Wide boulevards, grand architecture, and leafy streets.. but it’s not Paris, it’s the French Quarter of Hanoi, an echo of Vietnam’s colonial era under French rule.
The French Quarter was the administrative and residential center for French officials during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. was designed with European-style planning: broad avenues, symmetrical layouts, and large buildings that would not be out of place in a French city.
Today the area includes some embassies and major government buildings, from the Vietnamese State Bank to the Atomic Energy department. And there are some seriously swanky hotels and shops – the Sofitel Metropole has played hosts to heads of state, actor Charlie Chaplin and author Graham Greene.
The shopping centre above includes some big names – Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Burberry et al – and is quite a contrast to the tiny establishments in the nearby Old Quarter.
And like so many other areas of Hanoi, it’s a great place to people watch. So we settled down in a street side cafe, me with a quyp tangerine coffee, Annette with a creamy espresso, to do just that.
And what would make the comparison with Paris complete? A patisserie – and sure, enough, almost next door was exactly that, with a mouthwatering selection of goodies in the window. And yes, we had to go in and sample, purely for the sake of research, of course.
From there, time to wend our way back to the old quarter but we thought we’d go and have a look at Hanoi’s famous Train Street on the way. In the past, it offered a slightly surreal, up-close view of a train passing through a narrow residential alley, with cafes and restaurants just inches away from the tracks. Locals have adapted to the schedule: when a train approaches, tables and chairs are pulled inside, and everyone clears the track in a matter of seconds.
But now it seems that the local authorities have become concerned at the potential danger and access to the street has been restricted since earlier this year. Apparently large tourist groups were flinging themselves in front of the Reunification Express as it steamed down the street to take photos – and fair enough, running them down is a bad look.Some cafés may still offer entry if you book in advance or are escorted by staff. The sign says it all:
The contrast between the broad avenues of the French quarter and the cramped, vibrant alleys of the Old quarter are just two faces of this wonderfully crazy city.
