The daily meal routine of a local guide who has lived here for 10 years. Starting with pho, followed by bun cha for lunch, egg coffee in the afternoon, and bun dao mam tom for dinner—these are not restaurants sought after by travelers, but places I go to every day.
We are revealing a 3-night, 4-day Hanoi travel itinerary personally curated by a local guide with 10 years of experience. This route allows you to experience the real Hanoi that package tours do not show.
Hanoi's Old Town, still bearing the original signboard names from a thousand years ago. A guide who has lived there for 10 years will lead you through the second alleys that package tours do not reach.
5 a.m., Hoan Kiem Lake at a time when there are no tourists. To know Hanoi, you must know this time. A record of that dawn, where a resident of 10 years stood firsthand.
When you turn on a map, you end up following the tourist routes. Hanoi's 36 Streets of Old Quarter are meant to be read by sound. If you understand the principles behind the different professions in each alley, you can find your way even if you get lost.
Late April, with the Birthday of King Hung and the Unity Day falling just four days apart. We captured the two weeks when Hanoi speaks to itself the loudest through the eyes of a local guide.