Hanoi, located on the banks of the Red River, is one of the most ancient capitals in the world, where travellers can find well-preserved colonial buildings, ancient pagodas, and unique museums within the city centre. A great place to explore on foot, this French-colonial city is also known for its delectable cuisine, vibrant nightlife, silks and handicrafts, as well as a multi-cultural community that’s made up of Chinese, French and Russian influences.
Walking around Hoan Kiem lake – the heart of Hanoi – on weekend nights, it is easy to notice a crowed night market, known as Dong Xuan Night Market. With its recent expansion, Hanoi’s Old Quarter Walking street (formerly Hang Dao – Dong Xuan walking street) is the biggest walking street in Hanoi and a wonderful place for both locals and foreigners to explore and enjoy Vietnamese culture.
It has been over a decade since its opening, Dong Xuan Night Market is a 3 kilometers long pedestrian street from Hang Dao street to Dong Xuan market. With the aim of promoting Vietnamese culture in foreigners’ eyes and Vietnamese new generation, the night market represents Hanoi’s cultural life and activities in the past. This walking street opens from 7p.m until 11p.m on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night and consists of over 3000 stalls from numerous small traders selling foods, clothes, accessories, daily goods, souvenirs and handicrafts. All the stuff are pretty cheap here, however, bargain is still an interesting aspect in Vietnamese market culture so make sure to do it when you are about to buy something. Along the street, you can easily find many artists who are able to sketch a portrait. Just wait for a few minutes, with a reasonable price; you will receive a perfect picture of yourself drawn by a street artist. Moreover, visitors can also have chances to taste several types of Vietnamese street food along the street and enjoy cultural activities while having fun in the market. It is no surprised to meet foreigners and locals from all ages in this crowded market as they all come there to experience real Hanoi’s sense with the images of antique architecture, the sounds of Vietnamese folk music, the subtle taste of delicious food and the atmosphere of Hanoi’s old market.]
Recently, Dong Xuan pedestrian street has been expanded to Level 1 reservation area in Hanoi’s old quarter street, namely Hang Buom, Hang Giay, Ta Hien, Luong Ngoc Quyen and Ma May. Especially, Hang Buon food street includes about 40 food stalls selling many kinds of traditional food from Hanoi and other provinces. Fresh juices, sweet soup (che), sweet rice cake, spring rolls (nem cuon) and Vietnamese salad (nom) are the popular ones. There are also foods from other countries, which are popular in Vietnam, such as Korean food, kebab, Taiwanese bubble tea and French cakes.
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