What to do in Hanoi: A day in Hanoi’s Old Quarter
I have written many articles about Hanoi attractions including suggested schedule, Vietnam Visa tips and tricks but not details about one certain place. Today, I will tell you my wonderful day in Hanoi’s Old Quarter as a suggestion what to do in Hanoi. My experience will help you discover Hanoi’s Old Quarter in your own way. You can follow this schedule or keep it as a guide for future reference. The following suggestions are not all the attractions in Hanoi’s Old Quarter as this area is so large and have a lot of things to discover. However, you should go to these destinations below to do sightseeing and enjoy Hanoi food.

List of destination

• Dong Xuan Market: The crowded downtown with many items, mostly sold by wholesale. The retail price is a little higher if you buy by retail. Come here and learn more about an ancient bazaar with “very Hanoi” views.
• O Quan Chuong: 1 in 5 city gates left, with the gate was renovated to be viable over time.
• Dong Xuan Lane: Where you can enjoy a variety of Hanoi street dishes like Bun Rieu, bun oc (snail noodles), bun ngan (Cairina noodle), especially chè (kind of dessert made with sugar and mung beans, kidney beans, jelly, tapioca, fruit (longan, durian, mango or jackfruit), and coconut cream) to eat in the summer. They are very tasty and cool. The price is from 15,000 VND to 25,000 VND. You should try Bun Oc, rieu (sour soup) and chè.
• Bach Ma Temple: The temple from the Ly era, associated with the construction of Thang Long citadel. This is also one of the four towns of the ancient Thang Long (Bach Ma temple is in the east of the citadel). If you are passionate about history, don’t miss it.
• Bun Cha Hang Buom: Beside Bun Cha Hang Manh, Bun Cha Hang Buom also tastes very good but cheaper and more suitable for students. Price is about 25,000VND/bowl while bun Hang Manh is about 60,000VND/bowl
• Ancient House at 87 Ma May: The old house still retains many lifestyles of Hanoian with its architecture of Hanoi style in the early 20^th century.
• Café Shot 60 Phat Loc: This café is towards the guests who love Photography, unique interior decoration. You should come here in daytime, after the morning stroll and having lunch. This café is located in Phat Loc lane where is famous for Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm (Noodle with tofu and shrimp paste). You can enjoy Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm before relaxing in the café to continue the tour in the afternoon.
• Bia Hoi in Luong Ngoc Quyen: Bia Hoi in Vietnam is the cheapest beer in the world. You will find it in many places in Hanoi but there is a corner that is very popular with tourist in the intersection of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen Street. You will sit in a small plastic chair when drinking beer here, which is really a local experience as Vietnamese people are familiar with eating in these places like that.
• O Mai Hong Lam in 11 Hang Duong: A trusted address to buy meaningful gifts for friends in your countries as this is a specialty of Hanoi.
• Dinh Liet Street with boiled snails: They open in the evening only. If you stay at the hotel on Hanoi’s Old Quarter, this is the place close to where you live to eat tasty dishes of a very heavy Hanoi flavor.
• Stir-fried pig’s offal, fried Pho in Nguyen Sieu Street: It deserves trying stir-fried pig’s offal as it’s so special in Vietnam. It opens in the evening from 7pm. The restaurant is opposite the shop Acoustic Café (No. 7 Nguyen Sieu). This dish is so delicious. You only sit in sidewalk but it’s clean. Just order Stir-fried pig’s offal, fried Pho and enjoy.
• Bread 25, address 25 Hang Ca: A small bread shop in the sidewalk has attracted many visitors by taste of traditional Hanoi bread. Fragrant bread made from wheat flour eaten with traditional flavors from the French as Pate, hams, along with cucumbers. Restaurant open daily from 7:00 am until 20:00 pm.

That’s overview of what to do in Hanoi Old Quarter. Now is the schedule and hotels near these places above.

Hotels in Hanoi Old Quarter
Hanoi’s Old Quarter is the center of the city. It takes place a lot of commercial and tourism activities. Therefore, there are many hotels located in this area. You can choose every type of hotel from hostel to 5-star hotel You can view the map area with cheap hotel in map below, in three areas mentioned, the hotel costs between $15 – $25 (From 1 to 3 stars). These areas are also convenient for traveling to in the Old Quarter area.
With these destinations above, you’d better choose the hotels in Hang Be Street, Ma May, Thuoc Bac, Hang Ma, Gia Ngu, Hang Bac streets. They are close to the attractions that I have listed above.

What to do in Hanoi: A tour to visit Hanoi’s Old Quarter in one day
If you don’t know the what to do in Hanoi Old Quarter from your hotel in detail, follow the guide below. From the hotel you are in, you can walk to the places near you most, do not necessarily have to follow this schedule. This is only a suggested schedule, if you like you can take a taxi or cyclo to the beginning and so go on schedule

Transportation: walk or bike

8:00 am: Move to Dong Xuan Lane in Hang Chieu Street. Here you can have breakfast dishes like Bun Oc, Bun Rieu, Pho, etc.

8:30 am: Visit Dong Xuan Market that is located next to it, you may ask the local people how to tour around the market. You don’t need to visit all corner, just the 1^st floor is enough

9:00 am: Keep walking to O Quan Chuong, take picture and enjoy the view

9.30 am: Continue to Bach Ma Temple. If after going around, it’s 11 am (because you started late), then you can have lunch with Bun Cha Hang Buom

10h15 am: Continue crossing the street to visit the ancient house at 87 Ma May. Remember to prepare 10,000VND for entrance ticket. Then if you feel tire, visit a café named Nola (1 house from here)

11:00 am: Visit Kim Ngan communal temple on 42-44 Hang Bac – the temple ancestor of goldsmith in Hang Bac.

12h00 pm: Have lunch with Bun Dau Mam Tom in Phat Loc Lane, if you do not eat shrimp paste, you can call sauce instead. Be sure not to forget to add Cha Com (A common specialty of Hanoi).

12:45 pm: After lunch, you can relax in the Shot Café at 60 Phat Loc. It has open space and impressive decoration.

2:00 pm: You can continue the journey to visit Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake.

3:00 pm: If you like to watch the Water Puppet, you can buy tickets at Thang Long Water Puppet Theater that is located near Ngoc Son Temple.

4:00pm: Buying gifts for relatives, eat Oc Luoc in Dinh Liet Street or drink Bia Hoi in Luong Ngoc Quyen.

7h00pm: Have Dinner with Stir-fried pig’s offal, fried Pho in Nguyen Sieu Street, or you can eat at Cha Ca Thang Long 21-31 Duong Thanh.

8h00pm: Take a stroll to enjoy Hanoi at night. If you go on the weekends, you can join the Night Market on Hang Ngang, Hang Dao. There are a lot of small things with good price as gifts for you and your relatives.

All the information above will help you imagine clearly what to do in Hanoi Old Quarter. Let’s come and enjoy.

The last time I visited Vietnam was ten years ago in Saigon. I traveled to Vietnam to make a connection with my heritage. This is my second visit to Vietnam and I am here by using Vietnam visa on arrival service to implement my goal of becoming a Physical Therapist and to help as many people as possible. I came to the Institute of Acupuncture, also known as Bien Vien Cham Cuu, to gain hands-on experience and improve my knowledge of Vietnamese medical terminologies to better help my own Vietnamese community at home. The Institute of Acupuncture is located in the middle of Hanoi. The stark difference between this hospital and American hospitals was evident when I first stepped into the hospital. While the goals of both places are the same, the Institute of Acupuncture must do so without many of the equipment and instruments that the American counterparts have to work with. It is inspiring how the Vietnamese therapists here can still perform their tasks thoroughly and efficiently.

Everyone appreciates my assistance and is willing to teach me the techniques they use to help their patients. Every morning from eight to eleven, the patients go through acupuncture therapy. During this time, I observe the doctors and therapists in the pediatrics department poking needles into the children’s body parts. Numerous children had needles in their faces, backs, arms, and legs. Like all children, the very sight of needles elicited crying and screaming.

Afterwards, I observe the adult department and was shown pictures of patients before and after therapy. Most of the patients exhibited paralysis on a single side of their face or body. Many patients slowly recover after days or weeks of the treatment depending on the case. It is extremely gratifying to see patients gradually improve every day after therapy. I admire both the doctors’ and therapists’ dedication to treating their patients.

After eleven, everyone takes a three-hour break. They can choose to go to lunch or take a nap in their office. When I am invited to lunch by the therapists, I get the opportunity to see how the different families run their restaurants. Some have actual brick and mortar restaurants while others simply set up tables and chairs on the streets. However, I have found that the best food is found in the latter restaurants. The food has an authentic taste, rich with flavor, and is similar to home cooked meals. The restaurant may not have nice tables or chairs but the families are always kind and provide friendly services.

After the break, everyone heads back to work. Exercise and massage techniques are performed on the patients. This is the opportunity for me to learn new techniques. I shadow the therapists while they do their work and get to experience their skills first hand as their subject. They also allow me to perform the skills I learn on patients as well. In the two weeks I have been here, I learned many different treatments for the body.

This internship has already helped me prepare for graduate school and my future career as a Physical Therapist. Every day I leave work with both a sense of accomplishment and a desire to learn more the next day. The hands-on experience in this field is invaluable and being able to observe patients improving is as gratifying as it can get. I have also become a source of valuable information for translating Vietnamese terms to English and sharing my clinic experiences in America to the Vietnamese doctors and therapists. I have gained the confidence and courage to take the initiative to help others get back on their feet. Whether I am helping someone with chronic back problems or helping someone restore their full potential, one thing is certain: I want to make a different and this internship has helped me take the first step.

This summer, I decided not to spend my 3 weeks of holiday in a "conventional" way so I traded beaches, sun and mojitos for volunteering in Hanoi with "Get Vietnam Visa". Before telling you if it was worth the money to dedicate my spare time to volunteering instead of taking a rest and relaxing after working hard, I would like to briefly describe my experience as a volunteer in Vietnam.

Once in Hanoi, after settling in with the help of both Anh and the Projects Abroad local staff, I started work with another volunteer at a kindergarten for children with mental illnesses. Since I didn’t have any previous experience in the domain, I simply tried to help the teachers to manage the classroom. To expand, my tasks included playing with the children, giving them drawing and coloring exercises, helping them to remain focused during the lessons and helping the teachers set activities.

Since I do not speak any Vietnamese and my stay there was too short to learn even the basics of the language, I had some difficulties in communicating with the staff at the kindergarten. On the one hand, this meant that I didn’t have the chance to get to know some very special people who are working in the school, and this is probably the only thing I regret. However, on the other hand, the challenging situation made me realize that language is just one of the many ways to communicate, especially when it comes to children. One of the funniest moments of my short experience as a volunteer was when the teachers turned on the music and we danced with the children. It was amazing to see the children trying to follow your...