Believing These Four Myths About Hanoi Tourist Keeps You From Growing

The Hao Lo Prison was used during the Vietnamese War to lock the political ‘criminals' away, and now tells you all about the cruelty that took place here. You start to understand the hurt and you start to ask the questions ‘Why?'.

However only once you see the scars of the war up close and for yourself, you start to understand the damage and the impact. I've learned about the things that took place, I saw the photos and I read the statistics. Visit the Hao Lo Prison - I've learned a lot about the Vietnamese War while I was still in high school.

Momentum Travel has a great article on the history of Vietnamese noodles , I urge you to check it out! And then there's Pho Xao, which is stir-fried noodles usually served with vegetables. Although the products on sale have changed from silk, cotton and herbs to present-day goods and services, the Old Quarter's charm has remained with its distinctive colonial architecture and well-preserved shop houses.

The Old Quarter has been a business hub ever since the 13th century. Get a taste of what food the locals adore even though it might get quite eccentric, visit the nooks and crannies of the local markets, witness cultural performances, and explore this bustling city like the Vietnamese. The granite building meant a great deal for many locals as it ensures that their beloved leader ‘lives on forever'.

Started in 1973, the construction of the mausoleum was modeled on Lenin's mausoleum in Russia and was first open to the public in 1975. Reproductions of antiques are available, but ask for a certificate to clear these goods through customs when you leave Vietnam. Artistic treasures from Vietnam abound, including ancient Champa stone carvings and some astonishing effigies of Guan Yin, the thousand-eyed, thousand-armed goddess of compassion.

Hanoi's excellent Fine Arts Museum is housed in two buildings that were once the French Ministry of Information. Accompanied by a chef from the hotel, participants visit a local market before returning to the Metropole kitchen for instruction. As well as serving up top quality haute cuisine at its Le Beaulieu (French) and Spices Garden (Vietnamese) restaurants, the Sofitel Metropole also offers an interesting cookery class.

The vegetarian quesadillas with mango salsa make the perfect entree, while the salmon with wasabi-mashed potatoes and rack of lamb are both a great way to recharge the batteries after a day on your feet. Recently shifting his eponymous restaurant into his own Hanoi tourist information home, Chinn now serves up a reasonably-priced fusion of French, Western and Vietnamese staples in stylish surroundings. Bobby Chin is the closest Hanoi comes to its own celebrity chef - the half-Egyptian, half-Chinese cook has numerous books and a TV show to his name.

Try the Dieu Cham facial technique or Vietnamese herb poultice for a little cross-cultural pampering. Situated just above the hotel's pool, the entire spa is decked out in a range of Indochinese-inspired designs, and boasts fragrances and oils by local Frenchman Laurent Severac, an expert in aromatic plants.