amidst the shops, restos, cafes, and bars.  So all we had to do was take a few steps to anything we need.

Bed and breakfast in backpacker hotels like this only cost 250,000-400,000 VND or 500-800 PhP per pax per night.

Just around the block, we found the cheapest deals and steals of Vietnamese coffee and tea as well as souvenirs and food pasalubong to bring home.

Viet Nam Coffee at Đinh Liệt, Phường Hàng Bạc, Quận Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội

Thanks to the very cute girl of Viet Nam Coffee and the lovely young couple of Masks Art Souvenir who became our friends! 🙂

Souvenir Shop at Hoàn Kiếm Lake

Tea Sets Along Old Quarter’s Sidewalk

Deaf/Mute Group’s Handicrafts Display Along Hàng Gai Street

Aside from licensed merchants’ shops, there are also hundreds of street vendors and peddlers roaming around Old Quarter selling different merchandise.

Just be careful for they do overcharging.  They trick you into paying plenty of Vietnamese Dong for their goods that are not worth your money.  Just like us.  We were fooled by two Vietnamese manangs who made us pay 150,000 VND or 300 PhP just for these photos.

But for the next lady peddler, we were already wise that we took photo first and didn’t pay much for pineapples anymore for she didn’t agree with our price.  The load was quite heavy and that shows in my face.

And for the second next, a Vietnamese girl selling red roses to a police officer while me photobombing.  Hehe…..

Weekend nights at Old Quarter become more lively and bustling with its very long line of tiangge along Hàng Đào Street.

In these tiangges, you may make tawad up to half the original price so better harness your bargaining skills.  Hehe…..

Watch out tomorrow for more of Vietnam’s night market as I take you to the country’s best eats!

And don’t forget to take the cycle rickshaw as you sightsee around Old Quarter.  But negotiate with the driver first ‘coz some of them also do overcharging.

With the humble backpacker hotel, souvenir and pasalubong shops, pungko2x eateries (that I’ll be writing about tomorrow), and tiangges in night market, I really felt at home in Old Quarter!  For your guidance, Old Quarter is just like Divisoria of Manila and Colon-Carbon of Cebu so beware of pickpockets too.  #tosomtravels