Hanoi By Night

Following many requests, here is a post about typical Hanoi night life. I have done some research and I think now is a good time to post about this part of Hanoi life. Even though, it's ice cold weather but a lot of activity is still happening, especially late at night.

So many people dine out at Lau restaurants which are popular now, where a mix of adults and teenagers can hang around for a few hours which costs less than bars but they still can drink lots of ruou and get drunk.

Most young people enjoy going to ruou dan toc(tradional wine) shops, where they sit on mats at low tables like in Japanese restaurants, drinking wine, eating grilled dried fish, cuttle fish, grilled Nem(sour pork mince wrapped in banana leaves) and rice crackers. In Nha Trang, where I come from, we usually sit on the beach and drink wine or beer with fresh mango, guava or some other sour fruits and rice crackers dipped in Mam tom ot(shrimp sauce with chili) which tastes great.

Another place where lots of teenagers go late at night is in the middle of Hang Bong Street where there are lots of small grilled Nem Chua shops. Before they come to these places, they usually drive around, eating a fruit treat called Hoa qua dam or drinking coffee at Truc Bach lake.

I was talking to quite a few older people, and they said they like going out for a few glasses of rice wine or inviting friends over to their houses to drink but not too late because they prefer to wake up early for morning exercise than go to bed late.

New Century Nightclub is also a common place for young people to go for fun. The funny thing is the way Hanoians dress up. While the men look like they're going to work, the girls are dressed up beautifully. I was asked by lots of my colleagues why I dress up like crazy when I go to the disco? I always wear jeans, or casual pants with disco shoes and I think these clothes are for disco or going out instead of wearing boring working clothes. Am I right?

There are lots of nightlife options in Hanoi.