A quiet city of wide, shady avenues, big plazas, and crumbling colonial buildings, H=i Phòng, Vietnam’s third-largest city, offers little other than a stopover point for travelers en route to Cát Bà Island and Hå Long Bay. Pool halls, cafes, and cell phone stores line the city’s wide streets, but travelers tend to just pass through H=i Phòng—after all, you can only buy so many cell phone accessories. Built by the French in the early 1900s, it was meant to imitate the quiet towns in the south of France, and some areas do indeed retain that tranquility. However, the city also has a darker history. Because of its key role as a conduit for Soviet aid to North Vietnam during the American War, H=i Phòng suffered severe US bombing; in some places, it seems as though the city has yet to recover. Fledgling industries have also changed the face of the H=i Phòng that the French designed, making it a commercial center that drives most travelers toward the beaches and parks of nearby Cát Bà Island. Remnants of the city’s old pace still remain, though, in its food-laden alleyways, away from the inevitable forces of change.
On the Red River Delta 103km east of Hà Nÿi on Highway 5, H=i Phòng has a compact, densely populated center flanked by huge, sprawling industrial zones and suburbs. After crossing the Låc Long Bridge, Hwy. 5 becomes i_n Biˆn Ph©, H=i Phòng’s main drag, and runs past a number of hotels. Two blocks east of the bridge, i_n Biˆn Ph© intersects Hoàng Vn Thƒ, the second-largest street in town. This general area, called the “Center,” is home to the train station, a park, and Tam Båc Lake. Tr<n H™ng åo, Tr<n Phú, and L™£ng Khánh Thi_n run diagonally between i_n Biˆn Ph© and Hoàng Vn Thƒ. From the Municipal Theater, at the intersection of Tr<n H™ng åo and Hoàng Vn Thƒ, Quang Tr™ng runs along Tam Båc Lake before ending at the Tam Båc Bus Station and steel market.
H=i Phòng has not yet developed a hotel market for budget travelers. Almost all of the city’s hotels are either on or 50m from i_n Biˆn Ph© and cater mostly to businessmen. They tend to be mediocre, and English is not widely spoken, so don’t expect much navigational help from your hotel staff.
In H=i Phòng, the street is the place to eat. Streets transform into open-air diners at night, filled with welcoming people whose English is usually limited to an enthusiastic “hello.” i_n Biˆn Ph©, Tr<n Quang Kh=i, and the alleys in between them are especially good for streetside eats, offering many different kinds of ph, c£m, and other specialties for 5000-20,000. Haggling is encouraged. Restaurants tend to be generic, kitschy, and overpriced.
Municipal Theater (City Square Theater) . The recently renovated Municipal Theater testifies to H=i Phòng’s French architectural influence. It was built using materials imported from France, in the style of the Hà Nÿi Opera House. The Vietnamese, not to be outdone, have added a splash of their own culture: an enormous poster of h· Chí Minh hangs from its front door. The square in front of the theater was the site of a bloody four-day standoff between French forces and Vi_t Minh revolutionaries in November 1946. (At the intersection of Tr<n H™ng åo and Hoàng Vn Thƒ. Ticket prices vary according to the performance.)
H=i Phòng Museum. The H=i Phòng Museum (B=o Tàng H=i Phòng) presents the history of the city in a fading red colonial building. After another smiling Uncle Ho greets you, the museum covers H=i Phòng’s origins and roles in the French and American Wars. Most information is in Vietnamese. The bia h£i in the garden seems to attract more visitors than the museum. (On the corner of i_n Biˆn Ph© and Hoàng Vn Thƒ. Open Tu and Th 8am-10:30pm, W and Su 7:30am-9:30pm. 10,000.)
Navy Museum. The big yellow modernist building on i_n Biˆn Ph© houses the H=i Phòng Navy Museum, which contains some poignant remnants of the city’s battles with foreigners. This politicized display caters especially to those interested in the American War or Vietnam’s general struggle for existence over the last century. ( 38 i_n Biˆn Ph© . Open Tu-Su 8am-5pm. 10,000.)
Nghè Temple. The many little compartments and the large courtyard of this red-and-gold temple commemorate Lˆ Chñn, a female leader in the Tr™ng sisters’ insurrection against the Chinese. The Vietnamese celebrate the heroine’s birth and death at the temple on the eighth day of the second lunar month and the 25th day of the 12th lunar month, respectively. Special offerings are made at the shrine, and there seems to be an incense-burning contest in front of the stone elephant and horse statues outside. Check out the ornate bronze sedan chair to the right of the entrance. (55 Lˆ Chñn . Best reached by cyclo. Open daily 6am-9pm.)
D™ Hàng Pagoda. D™ Hàng Pagoda (Chùa Hàng), has a beautiful Chinese-style garden with a multitude of small inner courtyards. Built during the Lˆ Dynasty and restored during the 20th century, this pagoda was used as a revolutionary base for the Communist Party in the 1930s. (Open daily 5-11:30am and 1:30-6pm.)
Hàng Kênh Communal House. History buffs should stop by the Hàng Kˆnh Communal House (ình Hàng Kˆnh), built in 1719. Remnants of Imperial Vietnam adorn all objects and surfaces within this Chinese-style compound. On an altar stands a statue of Ng® Quy]n, the liberator and king. An impressive gong is sounded daily at 6pm. (The house is 1.5km south of the city square, just off Hàng Kˆnh on Nguy[n Cong Tru. Open M-Sa 8am-5pm. 10,000.)
St. Peter’S Cathedral. A big concrete-gray cathedral, dedicated to Christianity’s first Pope, stands tall in the center of H=i Phòng. Lion heads defend its exterior, while its sober interior is adorned with paintings of saints and a purple-gold altar. The bell tower is detached from the cathedral itself and bedecked with a big neon cross. Two big sparkling-white statues of St. Peter and St. Paul stand in the churchyard. (One block down Hoàng Vn Thƒ from its intersection with i_n Biˆn Ph©. Services 7am and 6pm. Women and men sit separately.)
· S£n Beach. This beach attracts tourists from all over Vietnam and is cleaned regularly in a government-led effort to boost the local economy. In summer, get there early to find a good spot. Though the water is somewhat murky, vendors on the beach sell fresh and cheap seafood. · S£n also boasts Vietnam’s sole casino, which serves mainly foreigners from China, Japan, and Korea. (22km southeast of H=i Phòng . A 40,000 motorcycle taxi is the best way to get there. Buses depart to · S£n daily from H=i Phòng’s bus stations when full and cost 5000. To reach the beach and casino, make a right at the ocean and continue 4km.)
Other Sights. Pagoda-like flower stalls, built in 1944, imbue the squares near Tam Båc Lake with vibrant colors. Farther west, hawker shops flank Quang Tr™ng and its side streets. At the end of this road by the bus station, on the site of old rice markets, is the modern behemoth known as Ch S t (Steel Market). On i_n Biˆn Ph©, a block from the Navy Museum and across from the funfair, are some fish aquariums, where vendors sell colorful tropical fish. An extensive street and indoor market, selling a strange assortment of fruit, squid, and undergarments, is on the corner of Phan Chu Trinh and Nguy[n Khu Yên.
During summers, H=i Phòng’s funfair, V™£n Hoa Kim ·ng, opens at the crossing of i_n Biˆn Ph© and Tr<n H™ng åo in the east side of town. The attractions that draw in children and young couples alike include a rollerskating course with built-in trees, a rollercoaster, and pool tables. Enter through the Ddragon’s mouth into a popular house of wacky mirrors, and then end the fun times by weighing and measuring yourself on scales (confusingly) set up all over the park. (Open daily 8am-11pm. Free admission; rides and attractions 1000-3000. Enter off i_n Biˆn Ph©.)
Cinema 1, 53 Hoàng Vn Thƒ (☎810 294), plays Vietnamese movies. None of the movies are in English, so its a good way to brush up on (or acquire) those language skills you wish you had. Movies 15,000-25,000, depending on the time of day.
Pool is quite popular in H=i Phòng, with numerous parlors to accommodate pool shark and pool bait alike. Young locals are quite willing to step up to the challenge (and beat you), if you ask politely. Listed are just a couple of options among the millions that seem to inhabit every corner and alleyway.
Despite being a port city, H=i Phòng has a pretty quiet nightlife. Cafes are very popular, especially those on Minh Khai and inh Tiˆn Hoàng, which become street terraces on weekend nights. Karaoke and Thai massages are favorite pastimes, but they sometimes have associations with prostitution. Karaoke bars are popular, but usually have rather limited selections of English songs. Most people head home around 10pm, and the streets are deserted well before midnight.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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