A Trail of Two Cities: Saigon and Hanoi

There’s a certain romance that Vietnam invokes. From the mist-laden hills of the north to the beach towns in the south, the country has enough topographical variation to suit all tastes. Throw in a tumultuous history, a cuisine that’s fast gathering fans the world over and you have, what many reckon, one of the most intriguing countries to visit.

Vietnam’s two largest cities, Saigon and Hanoi, with their legendary rivalry, have been the subject of much comparison…and hence good starting points for our exploration of the country.

 

The Sights

Saigon

Officially known as Ho Chi Minh City since 1976, Saigon with its heady cauldron of insane traffic, swish malls and street vendors is a fascinating assault on the senses.

District 1 is for all practical purposes reckoned to be the centre of the city. There is a good deal of attractive architecture to gawk at in this part of town, most notably the ornate opera house. Having a keen philatelist in the family, a visit to the local post office is obligatory wherever I go. But the one in Saigon has to be the most decadent one I have ever set foot in. An imposing vestige of the French colonial days, the building is a sight for sore eyes both from outside and the inside.

The labyrinth of by-lanes radiating out from the opera house are home to an assortment of eateries and shops. On one side this is bordered by the Saigon river. There is a pleasant walkway along its length – ideal to spend those balmy evenings people-watching while kitschy fish-shaped cruise boats ferry passengers up and down the river.

Hanoi

For a visitor to the city, much of the action revolves in and around Hoan Kiem lake in the centre of the old town. The lakeside itself is a microcosm of Hanoi life, as seniors turn up, en masse, for their early morning Tai Chi, vendors peddle everything from fresh fruit (sprinkled with chilli salt…yum) to mobile sim cards, and students congregate on their way home to partake snacks and stories.

If the lanes around Saigon’s centre epitomise modern-day commercialism, the timeworn albeit lively streets of Hanoi’s old town are a homage to trading practices of a bygone era. Collectively referred to as the ‘36 streets of Hanoi’, each lane specialises in goods of a particular kind…be it silver, utensils, fruit or fish.

A couple of kilometres away, in a tree-lined neighbourhood is the austere Ho Chi Minh memorial, the final resting place of the country’s charismatic leader. Also worth a peek is the Temple of Literature, a shrine dedicated to that original man of letters, Confucius – now a popular photo spot for freshly minted graduates seeking an auspicious start in life.

 

 

 

The Tastes

It is difficult to go wrong with Vietnamese food – it really is. The tantalising melange of sweet, sour, fresh and crunchy ensured there never was a disappointing bun, banh or anything in between. Having said so, some dishes stood out more than others and there were a few revelations along the way.

Saigon

As has been our practice of late, we commenced our gastronomic pursuits by signing up for a food tour on our first day in the city. This one had us riding pillion on motorbikes, while the fabulous all-female crew skilfully navigated through the manic peak hour traffic, making pit stops to acquaint us with lesser known Vietnamese favourites.

Realising that seafood is so plentiful and popular in Vietnam was certainly a culinary ‘aha’ moment. The flavours of the boiled crab claws served with a simple dip of kumquat (a tiny lime-like fruit), salt and pepper, along with scallops sprinkled with roasted peanuts continued to linger on our tastebuds long after the tour.

Morning glory (water spinach) broth, an accompaniment to lunch at street-side stalls and a snack of peanuts coated in coconut milk are some of the other food worth seeking out when in Saigon.

Hanoi

Another city and it was time for another food tour – this time on foot though. From dumplings to desserts we gorged on them all, but the most memorable dish was nom thit bo kho – a fragrant dried beef salad that’s perhaps one of the best examples of the Vietnamese proclivity for balance of flavours. There’s an entire street (Ho Hoan Kiem) in the old town dedicated to selling this stuff.

But even that was second to Hanoi’s signature dish of cha ca thang long – turmeric fish fried with copious amounts of dill. The only thing to rival its delectability, if at all, was the theatre of its presentation!

Coffee

Vietnamese coffee certainly lived up to its reputation, making converts even of sworn tea addicts. The deceptively small servings bely not just the strength of the brew but also its sugariness, thanks to a generous blob of condensed milk at the bottom of the cup. Both cities have a thriving café culture and there are interesting variants, such as coconut coffee (Saigon) and egg coffee (Hanoi) to try out too.

 

 

The Transport

Saigon

It might not exactly be hyperbole to conclude that there are more motorbikes than people in Saigon. They are everywhere – even on footpaths! Traffic lights are mostly a formality, and the implicit understanding when the pedestrian light turns green is that you are about five percent less likely to be run over than when it is not.

Taxis are very affordable and, for those of a nervous disposition, the best bet even for short distances. Most sights have a different name in Vietnamese so make sure you have a map handy to point your destination to the driver.

Better still, imbibe the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ spirit and hop on to a motorbike taxi!

Hanoi

Motorbikes pretty much rule the roost in Hanoi too, but because the roads in the old town are easier to negotiate for pedestrians, they seemed to get in the way a tad less.

There isn’t much by way of public transport in Hanoi and while the old town is best explored by foot, taxis will be required to visit some of the sights and museums away from the centre.

If all that lakeside ambling gets too much, hop on to a uniquely Vietnamese remnant of the colonial days – the cyclo.

 

The Museums

Saigon

As expected, the American war and its aftermath is an all-pervasive narrative that permeates many facets of Vietnamese life, and one of the best places to nerd out on war-related info is at the War Remnants museum, adjacent to the Independence palace.

There is no denying that the reportage is mostly one-sided, but, even so, it is a well curated collection that spans propaganda, combat, artillery and journalism. Some of the photographs make for rather difficult viewing, but the museum warrants a visit for appreciating that real cost of war.

Hanoi

The Ethnology museum, in a charming indoor-outdoor setting, provides a colourful glimpse into the various ethnic communities of Vietnam and the rest of Indochina. From model homes to costumes to rites of passage, the museum’s collections are a delight even to those with a casual interest in ethnology.

Closer to town, the smaller Women’s museum has still more ethnic exhibits to peruse. The museum chronicles the role of women in various aspects of Vietnamese history and community, such as war, industry and divinity too.

In both cities, museum opening times vary depending on the day of the week – do check before you visit.

 

The Rest…

Weather: Saigon has a largely season-less climate and hot days are guaranteed throughout the year. Hanoi is more temperate and in December, when we visited, the days were pleasant and the early mornings cool.

Shopping: Local crafts made from coconut shells and palm leaves are ubiquitous in both cities. If you are after a more edgy keepsake, propaganda art posters can be found in bookshops near the opera house in Saigon and all over the old town in Hanoi. Vietnamese coffee and filters are great to bring back home too. Buyer tip: The scruffy looking aluminium filters brew better than the more expensive steel ones.

Entertainment: The Saigon opera house stages performances on most nights, some of which are highly recommended – we had to give this a miss though. The water puppet theatre in Hanoi puts on a delightful show that features charming snippets of village life and stories from local legends.

 

Have you visited either or both of these cities? What are your impressions?