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73 reviews or comments posted; 3 questions asked; 9 answers given.
Reviews / Comments (73) see all
Yet another option for those seeking something to do on an evening or if you are sick of bia hoi and expat bars. Unfortunately unlike teahouses say in Canada, this place get noisy, I guess as such the Vietnamese way. But noisy early in the evening, as people leave or maybe if on a weekday, there are less people and you can actually relax here. Tra Hoa has 3 outlets in Hanoi, but this one, on Bui Thi Xuan near Vincom Tower, in particularly has good mood atmosphere: dim lights and candles. The floor seating adds a nice touch like that at Chim Soa restaurant. Peg as a Chinese tea house, the selection is largely Chinese teas: Taiwanese too and Confusian influence. If you feel pickish, then there are some condiments to order. Apparently, the Vietnamese women I came here with love the beef jerky. Tra Hoa does have an English menu but the names are far fetch: "5 blessings teas", or "bitters for my lovely wife"...or something like that.
Prices are 16k+ per cup to 45k for a pot. Definitely a place for a date, though noisy at time or a place to chill out. Has Wifi, but I really can't imagine coming here during the day to do work. In the end, this place offers an good alternative to the bars and clubs scene in Hanoi.
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No, this is not the BBQ chicken Hanoi franchaise chain near Hoam Kiem lake. This place is better, loads better. Located beside the busy street of Pham Ngoc Thach, this side street restaurant has one specialty: coal roasted BBQ chicken. Spawling over a large section of sidewalk, crowds of Vietnamese, and for some reason plenty of couples on dates, squat themselves on plastice tables and chairs. Chicken parts dominate the menu: wings, feet, drumstick and other morceaux. Nothing like watching the love of your life nibbling away at crispy chicken feet and getting her hand dirty, which is a common sight here. Then watch as the mountains of bones pile up on the ground. The Vietnamese women particularly love feet, the part that looks like the cursed, wish-making monkey claw from the Simpsons Halloween. Scary huh! and not much meat either.
But for those of you who's palatte can't stand the thought of creepy looking claws, the wings are the supereme option. Hawkers regularly circle the area offering chicken pieces skewered on bamboo sticks. Just yell out how many you can handle. Each table gets some sticks of cucumber, cleanwipes, and some chilli sauce right off the bat. Other items like french fries, bread, chicken rice porridge and even seafood (shellfish) can be ordered. That along with other more sustancial chicken parts.
So to eat where locals eat, and have great chicken (I think the best places to have chicken in Hanoi), give My Mieu a go. This place gets crowded, really crowded, overflowing with Vietnamese. One annoying aspect to expect is the number of beggars who go table to table. Some elderly, some young children. Although a Vietnamese street restaurant, the final tab can be high depending on what and how much you eat. So not surprising of the beggars to frequent here.
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My Vietnamese students suggested this place for sticky rice. My Vietnamese friend took me here as she said it's one of her favourite places for lunch. So the locals obviously have a liking for this place. There are a couple of the same type of restaurants near each other. So this happens to be where the sticky rice sector in Hanoi's old quarter.
The place is simple for ordering, though all in Vietnamese. Menus are at all tables. Start with your base. "Xoi" means sticky rice and at this restaurant, you get three choices of the base: Xeo (sticky rice with yellow bean flavouring), Ngo (boil corn), or Trang (plain white sticky rice). Then, you get topping, which is all protien. Examples I have tried: Ga (chicken), gio bo (beef spam), thit luoc (pork), and some sausage I can't remember how to say. All come with a bean paste and fried onion topping with some sort of meat. Simple and great lunch. Two bowls are quite filling. I only wish I discovered this place sooner.
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On the recommendation of my Vietnamese friend and the fact that I needed some new glasses, I came to this optician store. The place is pretty big and gets plenty of clients.
Lets say you wear glasses regularly for prescription purposes. I am nearsighted myself. Back in Canada I use to have the privilege of getting free eye exams by an Optometrist, where the exam was covered by public health care. Now with cutbacks to medicare in Canada, it's now 40$ for an eye exam for most adults. Come to this VietnamOptical and you get an eye exam for free. Takes about 20 mins, then they make you wear these X-ray looking type, mental glasses for a few minutes just to get to use to the prescription. One would look very dorky, if not scary, walking around in these.
So, with the precription in hand, you can now purchase your new set of glasses. The place is just like a factory, they can do all the adjustments and fittings and assembly of your new glasses on site. As such, they have a wide selection of frames and lens to choose from. I brought a pair of metal frame glasses for 100USD, with super dense lens as to lessen the weight. In Canada, the price would be double or triple. More recently I brought a pair of prescription sunglasses (I am have very poor eye sight). The cost was 20USD and the glasses are nicely made. I still wear them today. The way it works is that after you picked out your frames and lens and pay at the cashier, it takes about 30-40 mins to get your new specks ready. The cutting and polishing and assembly are done on site. Sometimes less time if they are not busy. The first time I was there and waiting for my glasses, the salewoman saw how dirty my existing pair of glasses looked. She offered to have the technician do a thorough cleaning job on them, which in the end made a huge difference to a pair of older opticals.
The staff do have some English. Vietnamese would help of course. The Optometrist on site speaks english. All prices are labeled.
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Lotteria, this breed of restaurant has had a breeding problem in HCMC, with one on most corners. Now the chain has spawned at least one or two restaurants in Hanoi. I believe someone told me the Lotteria chain started in Korea, but your not going to find Korean food here. Essentially this place is a knockoff MacDonalds, albeit a poor imitation. Hence the single star.
The moment you walk in, I expected it to like a MacDonalds us westerns are use to. And the feel of the place is as such. Oddly though as this place is billed as a fast food outlet, after you finish ordering, you receive half your menu, and you go sit down just to wait for the rest. Someone brings it to your table of course. But if the place is busy, the wait could be awhile. Disappointing when you were to quickly finish your drink before the hamburger and fries arrive..lolol. Speaking of food, I ordered the cheap combo of cheese burger with fries and a drink, 35K. They do have other burgers: fish, beef, cutlet (pork), and shrimp...yes only in Vietnamese. And apparently trying to copy KFCs success, they have a menu for fried chicken too. Sadly though the chicken pieces (leg or thigh) are small compare to Northe America. And to satisfy the Asian crowd, they have the rice dishes with chicken, beef and what not. Oddly, the beef is in the form of a hamburger patty. So patty with rice and a fried egg.
Burger or fried chicken combos are more expensive than the rice dishes. The combo meals makes this place a bargain. But that is about it. The actually taste of the food is utterly flavourless. Even the suppose-it ketchup tasted odd, a dark discolouration makes it look more like bone marrow than tomato sauce. The fries resembled like MacDonalds fries but tasted like crispy, bland crackers. This begs the question whether Lotteria actually uses artificial flavouring in their foods. The foods looks heavily processed. The complete lack of flavour in the foods I've tried here makes MacDonalds the better alternative. I mean the type of chemicals MacDonalds puts in their food can make cardboard taste good. If I am going to kill myself with fastfood then better to go out satisfied. Better yet, head to the bia hoi right across the street. They open til midnight and have good food.
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Questions (3)
What is the scoop on Canada DAY parties. Is our Embassy putting anything together.
I am in negotiations for a teaching job in hanoi. UNLIKE teaching english, I am teaching math..yes teaching math in english to some scholarship students set on writing exams in to study aboard.
Level of math is secondary level...x + y, ratios, percents, interest rates. Equal to grades 8-10 in canada.
What is the going hourly rate?
I was offered 15USD/hr. Each session is an hour.
Classes are 7-8 students
As the time of giving approaches this year in the form of a Canadian Thanksgiving, I am wondering if there are any events around town celebrating such event? I never get notices from my CDN embassy even though I am registered with em.
If not, then I propose and call upon all good will and nice canadians and anyone who wants to befriend a canadian to congregate at some yet to be determine bia hoi for thanksgiving dinner. We may not have turkey..but at least there will be fried corn!!!
Who's interested?
Answers (9)
Posted Sunday June 17th, 2007.
Echo pretty much the same thing everyone has said. I personally perfer viettel, just more reliable and better range. Your AUS phone will work in Vietnam, dual band 900/1800 GSM. However if you look to buy a phone, motorola's in partner with HT can get a cdma phone for 35$ or nokia most basic is 50$, GSM 900/1800.
In response to the question: My wife and I are landing in Hanoi in about 4 weeks time, (from Adelaide, Australia) will be looking to buy a basic mobile phone each. Any hints on...
Posted Saturday June 23rd, 2007.
I heard the universities are good place to meet girls, just hang out there and start speaking english. Oh yeah where do I meet french/spanish girls in Hanoi. Whoa that question is a bit odd in Vietnam huh?
In response to the question: hi, Where can i meet vietnamese girls the week? Students, freelance.... ...
Posted Thursday July 5th, 2007.
I am drving down Ba Trieu st and can't find this PC X games mentioned by Steve.
Is it on Ba Trieu st. or a side street?
29 ngoc khanh...that the address?
I just want PC games that actually work, that actually finish proper installation, unlike some I gotten.
In response to the question: I am in the market for three things: 1. PC Games 2. a semi-decent webcam 3. a Blue tooth dongle. Anyone out there that can help?...
Posted Sunday September 30th, 2007.
totally jester79..I think this is a scam. Been approached myself too. There's one person usually a good looking VN girl who talks to you and some pimp on a motobike waiting for a quick getaway. If I recall correctly, reading the card from the "red cross" it says they are selling toothpicks. last time I check the red cross don't sell toothpicks.
So far these 'students' as they claim to be frequent around hanoi towers area.
I personally just ignore them if they try to talk to me.
In response to the question: I've been here two weeks. Twice, I've been approached by a young-ish person who starts out with something like "Ah, hello, what are you doing in H...
Posted Monday October 1st, 2007.
For the love of god ...your a canadian ..suck it up. There is no such thing as central heating in vietnamese houses. I went thru a Hanoian winter and I was wearing shorts and t shirt most time. Well one long sleeve shirt actually, but mostly shorts. And I am from Vancouver.
The coldest in hanoi last year it didn't get below 8'C at night. Warm and nice and dry during the days. Can get chilly if your riding a motorbike as the wind chill is nasty...but only at nite.
OH yeah the mold and milldew doesn't arive til march and april...and man is it bad. Which is why you high tail-it to south vietnam, thailand or malaysia.
In response to the question: Dear Hanoians, I've been offered a job with an NGO in Hanoi (from Canada), so I've been reading up. My question is: how bad are the winters in H...
Posted Monday October 1st, 2007.
Hey yeah...same question I had on my mind.. I am looking bottles of hydrogen peroxide, H2O2...I looking at pharmacies but yet to since any. I need a 3% solutions ...whic his like house hold bleach.
thanks
In response to the question: Does anyone know I can buy peroxide in Hanoi?...
Posted Monday October 8th, 2007.
Nuoc Oxy Gia...go to a Vietnamese Pharmacy and ask for that. It is peroxide, and you should dilute it 10x with water before using it, according to the label.
The ones I brought came in 60ml bottles for 1000dong each.
In response to the question: Does anyone know I can buy peroxide in Hanoi?...
Posted Wednesday October 10th, 2007.
Why go to Hanoi Tower's Highlands Coffee to use there wifi and need to buy an expense drink when you can go to the public library and use wifi for free. It's quiet too for working or in my case...playing GTA: San Andrea and downloading....
The Vietnam Development Information Center, Ground Floor, 63 Ly Thai To st, located across from the Hanoi Opera House offers the perfect quiet environment to work on a laptop, has nice lighting too.
In response to the question: Are there free wi-fi cafe's or other wi-fi public spaces where one can enjoy free internet access from their laptop/pda? Thanks...
Posted Wednesday October 10th, 2007.
Go to Finnigans pub..you can use their chips.
In response to the question: Hi, do u know where we can find some poker chips here in Hanoi? Tks. bb...
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