Would you like to see through the clouds of incense and understand the religious beliefs behind Vietnam’s colourful temples and pagodas? Or plunge into Hanoi’s labyrinth of streets, knowing you won’t get lost? Why not try the delicious array of local street food and learn what it is and what to call it next time?
Our completely fluent guides are guaranteed to communicate their enthusiasm for Vietnamese culture as well as their knowledge of the city.
Take a walk with us.
OLD QUARTER
Topics: Traditional architecture, Vietnamese social structure and life in the Old Quarter
We begin this experience in a very local coffee shop located at the bottom of the Old Quarter over looking Hoan Kiem Lake (the Lake of the Returned Sword) that shows the traditional style of architecture in the Old Quarter.
The guests will learn why the houses in the old quarter are very narrow? Why most the street names are started with Hang? Then walking in to the 36 streets and guilds with the guidance of a very knowledgeable guide.
The tour is beautifully finished by 30 minutes relaxing on cycles watching around the streets full of only one type of product.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: The price is very flexible follow the trip quality and the number of people in the goup so please feel free to contact us.
FRENCH QUARTER
Topics: The diversity of Hanoi’s Twentieth-century architecture, French colonialism, Vietnamese Buddhism.
Hidden Hanoi is all about unlocking the city's secrets, and this tour is no exception.
Almost unique amongst Asian capital cities, Hanoi's French quarter is now fully recognized as an important part of Vietnam's heritage. Yet much of the history behind it still remains a mystery to most.
This tour explores the French Quarter through the ideas of its architects and the shape of its stones.
It sets about unraveling all the threads of civilization, which have left their mark on the area, beginning with recent reminders of Soviet style.
Only just around the corner discover a different world altogether as we visit the Buddhist pagoda of Quan Su, the centre of Vietnamese Buddhism.
Awe-inspiring monuments to the French colonial project are clustered together. We will learn about the French approach to justice and punishment and hear tales of daring Vietnamese resistance to the repressive regime.
One of Hanoi's unsung treasures is its art deco architecture. After modernism and colonialism, this will be the third twentieth-century architectural style we will see on the tour.
Duration: 1 1/2 hours
Price: The price is very flexible follow the trip quality and the number of people in the goup so please feel free to contact us.
STREET FOOD
Are your taste buds ready for an adventure? Our guides will take you to the places they eat and through the markets where they buy their groceries.
Topics: Hanoian cuisine, social importance of food and how to spot the freshest and tastiest local dishes
Option 1: Breakfast: Pho, steamed rice pancakes, local coffee with the market visit. Meeting place at Hidden Hanoi, # 147 Nghi Tam road, Tay Ho district, Hanoi.
Option 2: Lunch: Bun cha (barbecued pork with fresh noodle), green papaya salad, fresh spring rolls, dessert. Meeting place at 47C Mai Hac De street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi.
Take a short walk to Cho Hom market off Pho Hue street, passing some more tempting food stands on the way.
Explore Cho Hom market, one of the biggest markets in Hanoi with its colourful arrays of fruit and vegetables, sweets, meats and elaborate temple offerings.
Stop to try some fresh spring rolls and papaya salad before finishing off with a refreshing glass of che, a sweet snack prepared to your own taste.
Option 3: Dinner: Beep spring rolls (Pho) or Hotpot (lau). Meeting place at Hidden Hanoi, # 137 Nghi Tam road, Tay Ho district, Hanoi.
N.B: Hidden Hanoi has carefully selected the places it believes to offer tasty, good quality food. However, guests should be aware that the standards of food hygiene may not always be up to the standards of their home country, and Hidden Hanoi can accept no responsibility for guests' gastric sensitivities.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $30/person (min. 2 persons)
The price above is included foods and drinks.
TEMPLE TOUR
Topics: Hanoi's cityscape, local life, religion, local legends.
Learn about local history, religion and culture by visiting some of the oldest and most important temples and pagodas in Hanoi. Walk through what were once rual villages on the fringes of Hanoi that have become some of the most sort after addresses in the city and see how they still hold on the importance of the past through the places of worship within the local community.
Discover the subtle differences and similarities of architecture, what they are used for, as well as the history of Temples and Paogodas in Vietnam and of the importance of scarifice as well as the different offerings use during worship.
Duration: 1 1/2 hours
Price: The price is very flexible follow the trip quality and the number of people in the goup so please feel free to contact us http://hanoihighfivehostel.com/en-us/contact-us.html