HANOI PEDESTRIAN ZONE

Hanoi Pedestrian Zone has always been the locals’ favourite to come and relax. Therefore, Hanoi Pedestrian zone is A TOP SPOT to recommend to tourists coming to Hanoi.
In particular, the walking space around Sword Lake has become a tourist highlight for the central area of Hanoi city, contributing to stimulating the development of trade, services and tourism, which makes Hanoi Pedestrian zone one of the greatest prizes of our country in terms of tourism.

Scenery

First and foremost, visitors going to Hanoi pedestrian zone should not forget to check out certain places. The mindblowing scenery of attractions here is among its most charming points.
Here are the highlights around the lake that you should visit:

Sword lake:

The lake is not only a beautiful landscape that tourists cannot ignore within the list of Hanoi tourist destinations but also the place associated with the spiritual history tradition of the capital. Sword Lake has two floating islands: Ngoc Island is located in the northern part of the lake, with The Huc bridge that bends to the north. In the middle of the lake is a smaller Turtle Island, above which the ancient Tortoise Tower lies.
On the weekends, the streets around Sword Lake, which is Hanoi Pedestrian Zone will become a walking space with many exciting activities such as street music, folk games that attract a lot of visitors.
Sword Lake is not very large, but it is deemed as a charming landscape for representing Vietnamese architecture and being close to people. The Sword Lake is loved by many people not only because of its historical and cultural characteristics but also because of the harmony between nature, architecture and people in that particular space. The lake is perfect for those who look for a peaceful atmosphere. Tourists coming here would have the opportunity to take time to walk around the Lake while admiring the scenery. No matter what time of the year, Sword Lake always brings a sense of peace and tranquillity that makes people feel relieved and relaxed. Sword Lake is a beautiful landmark with the willow trees on the bank leaning down to embrace the water surface. On New Year’s Eve, Sword Lake is the place where people come to see fireworks and feel the special moment of transferring between the old year and the new year.

Ngoc Son Temple:

Located on Ngoc Island, Ngoc Son temple is not only, a famous scenic spot of Hanoi, but also a historical monument to worship Van Xuong, the master of literature and Tran Hung Dao. Around the temple is a complex of architectural monuments with profound historical values and humanistic meaning including The Huc bridge, But the tower, Nghien temple, Tran Ba temple. The combination of the Ngoc Son temple complex and Sword lake has created a harmonious ancient architecture that is harmonious for people and nature.

Hanoi Opera House:

Another remarkable destination of Hanoi Pedestrian Zone is Hanoi Opera House, the symbol of French architectural and artistic heritage in Hanoi.
The Hanoi Opera House is the most magnificent building in the Far East in the early twentieth century. After nearly 110 years only serving art performances and important events, Hanoi Opera House started welcoming visitors in 2017. Therefore, visitors would be able to admire the unique artworks which are the combination of Vietnamese and Western culture. Since its completion in 1911, Hanoi Opera House has been a special historical site, witnessing important historical events taking place in Hanoi for the past 100 years. This place has a unique architecture style based on ancient Greek architecture of Coranhto, Tuylory castle style and Opera de Paris. The big theatre is divided into three main areas: the main hall, the audience room and the mirror room.

Activity

One of the most significant features of the Hanoi Pedestrian Zone is a variety of traditional fun activities here. Let’s have a look at some of the most notable activities:

Folk games

In order to recreate the beauty of the ancient folk games, the organizing committee in the pedestrian zone regularly arranges folk games competitions with games such as eating umbrellas, stilts, passing, shuttlecock, tug or To He. You can see and play these games all the way around the Sword Lake. The area of Dinh Tien Hoang Street is the place where you can easily see and join with the players moving with stilts. Shuttlecock kicking is more popular with young people and inherently played by many young people at school. If you just need a stone ball, you will be able to pass it back and forth with your foot. You can ask to join the group of friends playing this game on Hanoi pedestrian street to have fun. You can also play tug on the pedestrian street. The players will split into two groups to play tug. The two teams will try to pull the rope to their own team. This busy game always attracts a large number of attendees as well as bypassers who watch and cheer for the teams. The children are also very interested in this game. You can find these gaming groups in the area near Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc fountain.

Venue for performing arts and cultural activities

Besides folk games, people come to Hanoi pedestrian street also to enjoy the cultural and artistic activities regularly organized here. These activities are held at various locations in the pedestrian zone, with music, circus performances or other special performances. If you are a lover of sweet melodies that carry the ancient stories of the nation such as Cheo, go to Ma May area and Luong Ngoc Quyen to enjoy the art performances there. You can also find bands that use electronic instruments like electric guitars, organ, … at the pedestrian street. These groups often appear random in many areas. Circus acts are also performed at Hanoi Pedestrian Zone. For example, you can find two artists performing an exciting juggling act. Instead of going to the new theatre to see the circus performance, you can easily watch the excellent performances right on the street. Walking on the street, you not only meet Vietnamese people but also talented foreign artists. They also blend into the joyful atmosphere here to give the audience great musical performances.

Cultural activities

Hanoi pedestrian street is also famous for its special cultural activities such as giving quizzes or painting art.
In the opposite area of Tortoise Tower, you can see a man wearing a long black coat, ahead of scarf grinding ink introduce the people around the meaning of the words “Mind” and “Happiness “,” Patience”, … Please stop for a moment to listen to these stories, you will enjoy the knowledge you have just received. To receive the writing, you only need to spend about 10 boxes but the value received will be much more than that amount.
One of the very interesting activities of Hanoi Pedestrian Zone is the portrait painting activity of street artists. Artists often appear opposite the Turtle Tower. With only 5 dollars, you can bring back your own portrait.

Food

And of course, when coming to Hanoi Pedestrian Zone, tourists can’t resist trying some dishes here as this place is often called the paradise of food. Some of the signature dishes that I would love to suggest are:

Red bean cake

Red bean cake, which is popular street food in Taiwan, has just been introduced to Vietnam and happened to be loved by many young people. Red bean cakes are sold at 22 Hang Buom at weekends so they are always busy. It is called red bean cake for easy to remember but in addition to red beans, there are many other tastes such as taro, chocolate and cheese. The crust is made quite similar to the coconut cake, but the difference in ingredients makes the crust thicker and more fragrant. This cake looks similar to the dorayaki cake of Doraemon. Red bean paste and cheese are often preferred because these two flavours combine perfectly with the crust. When the cake has just been heated and is still hot, take a bite to tastesoft and melted filling. With a price of 8,000 VND, this cake is considered to be relatively reasonable for street food for those who wander around walking street.
Grilled skewers meat
Grilled skewers meet have long been a favourite snack, and the steak skewers have appeared in almost every street in Hanoi. The grilled skewers meat here is marinated in spices, grilled directly on embers, giving off sweet, enchanting fragrance. Grilled skewers meet can also be eaten with hot chilli sauce, to bring out the aromatic sweetness of meat that is rich of spices. Spicy peppers make the dish even more addictive.

Trang Tien ice cream

Trang Tien ice cream has long been a spiritual dish of Hanoi people on all occasions of the year, including cold days. Diners coming to Hanoi Pedestrian Zone for a walk around the lake will surely have to return to the address Trang Tien 35 to enjoy the cool aroma cream as the taste is unforgettable. Trang Tien Ice Cream has a cool taste but not too sweet, making the people attracted to this creamy flavour. Trang Tien Ice Cream at 35 Trang Tien is produced on modern lines, ensuring food hygiene and safety. It is also provided with many different unique flavours such as jackfruit cream, strawberry ice cream, crumb cream, coconut milk cream, Kakao cream…
For these reasons, Hanoi Pedestrian Zone might be an ideal place to have a vacation this summer. The breath-taking view, all sources of fun activities, and delicious food are definitely not going to let you down.