Wanderlust UK – September 2019

38 wanderlust.co.uk September2019

EXPLORE

Thenorthhasthelandscape.Thepeaks,

hilltribesandpaddiesofHaGiangand

MaiChauwrinklethelandonanepicscale,

whiletherainforestsofCucPhuongwere

Vietnam’sirstnationalparkandremain

avitalsanctuaryfortheDelacour’slangur.

Yetit’sthekarstspiresofHalongandLan

HaBaytotheeastthatdrawthemostgasps.

Thesouthisallaboutriverlife.TheMekong

Deltafraysthecoastbelowthecity,and

daytripstotheloatingmarketsofCanTho

orkayakingthemangrovesofCanGioare

easytodo.Onland,theCuChitunnels

(pictured)letyouinchalongfoxholesonce

usedbyVCguerillas;thenclimbupBaDen

OUTDOORS (996m)toshakeoˆtheclaustrophobia.

VIETNAM

VERDICT:Hanoihasthesceneryandthetradition;HCMCboaststhehistoryandthemost

iconicsightofall:theMekong.BotharefoodiehavensandsorelytestyourVespa-dodging

skills,butwhicheveryouchoose,you’reguaranteedonething:alifelongloveofpho!

Vietnam’s north-south divide is more than geographical. Split into two nations

in the 1950s, they were only reunited post-Vietnam War, yet cultural Hanoi and

buzzy Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) remain polar opposites. But which is for you?

CapitalHanoilaysbarethenorth’s battle

with modernity. It mostly resists Western

culture, and strolling the Old Quarter and

its ‘tube houses’ (some just two metres

wide) oˆers more historical context than

the city’s one-eyed museums. But the Hoa

Lo Prison and the Mausoleum, in which

‘Uncle Ho’ Chi Minh lies, are good primers.

Whilethenorthresists,thesouthembraces.

It was set up by the French as a commercial

centre in the 1800s, and remains resiliently

modern. Still, the Reuniication Palace

(pictured), where the Viet Cong stormed

the gates in 1975 to end the war, and the

no-punches-pulled War Remnants Museum

ensure that its historic moments aren’t lost.

HISTORY

Hanoi is a foodie icon, with tiny pho (noodle

soup) shops like Pho Gia Truyen rightly

lauded. Vietnam’s coˆee ixation – a legacy

of the war, after which it sought a new cash

crop – inds form in the ‘egg coˆee’

(pictured) of Giang Cafe, while Vespa tours

of the markets see you ill up on tasty bun

cha (pork noodles) and nem (spring rolls).

The pace rarely lets up down here. Vespa

tours or going toe-to-toe among Ben Thanh

Market’s 3,000 bustling stalls are a good

way to get up to speed. Catch your breath

in the French Quarter, where the gothic-

style post ožice and spires of Notre Dame

Cathedral recall its Gallic roots, while Jade

Emperor Pagoda is an island in a neon sea.

FOOD

Dreamstime; Shutterstock; Getty

Despite the tide of Vespas, Hanoi is a slower

burn. Wander the chilled Hoan Kiem Lake,

visit the ancient pagoda Tran Quoc

(pictured), then hit the Old Quarter where

workshops spill out onto the pavements.

Meanwhile, the Water Puppet Theatre –

a tradition from the rice ields – oˆers a link

with the city’s rural roots.

Hanoi is all tradition, but HCMC’s mass of

expats means there’s more dining variety in

District 1 than in all the north. Craft beer (try

Pasteur Street Brewing), slick roasteries and

Turtle Lake’s food carts, hawking banh mi

sandwiches to busy workers, show all sides

to the city. Finish at the Vietnam Cookery

Center, polishing your pho-making skills.

CULTURE

Head to Head

Hanoi VERSUS Ho Chi Minh City

DIDYOU

KNOW?

When Communist

leader Ho Chi Minh

died in 1969, a team

from the USSR lew

in to embalm him

(a la Lenin) , but

his body wasn’t

unveiled at Hanoi’s

Mausoleum until

after the Vietnam

War, so US troops

couldn’t capture it.

AT A

GLANCE

Hanoi
Population
7.78 million
Total area
3,329 sq km
Famous for
Pho soup,
pagodas, the
resting place of
‘Uncle Ho’, tai chi
by Hoan Kiem Lake
and water puppets

Ho Chi

Minh City

(Saigon)

Population

8.64 million

Total area

2,061 sq km

Famous for

Fox holes, war

museums, the

Reuni–ication

Palace and boat

trips on the

Mekong Delta

HANOI ƒNORTH… HO CHI MINH CITY ƒSOUTH…