One of the popular things to do when in Hanoi is to engage locals to bring you on tours by foot to explore the old quarter. There are many such possibilities about and listed on travel sites like Klook. From the start though, we wanted a more personalized experience as opposed to getting herded in large groups from one place to another, so we opted for not just a private tour, but also one offered by volunteer groups. The wife found one such – Hanoi Free Private Tours – with the majority of its guides students at either University or college level.
To clarify too: the tours are not entirely absent of any expenditure on the visitors’ parts: we are expected to pay for all admissions and also for refreshments and food etc., including for our guides. This wasn’t an issue for us at all, because there is that really something spontaneous and genuine about volunteer services like these, as they do it not for pay, but for the opportunity to meet international visitors, and also – I suspect – to practice their spoken English too.
We were met by our two guides at our hotel: James – who was the most veteran guide, spoke English fluently and currently a third year majoring in Electrical Engineering – and ‘Happy’, a more shy young man who was in his fourth year majoring in Tourism and Hospitality. And we were then off for an almost 5 hour long tour of the old quarter by foot.
Our first two stops: the Kim Ngan Temple, a communal house that was built by silversmiths and a place for villagers to worship. There is no admission fee.
The next stop was the Hanoi Ancient House, which showcases the architecture of a 19th century traditional house of the city. The interiors are pretty similar to Chinese homes of the same period in its furnishing, decorations and also design. Admission is a VND20,000 for an adult, and we saw many privately led tour groups also stop by to visit.
Continued in the next post!