There are hardly any good bars in Hanoi because
Hanoi is the capital city and the police are pretty strict. Shops and bars have to close at a certain time. This is a beautiful city of lakes with thousands of beautiful old trees along the streets. Everything seems right here except the entertainment.
We went out with our friends for dinner at the Russian restaurant and most of my friends went to
Le Pub but Mark and I went to Solace Bar to meet our Belgium friends,
Sarah and Bart for a weekend dance. The bar is nothing special, it also can be called a hole :) but they hired a quite good DJ and very friendly staff which is the most important. This bar used to be Titanic Bar which was also very popular as a late bar for both locals and westerners.
Finally, I can say that I've been there, as I have heard people talk about it so many times. It's located on an old boat and on the side of the
Red River, one of the most quiet parts of Hanoi at night. They have a small area as a dance floor which is packed from around 1 am to 4 am. Amazingly there's no police coming to check like the other bars in the
old quarter, they must have a really good relationship.
If you are tired of dancing and feel like eating something, go to the left hand side of the bar. There is a pregnant lady who's selling french fries, sausages, hotdogs, sandwiches, and
BBQ... She told me that I shouldn't take any photos of the menu because her writing's awful then she laughed out loud. She's a really friendly woman. Check out her food after you've had a few beers.
Solace bar
Phuc Tan area
12 comments:
The clubs I went to down South also had some decent food like grilled beef, sausages etc. In fact I think I spent more time eating than drinking or dancing haha.
the budget lunch was good eh ?
nice bar ?
Hey, her English writing is pretty good! I'll have a hot dog and french fries.
but she wouldnt be always pregnant right!!, LOL
THE HANOI SOLACE SECURITY GUARDS TWICE ASSAULTED MY WIFE FOR NO JUSTIFIABLE REASON, RESULTING IN INJURIES REQUIRING HOSPITAL ATTENTION.
PLEASE AVOID SOLACE HANOI
On the weekend of January 30 and 31, 2009, my wife was twice assaulted by the security staff at Solace Bar, Hanoi, requiring hospital treatment for blows to her head. The events at Solace Bar, Hanoi, are described below.
Please pass this onto people you know in Hanoi, and tell them to avoid the place. The owner of Solace Bar, Hanoi has given what I feel is a hollow apology, has not given her any compensation apart from some of the hospital fees. As far as I know, the security staff are free to continue to do this to other innocent people. A formal complaint has been given to the Chuong Duong police, but so far they have said that no further action can be taken unless the damage to my wife was more serious (described as 11% bodily harm, such as a cracked skull or broken legs), in which case the people concerned can be prosecuted and sent to prison. However, we are still pursuing this matter.
We should send the message out that this behavior cannot go unpunished. Please boycott Solace Bar, and tell your friends to as well...
On the evening of Friday 30th January, my wife went to Solace with two female, Vietnamese friends; they were dancing on the dancefloor, and my wife was swinging a short scarf. One Solace security guard stared at her and shouted for to put it away; she asked why, as it was not disturbing other customers, and the guard walked away and reported it to the head security (Dung is his name). Dung then came and told her he needed to talk to her, and so she came to the door to see him:
"Get out".
"Why?"
"We don't want you here, just get out".
"What did I do wrong, you have to give me a reason?"
"You didn't obey security".
"What happens if I don't leave?"
"Fuck off (Dit me con nay)"
Dung then pushed her out and down onto the floor, and dragged her out. More than five other Solace security staff joined in, pushing, kicking and pulling hair along the walkway. One of her friends tried to intervene to no avail, and my wife pleaded with them to stop so she could walk on her own, asking if they felt any shame for all of them beating one woman. Four of them seemed to react and stopped the rough-handling (but still pushing); but one of them got more angry, treated her more roughly, and pushed her off the side of the walkway into river (luckily the water was shallow there, as she cannot swim). They left her there and went back in. My wife's friends collected her bag and coat and took her home.
The next day, evening, Saturday 31st January, she returned with a male, foreign friend (I was, unfortunately, out of Hanoi). As soon as she got to the door, the head security guard, Dung, just stared at her as if he wanted to kill her; she asked if something was wrong, "Do you want to kick me out again?" He answered "Yeah, i just want you out", and went to pull her out again. She tried to push him off and then more Solace security came; Dung grabbed her arms, another one pulled her hair, and started to drag her out again, swearing at her, while her friend tried to stop them. Dung punched her in the mouth, one of the others punched her in the eye, and another in the side of the face; it seemed that there were so many security guards around them (around ten) that they couldn't tell who was hitting who. Her friend was hit repeatedly on the head, drawing blood. Dung shouted that "you're just a dirty prostitute"; as the Solace security finally eased off, the two of them wriggled away and started to run down the walkway, with the security guards chasing them off.
My wife's family took then to Chuong Duong police station to report the matter. The owner of Solace (whose name is Phuc) appeared and apologised and asked his security guard, Dung, to come and do the same. Dung also apologised, but said that it was just him responsible; he didn't know who the others beating her were. The police stated that, unless the bodily harm was more than 11% (such as a cracked skull or broken legs), then the assaulter was only liable for hospital bills.
My wife went to the hospital for a scan, which is where the attached photo was taken. As required, the owner Phuc accepted to pay the hospital bills, and said he would later give an envelope as compensation. However, the envelope was not later offered.
My wife is now at home, feeling seriously abused, and on medication. Meanwhile, life at Solace continues, with nothing stopping them from doing this to someone else.
If the police can't help us to keep this security guard off the streets and protect other people, then please send the message that this behavior will not be tolerated by avoiding Solace Bar.
More details on the attack at:
http://solace-hanoi.blogspot.com/
Please pass this onto people you know in Hanoi, and tell them to avoid the place.
Quite effective info, thank you for this post.
I'd like to go to that city it would be perfect because I like to travel around the world, I don't think what to think about the restaurant, I mean food look delicious but the place itself looks strange, I don't if I would enter there.
Hey, there's a lot of helpful information here!
I like post.
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