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Vietnam’s two largest cities are a study in contrasts. Traditional yet progressive, Hanoi’s rich

past pervades just about every aspect of life there, whereas dynamic Ho Chi Minh City is steadfast in

its embrace of modernity and consumerism, as Samantha Coomber discovers.

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THIS PAGE: Park Hyatt Saigon’s ultra-chic bar, 2 Lam Son, stylishly combines Vietnamese elegance with a contemporary vibe. OPPOSITE PAGE: Hanoi’s West Lake is a vision of serenity.

a tale oftwo citiestwo cities

rom climate to cuisine, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have always differed. Open for business

since Vietnam’s closed-door policy ended in the late 1980s, both metropolises have wasted no time playing 21st century catch-up. Having undergone a world of modernisation and socio-economic changes in the past decade, their paths seem to be diverging even more now.

A perfect blend of East and West, Hanoi offers a slew of dining options,

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from Vietnamese-French to traditional Vietnamese offerings, and some of the tastiest street food around. This diversity extends to its arts and design scene as well, making it an excellent hunting ground for anything from intricate handicrafts to cutting-edge fashion, accessories and furniture. But to get a true feel of the 1,000-year-old city, spend some time at its many pagodas and temples, or roam its ancient streets.

On the other end of the spectrum, visitors to Ho Chi Minh City throng its swanky restaurants and chi chi bars for

cosmopolitan bites, or scour its edgy and fashion-forward boutiques for the latest in glad rags. Vivacious and energetic, the city emanates a palpable buzz that’s hard to ignore.

So whether you’re a gastronome, history buff, party animal, culture vulture or shopaholic, Vietnam’s deliciously contrasting cities should please even the most well-travelled. But in spite of their differences, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City do have one thing in common – both come stamped with an unmistakably Vietnamese identity.

THIS PAGE: The main tourist strip on Dong Khoi Street in Ho Chi Minh City is a shopaholic’s haven. OPPOSITE PAGE: Hanoi’s young ladies clad in the traditional ao dai, Vietnam’s national costume.

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Hanoi may be the political capital, but as the heart of the more traditional north, it is also widely considered to be Vietnam’s preserver of arts and culture.

In spite of modernisation, the 1,000-year-old city hasn’t lost its charm, clinging as it does to its blend of ancient Asian traditions and French Indochina heritage – evidenced by the Chinese pagodas with ancestral altars and bohemian artistic culture characterising Paris’ chic Left Bank.

“I don’t know of any other Asian destination that has the perfect blend of East and West – Asian by culture and tradition but European in terms of architecture, lifestyle and cuisine,” enthuses Christina Yu, designer-founder of the Hanoi-based Ipa-Nima fashion label, whose flamboyant and funky bags have found fans in celebrities like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Maggie Cheung.

And with its lakes, parks, ancient

sites and elegant colonial architecture, infused with a Gallic-Oriental ambience, Hanoi is truly a sight to behold.

a legacy of taste“Once a culinary outpost, Hanoi now stands out for its highly sophisticated culinary culture,” asserts Californian restaurateur-TV chef Bobby Chinn, a resident of Hanoi since the late 1990s.

Naturally, a French culinary legacy prevails amid an atmospheric dining experience within restored colonial villas, inspiring the eyes and whetting the taste buds. If you’re looking for contemporary

Vietnamese-French cuisine, Green Tangerine (48 Hang Be Street, Hoan Kiem District, Tel: 84 4 3825 1286) offers a highly inventive a la carte menu with divine dishes like duck breast roasted with Vietnamese herbs and served with lotus root, water spinach and aubergine, while La Badiane (10 Nam Ngu Street, Hoan Kiem District, Tel: 84 4 3942 4509) serves up a flavourful curried prawn ravioli and delectable chocolate fondant. La Verticale (verticale-hanoi.com) goes one step further, with cutting-edge fusion creations from French master chef Didier Corlou, such as pan-fried foie gras in tutti frutti and tamarind juice, and cheese with

FROM TOP: Green Tangerine’s courtyard offers the perfect respite from the afternoon heat; bun cha (barbecued pork patties), a popular street food.

ginger citrus honey and grated Buddha hand, a curious-looking citrus fruit. However, if classic French is more your scene, make a date for Sunday Brunch at Le Beaulieu (sofitel.com/1555), one of the finest French restaurants around. Alternatively, go local with the homemade culinary offerings like braised caramelised pork and sweet and sour fish broth at Madame Hien (verticale-

FROM TOP: Vietnamese lacquerware abounds in Hanoi’s shops; La Verticale’s artichoke with clam shells has received rave reviews.

past perFect

hanoi.com). But for a truly authentic taste experience, nothing beats Hanoi’s street food, possibly some of the tastiest and most authentic in Vietnam. Tuck into favourites like pho (rice noodle soup), bun cha (barbecued pork patties), cha ca (grilled fish with dill and chopped peanuts served over rice noodles) and banh cuon (steamed rice paper crepes) at roadside stalls and hole-in-the-wall shops.

Thanks to the local addiction to robust home-grown coffee, cafe culture is big in Vietnam, but nowhere more so than in Hanoi. The capital boasts the loveliest cafes, clustered on Trieu Viet Vuong (Coffee Street), entirely devoted to old-style cafes like Cong Caphe (152D Trieu Viet Vuong, Hai Ba Trung District, Tel: 84 4 3545 3212).

Other gems include Hapro Bon Mua Cafe (38-40 Le Thai To Street, Hoan Kiem District, Tel: 84 4 3825 6923), and Cafe Pho Co (11 Hang Gai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Tel: 84 4 3928 8153), both offering priceless views of Hoan Kiem Lake, an oasis of calm in the very heart of the bustling city.

design evolutionAs Vietnam’s cradle of traditional craftsmanship, Hanoi and the North are known for exquisite hand-made crafts like embroidery, lacquer and silk – a reflection of the artisan’s time-honoured skills. Increasingly, Oriental flair combined with western functionality have manifested themselves in the designs for furniture, home decor, gifts, fashion and accessories.

Almost as evocative as the goods themselves are the shops, the most architecturally stunning of which can be found on the banyan tree-lined streets >>

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around St. Joseph’s Cathedral in the Old Quarter. For stylish, unconventional creations, Tan My Design (tanmydesign.com), a 7,500 sq ft retail space housing some of Vietnam’s finest fashion, accessory and homeware designers, and Module 7 (module7design.com), with its unique home furnishings and accessories, are worth a visit.

Also flourishing is Hanoi’s contemporary arts scene, seen in the explosion of art

who founded Hanoi in 1010 AD. A visit to massive Ba Dinh Square,

the political and diplomatic epicentre of one of the last remaining Communist nations, offers a reality check of your whereabouts. Taking centrestage here is the austere Soviet-built Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, resting place of the ‘forefather of modern Vietnam’. Flanked by government buildings, the only action the once-packed Square sees these days is the hourly Changing of the Guards and occasional military parade.

galleries, a thriving arts community and international recognition of local artworks. Check out Bui Gallery (thebuigallery.com) for younger, avant-garde works and the esteemed Art Vietnam Gallery (artvietnamgallery.

com) for progressive abstracts; Apricot Gallery (apricotgallery.com.vn), meanwhile, showcases established artists with a penchant for lacquer art canvasses.

heritage afootWith its remnants of Chinese and French Indochina occupation and historically defined quarters, the millennium-old city is a virtual history lesson on foot. Catch a glimpse of the city’s rich past when you venture to the Old Quarter, a mesh of ancient merchant streets, or the countless pagodas and temples dotting the city. One of the most noteworthy is the 11th century Bach Ma Temple, built in honour of the white horse that appeared in a dream to King Ly Thai To,

suite dreamsFor a taste of colonial grandeur, book yourself into the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi (sofitel.com/1555). One of South-east Asia’s most historic hotels, the century-old Metropole was an elegant gathering point for celebrities like Jane Fonda and celebrated playwright Noel Coward. Their charming suites (from US$250) in the original Metropole Wing are worth raving about, as are their excellent service and facilities. If you prefer something contemporary, the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake (intercontinental.com/hanoi)

will more than suffice. The five-star offering boasts a Venetian setting and 359 stylish, spacious guestrooms (from US$250), with luxe bathrooms to boot. And be sure to check out the open-air Sunset Bar that’s accessed via torch-lit walkways. Another popular choice is Maison D’Hanoi (hanovahotel.com) in the Old Quarter. A quiet bolt hole of sorts, the boutique hotel has 55 chic rooms (from US$120), modern creature comforts and an Art Deco-accented decor that references its colonial past.

FROM FAR LEFT: Start your tour at the Old Quarter for a taste of Hanoi’s rich past; with its torch-lit walkways and magnificent views of West Lake, InterContinental Hanoi Westlake is perfect for a romantic evening stroll.

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and restaurants, conveniently clustered in central District One (downtown), are propelled by foreign visitors, expats and local nouveau riche.

For Vietnam’s culinary capital, economic success and multicultural influences have led to a highly progressive dining landscape, with a melting pot of cuisines from the Middle East to the Pacific Rim.

Stylish offerings include Park Hyatt Saigon’s Square One (saigon.park.hyatt.

com), famed for its world-class Grade 9

While Hanoi is in no hurry to discard the vestiges of its past, the former Saigon seems bent on shaking it off. Ho Chi Minh City is arguably Vietnam’s most sophisticated destination, one that unabashedly embraces consumerism and capitalism. With multinational investment and business pouring in, it is not only Vietnam’s commercial and economic hub, it is also one of Asia’s most dynamic business destinations.

The rapid pace of change has been especially noticeable in recent years,

wagyu beef, and Shri (72-74 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 3, Tel: 84 8 3827 9631), which serves an extensive international and Japanese menu that’s upstaged only by the jaw-dropping skyline vistas from its 23rd floor location in Centec Tower. Modern interpretations of Vietnamese cuisine are served at the New York Times-endorsed Xu (71-75 Hai Ba Trung Street, District 1, Tel: 84 8 3824 8468) and elegant Hoa Tuc (74/7 Hai Ba Trung, District 1, Tel: 84 8 3825 1676), housed in what used to be an Indochina opium refinery.

Once a legendary R&R base for GIs, the party capital’s slew of stylish nightspots could rival even some of the finest offerings in other Asian cities. The uber-cool Xu serves innovative cocktails like martinis with goat’s cheese stuffed olives, while the sublime passionfruit martinis keep local celebrity models and singers impressed at the hip Q Bar (qbarsaigon.com). One of the few dining spots next to the Saigon River, The Deck, (38 Nguyen U Di Street,

An Phu, District 2, Tel: 84 8 3744 6632), features cocktails created by a New York mixologist. But it is Hyatt’s ultra-chic 2 Lam Son (saigon.park.hyatt.com) that best epitomises the city’s growing sophistication: the club and DJ scene here grows in size and cool factor. If the

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Besides an exceptional Japanese and international menu, Shri offers one of the most spectacular skyline vistas of the city; bop to the techno and hip hop beats at Lush; gastronomes will be delighted with the refined modern Vietnamese dishes at restaurant lounge Xu.

ho chi minh city rooting For the Future

with increasing numbers of colonial-era buildings morphing into glass-encased high-rises. And as Ho Chi Minh City seeks to leave behind the Saigon of its past, it is fast gaining cosmopolitan cred with its intoxicating energy.

living it upExcelling in merry-making pursuits, the vibrant Ho Chi Minh City really comes into its element after dusk, when residents come out to play in the cooler air. A new generation of chi chi bars, clubs

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latest techno and hip hop beats are more your thing, you can’t go wrong with Lush (2 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, Tel: 84 8 3824 2496).

retail lure Culinary offerings aside, Ho Chi Minh City is emerging as one of Asia’s exciting new retail destinations. The shopping, design and fashion capital has attracted progressive local and international designers like Mai Lam, Valerie Gregori McKenzie and Michele de Albert, whose contemporary fashion, homeware and furniture exude edginess and flair.

Shopaholics should scour stores on and around the main tourist street, Dong Khoi, like the glamorous Mai’s (132-134, Dong Khoi Street, District 1,

Tel: 84 8 3827 2733), renowned for its hand-sewn, embroidered fashion pieces. Original, one-off stores downtown are commonly styled like art showrooms and housed within converted vintage buildings. Lifestyle-concept store L’Usine (lusinespace.com) showcases Vietnam’s talented new aesthetes, from painters and sculptors to designers and graphic artists, while international designer emporium Gaya (gayavietnam.

com) specialises in stylish, hand-crafted lacquer tableware.

from chinatown to ’namHead 5km west of central District One and you’ll arrive in Chinatown (Cholon), a sprawling area with a distinctly contrasting ambience from downtown.

FROM FAR LEFT: Fashion-forward design houses like Mai’s are located on the main tourist street of Dong Khoi; L’Usine is where the city’s talented new aesthetes go for a cuppa.

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fast facts

CUrrenCY

Vietnamese Dong (VND); US dollars widely accepted. US$1 = 19,500 VND

VISa

Visa requirements vary. Visit vietnam-embassy.org for details.

beSt tIme to VISIt

Hanoi: At its loveliest from April to June and from late September to November, with little rain and lots of sunshine. Avoid the peak typhoon season and high humidity months of July and August. Ho Chi Minh City: Tropical climate all year round. Dry season is from November to May, where the skies are clear and there’s little chance of rain. The coolest months are from November to February.

hoW to Get there

Singapore Airlines flies daily from Singapore to Hanoi and twice daily to Ho Chi Minh City.

more InFormatIon

vietnamtourism.gov.vn

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A thriving trading area established by immigrants in the 18th century, Cholon is all about bustling markets, tasty dim sum, old-world shophouses and beautifully decorated temples and pagodas.

With Ho Chi Minh City’s history being intricately intertwined with the Vietnam War, it’s natural that one of their top tourist attractions would be the War Remnants Museum (28 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3, Tel: 84 8 3829 0325). No “Tour of Duty”, however, would be complete without a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels (cuchitunnel.org.vn), where you

get to crawl through safer parts of the historic tunnel network – widened and restored in parts – and try your hand at shooting AK-47 rifles at the firing range.

central perksWith so much to see and do in the downtown district and its vicinity, it makes perfect sense to stay central. Overlooking the Saigon Opera House, the five-star Park Hyatt Saigon (saigon.park.

hyatt.com) draws you in with its unique blend of Indochina-Oriental elegance and contemporary facilities. Besides its

understated yet posh rooms (US$260), Xuan Spa and its wine-and-dine outlets are standouts too. Top notch service and sophisticated touches, like a 24-hour butler service and a Mercedes-Benz S-Class fleet for limousine transfers, are also a given.

One of several historic hotels in town, Hotel Majestic (majesticsaigon.com.vn) exudes colonial charm, from its dapper bellboys to Art Deco fixtures, and crystal chandeliers and marble flooring in the lobby. A number of its 175 rooms (from US$265) and two rooftop bars offer magnificent views of the Saigon River – so it’s perfectly understandable why British author Graham Greene holed up here in the 1950s, where he wrote part of The Quiet American.

Another equally attractive option is Hotel Catina Saigon (hotelcatina.com.vn) on Dong Khoi Street, one of the few boutique hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. With its enviable location, contemporary decor and modern facilities – minus a premium price tag (from US$170) – you can’t go wrong with this 43-room gem.

The War Remnants Museum is a huge draw with tourists.