During his stay, Booth suggested that visitors sample delicious foods and drinks in Hanoi immediately after arriving in the capital, such as grilled chicken feet with lime and salt in Restaurant 1946, a 20-minute walk north of the city’s Old Quarter.

Other delicacies include egg coffee in Giang Café on Nguyen Huu Huan street and bun cha (traditional grilled pork and noodles) at Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant, famously visited by Barack Obama and the late Anthony Bourdain in 2016.

“A cyclo tour of the Old Quarter turns out to be a great idea,” said the reporter. He explained that traveling by cyclo helped him work out his retinas in the historic part of town, where each street has a traditional specialty. For example, silversmiths once crafted ingots for kings on Hang Bac, while other streets were dedicated to selling spices and silk.

James also recommended a road trip to Bai Dinh pagoda, the largest complex of Buddhist temples in the country.

“Here you can learn about Vietnamese Buddhist history, watch devotees pay their respects in front of the giant Buddhist statues and marvel at the longest hallway of (hand-carved) luohan statues in Southeast Asia,” he wrote.

Furthermore, a short drive to Ninh Binh’s Trang An, a UNESCO-recognised scenic landscape complex home to an array of rivers and mountains, on the last day of the trip was also a must try.

“Take a boat ride down the river through the Trang An Grottoes. Your guide will scull you through the river’s caves and tunnels, and show you the temples peppering the banks,” he concluded.

Source: VOV