5D4N Hanoi/Halong Bay/Tam Coc - Day 2

Day 2
After breakfast, we take Hanoi city tour covering Ba Dinh Square & Residence, One Pillar Pagoda and Temple of Literature.

Ba Dinh Square & Residence
Just as capital Hanoi is the heart of Vietnam, Ba Dinh Square can be said to be the heart of Hanoi. Mausoleum, museum and former residence of Chairman Ho Chi Minh can be found in the square. Mausoleum of Chairman Ho Chi Minh stands in the west of the square with expression, nothing is more precious than independence and freedom, engraved in the stone wall in front of the mausoleum. There is the former residence of Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi and the museum in the southwest. In font of the museum the famous one pillar Temple stands.

One Pillar Pagoda
Rising from one pillar in the centre of an elegantly square shaped lotus pond. The
One Pillar Pagoda is said to represent a lotus flower growing up out of the water. It is one of Vietnam's most iconic temples.

  

Temple of Literature
Temple of Literature is dedicated to Confucius. Inside you'll find a pond known as the 'Well of Heavenly Clarity', a low-slung pagoda and statues of Confucius and his disciples. 

 

After lunch,we proceed to Halong Bay. Halong Bay was awarded by UNESCO as a natural heritage in 1994.

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5D4N Hanoi/Halong Bay/Tam Coc - Day 1

Day 1

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport,meet by our tour guide, Xiao Chen. Immediatly he takes us to Ngoc Suong Restaurant to have our lunch.

After lunch, sightseeing at State Theater.

Then we proceed to Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi.

We go to Hoan Kiem Lake for evening walk.

The Old Quarter ( 36 ancient street) wraps around it, making for a scenic and relaxing escape from the chaos and bustle of the Old Quarter’s streets.

In the middle of the lake is a small island with a small stone Pagoda. You can’t get to it–there are no bridges or boats to the island. Xiao Chen tells us that the lake’s name translates as “Lake of the Returned Sword.” It’s based on a legend of a turtle reclaiming a sword from Emperor Le Loi. The story goes that the emperor had been given a magical sword by the Golden Turtle God (Kim Qui) to smite the Chinese Ming Dynasty. After successfully fending off the invaders, the emperor was boating on Hoan Kiem Lake when a giant turtle rose up and snatched the sword from him and disappeared into the depths, never to be found again. It was explained as the Golden Turtle God reclaiming the magical sword.

Before for our dinner, Xiao Chen takes us to 36 ancient street. This is one of the great destinations in Asia, densely packed with open store-fronts, lots of people, scooters buzzing by, many cheap places to eat and historic buildings. This Old Quarter of Hanoi known as the 36 streets, but in fact, now there are more than 36 streets. Visitors will certainly be eager to wander along the old streets to drop by stores and buy specialties.

 

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I like it

First time I heard about Hicomi White Coffee. It's my Ipoh friend who introduced to me.

“White Coffee” is an important local delicacy of Malaysia. Hicomi offer the best quality White Coffee that meets the highest requirements for white coffee enabling consumers to savor the authentic white coffee from Ipoh. Its products include white coffee classic、white coffee sugar free 、hazelnut white coffee、white coffee with collagen, oligo and red beet which have become the specified brands of many consumers. 

The main characteristic of  White Coffee is that it is darker and weaker in coffee taste. This is why it is called "White Coffee". No caramel is added to the white coffee beans. After roasting in low temperature, a large amount of caffeine will be removed. Its bitter and sour tastes are less than the charcoal roasted coffee processed in high temperature. As White Coffee contains less caffeine and no additives are added to enhance its flavor, its original coffee flavor is maintained and its irritation on the gastrointestinal canal is comparatively less than other coffee. This is the uniqueness of White Coffee that attracts people. 

The quality of Hicomi White Coffee received public recognition. It really taste good, not so sweet and fragrant. I like it!

Yong Teng Cafe

Recommended by  friends, if we are going to have breakfast in Tanah Rata, we can go to a cafe run by a pair of deaf couples. It is said that their pancakes are very popular.This cafe is called Yong Teng Cafe. It also known as the pancake cafe because the tourists really love their unique pancakes with the fruit toppings, such as strawberry and banana! It is located in one the food stalls of the Majlis Daerah Stall in Tanah Rata.
Open: 7am to 5pm

This cafe is not easy to find. We made some laps, asking people concerning the location. Finally we manage to reach there. In order to let other people to find it easily, now let me give you some information. In fact, this cafe is not in a shop lot. It's just a small stall by the roadside, as we often see the kind of Malay stall.

  
This stall is near Maybank. Really not easy to be found. You can park your car near Maybank and then get off to see a big ditch. The cafe is by the big ditch. If driving in the main streets of  Tanah Rata, you can carefully look for the following building ( see picture below ) as the stall is right behind the building.

  
This pair of deaf couples work together daily. The male is responsible for taking down the order and serving the food while his wife is responsible for the cooking. Both their attitude towards customers are friendly and polite. This let the customers to have a very good and unforgotable impression.

  
Oh, how the custromers to order the food & drink? Don't worry. They prepared a pen and paper for you to order. Just look at the photos and names on the menu, select what you want and write down to order. Both the deaf couples can read your order.

They serve local food like nasi lemak and fried mee, Western food, hamburgers, hot dogs and so on. But of course the unique food are the fruit pancakes.

  
For me, the nasi lemak coupled with the special sambal sauce taste quite satisfactory. Let us eat with relish. As for those fruit pancakes, they did not let us down. Really want to thank my friend's recommendation.

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