The loudspeakers crackled into action at 5am sharp. A hiss of static, a shriek of feedback and then, as a bunch of octogenarians struck poses like something out of a David Carradine movie, the traditional Vietnamese folk music kicked in. It was quite a wake-up call.
Normally about this time I'd be blissfully lost in slumber, probably dreaming of being stuck in a lift with Salma Hayek and a jumbo tub of chocolate spread. Today, however, I had dragged myself from my pit at an ungodly hour to witness first hand the early morning Tai Chi enthusiasts who congregate daily around Hanoi's majestic centrepiece, the tranquil waters of Hoan Kiem Lake. My rationale? I was going to greet the morning in traditional Vietnamese style by huffing and puffing my way through a high-impact exercise routine while the state-approved Voice of Vietnam boomed from the speakers around the lake.
As the mist rose from the water, I picked my way through the throng to the centre. It looked like a cross between a 1950s holiday camp and an Orwellian mind control experiment. The locals were already limbering up. "Good news," cried the loudspeaker between bursts of folk music. "Rice production has increased by 5% in the Hunan Province!" The grannies high-kicked approvingly in beautiful unison, while I, still feeling the effects of last night's snake wine, decided to eschew going for the burn in favour of going for breakfast.
Armed with fresh croissants, I made for Hang Hanh, the so-called cafe street. Here, businessmen heading for work, students heading for college and backpackers heading home after a hard night's boozing at legendary local snakepit Apocalypse Now, had congregated to greet the new day over strong Vietnamese coffee, served with sweet, gritty condensed milk. The sun was barely up, but already the streets were busy. Another Hanoi day was just beginning.
Hanoi became capital of an independent Vietnam in 1954. It sustained crippling damage during the air raids of what the locals call the American War, and remained a somewhat faded, sleepy metropolis for years, while its younger sister, Ho Chi Minh City (still Saigon to the locals), evolved into a brash commercial upstart. As part of reforms to open up the country to foreign investment, the first tourists started arriving in Hanoi in 1993, inspired by tales of an unspoilt colonial city stuck in a time warp. Since then, there has been an explosion in traveller cafes, mini-hotels and internet usage, with Hang Bac (one of the Old Quarter's main drags and home to many of the traveller hang-outs) starting to resemble a little piece of Bangkok's Khao San Road in the Old Quarter. Shops once dedicated to selling silk or crafts now offer banana pancakes, fake Nikes and the latest bootleg VCDs. Nevertheless, amid the trappings of a fledgling tourist industry, the more traditional side of Hanoi life still exists, hidden away down alleyways and behind the screens of artists' studios.
The mushrooming interest in Hanoi as a destination is set to go into overdrive following the release the film The Quiet American, which finally makes it to UK cinemas from November 29. Adapted from the Graham Greene novel of the same name, the film stars an Oscar-tipped Michael Caine as a journalist and opium addict vying with CIA agent Brendan Fraser for the affections of a beautiful Vietnamese girl, all set against the backdrop of 1950s Hanoi.
Much of the filming was shot on location in and around Hanoi's old town, and many of the scenes convey perfectly the local colour of traditional Hanoi life, its exotic mix of eastern spirituality and Francophile colonial legacy. Indeed, the French influence - they were colonial masters for 70 years from 1887 is manifest on just about every street corner, from the crusty baguettes sold by the roadside to the Vietnamese penchant for fresh coffee and ice cream.
The taxi ride into central Hanoi from Noi Bai airport takes 45 minutes, and it is a journey that provides a fascinating practical demonstration of the maxim behind Vietnam's driving etiquette: use the horn, not the brake. Drivers make the traffic around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris look like a Sunday run in the country. Rice paddy fields give way to ramshackle villages until, after crossing the murky Red River via the rickety Long Bien bridge, the Old Quarter explodes like a firework display.
The welcoming committee is a high-octane adrenaline rush of sounds, smells and colours: crumbling architecture, street hawkers laden with huge shoulder baskets, girls in traditional Ao Dai, with its trademark long, slit tunic, and motorbikes zigzagging around blind corners on not-quite-collision courses. It's frantic, frenzied and utterly exhilarating. But while the Old Quarter is home to the most vibrant of Hanoi's street life, it's the area around St Joseph's Cathedral, just west of Hoan Kiem Lake, that provides the backdrop to much of the film. In recent years, this area has rapidly become Hanoi's chicest quarter, with art galleries, ethnic craft shops, high-quality cloth shops and international-standard eateries all jostling for space in the crowded streets under the watchful gaze of the imposing cathedral.
It's easy to idle away the morning here, taking coffee at Cafe Moca, browsing the shelves of Song, Hanoi's most famous household goods shop, or having a fitting with the staff of Co, reputedly Hanoi's best tailor. Alternatively, it's a short stroll to the Apricot Gallery on Hang Bong, one of the best-known galleries in Hanoi's burgeoning art scene. Many of the art galleries around town are no more than souvenir shops selling paintings of variable quality, but Apricot carries excellent pieces, notably lacquer works, and targets the serious collector, promoting a range of works by local artists. Madeline Albright is, apparently, a regular. Most of all, though, Hanoi is about getting out at street level and sampling the local dishes. Anthony Bourdain, author of A Cook's Tour, loves Vietnam and describes its national dish of pho, a beef noodle soup, as "overwhelmingly perfect." With this in mind, I joined the early morning crowds at the Gia Truyen restaurant in Hanoi's Old Quarter for a bowl of pho. It was only 7am, but the place was already packed.
Pho is Vietnam in a bowl, a perfect example of the country's adherence to the concept of balancing the five flavours: salty, sweet, sour, bitter and hot. It takes a lot to get me excited at this time of the morning, but the spicy broth was delicious, with strips of succulent beef and chewy rice noodles ideal for hearty slurping. You have to get up early to catch Hanoi at its best, and that morning, perched on a tiny plastic stool on the pavement outside a Hanoi street kitchen, I was seeing it at its very best. Better still, I'd discovered that gastro nirvana costs less than a dollar.
Around me, Hanoi was waking up, the sound of claxons and the call of market traders breaking the stillness of the morning. But even the blast of exhaust fumes from the passing motorbikes could not deter me from ordering a second bowl of pho. Guess I was just learning to love the smell of gasoline in the morning.
Essential Hanoi
Where to stay
All prices are quoted in US$ and are subject to 10% VAT and a 5% service charge.
Sofitel Metropole, 15 Ngo Quyen (84 4-826 6919).
Despite increasing competition, the Metropole remains the most prestigious address in Hanoi. The in-house Spices Garden restaurant serves excellent upmarket Vietnamese fare. Doubles from $200.
Hilton Hanoi Opera, 1 Le Thanh Tong (84 4-933 0500).
A luxury property adjacent to the Opera House with a business centre and outdoor swimming pool. Deluxe rooms from $140.
Camellia 2 Hotel, 31 Hang Dieu (84 4-828 5704).
Probably the best budget hotel in the Old Quarter. Clean rooms with TV, phone and bathtub at very reasonable prices, all located a stone's throw from Hang Da market. Rooms from $12.
Where to eat
Bittet, 51 Hang Boum.
A local spin on traditional French cuisine at bargain prices hidden away in an Old Town back street; meals from US$3 (prices reflect the charity nature of the project).
Cha Ca La Vong, 14 Cha Ca.
The oldest restaurant in Hanoi (it dates from 1899), this popular eatery serves only fish, cooked with fresh dill over a clay brazier on your table, and served with cold rice noodles, chilli and peanuts; meals from US$5.
Hanoi cafe culture
Au Lac, 57 Ly Thai To.
This upmarket cafe claims to brew Hanoi's best coffee and is a relaxing spot to sip your cappuccino while watching the fitness freaks work out in the Metropole's gym opposite.
Cafe Lac Viet, 46 Le Thai To.
A quiet and comfy spot for coffees. Head for the sofas on the second floor, browse the bookshelves or catch one of the regular film screenings.
Cafe Lam, 60 Nguyen Huu Huan.
This musty but atmospheric one-room cafe made its name as a place for artists and young intellectuals to hang out. A few paid their bills with paintings, some of which still adorn the walls.
Caf Quynh, 46b Bat Dan.
Another traditional haunt of artists and movie buffs hoping to spot the actress owner, Nhu Quynh, star of Cyclo.
Kinh Do Cafe, 252 Hang Bong.
This so-called cafe 252 became famous after Catherine Deneuve complimented the patron on his yoghurts. The cafe still trades on this anecdote today.
Moca, 1416 Nha Tho.
Moca has become something of a favourite for travellers and ex-pats because of its colonial-style decor and western-friendly menu.
Ways to go
David Atkinson travelled with Intrepid Travel (0870 903 1040; intrepidtravel.com). Prices for their Northern Exposure tour (covering Hanoi, Halong Bay and Sappa) start from £245 per person.
Singapore Airlines has three daily flights to Singapore from Heathrow and one per day from Manchester. Connecting flights leave three times a week for Hanoi. Fares from £645, plus £42.40 taxes. Reservations: 0870 608 8886; singaporeair.co.uk.
Vietnam still requires visas to be bought prior to arrival. A 30-day single-entry tourist visa costs £38. Allow one week for processing. The Vietnamese Embassy is open each afternoon from 2-5.30pm at 12-14 Victoria Road, London W8 5RD, tel 020 7937 1912.
