Where to eat and stay in Hanoi’s Old Quarter: Pho, egg coffee, xoi xeo and luxe hotel
Hanoi is a city of contrasts. You’ll encounter seafood vendors shifting tubs of slithering eels across the street; and just as likely, you might see a pour-over made from locally grown coffee beans right next door. In an alley, goatee-sporting creative types slurp pho on low tables, sharing condiments with housewives catching a quick break. I was in Vietnam’s capital at the invitation of Fairmont Hanoi, located just minutes from Hoan Kiem Lake, to attend its grand opening in late March. It was a quick stop, not enough time to leisurely sip Vietnamese drip coffee a hair’s width away from a passing train on that Instagram-famous train street. At least I didn’t have to risk life and limb to find good pho. Furthermore, with the city’s urban restructuring underway, exploring the Old Quarter, Hanoi’s cultural heart, on foot is about to get more pleasant. “A lot of office buildings were no longer needed and are being removed to create more public spaces,” said Do Hanh Dung, the hotel’s senior sales manager. “I live in this …
