what to eat and do in Hanoi for one day!

What if you have 24 hours eating like a local Hanoian? Where do the locals have for breakfast and how do they end their day like a proper night hour? Today I'm wearing super comfortable clothes to live like a local Hanoian from the first loaf of breakfast to the last bite before bed. And hello everyone Welcome back to Lily's Travel Channel Oh I'm mistaken Okay so for breakfast today I'd opt for Phở Bốn Chín Bát Đàn which we missed on it last time because we got here late so yes I come here today to take revenge on it so let's come with me try our breakfast right now let's go No one really remembers exactly when it opened Some say it's been around for nearly 100 years old and it feels that way From the outside it looks like a half from the 90s The noodles slightly chewy, not mushy, just right The broth is super good, the beef is so tender And the beef, thin tender slices that melt the second they hit the broth But here's what makes it really special, the experience You have to queue, sometimes you even share a table Well I have to say of the three phở restaurants I have tried, this one is definitely the best I think this one is considered the most unique phở brand and maybe the most delicious one in the capital of Hanoi Well after breakfast, the true local Hanoian often moves to Bì Hoàn Kiếm Lếch One of the symbols of Hanoi In order to go for a walk, in order to exercise or near that You can also come to the Saint Joseph's Cathedral In order to see how Hanoi people enjoy their life And it's Monday today, a weekday so it's quiet in the morning And honestly it's the perfect time to just slow down and take it all in Well I have shown you so many famous coffee shops here in Hanoi But today I will guide you to a hidden coffee shop Which is nestled inside a clothes shop And I'm really curious about it too Because this is the first time that I try it And I have searched it on the internet that so many people pay compliments to it So let's go And if you are a coffee lover, Vietnam is just an ideal destination Because we are the second largest coffee producer in the world And really fortunately near the cathedral They have a so famous, not really famous because not many people know it But there's a really unique hidden cafe that I am going to guide you to it We're heading towards the floor where you can see the whole views of the cafe The breeze in the morning is so soothing The egg foam tastes like caramel with strong robusta coffee You get a thick velvety foam of sweetened egg yolk floating atop aromatic coffee Every sip feels like dessert and it's special in one cup Well this is my first time trying the cold egg coffee Because last time I tried the hot egg coffee And I have to say the cold one does hit different I think you have your mind to try this version Because I think it's better than the hot version in the sunny weather Love it So you know I still ride the first very high from the morning So I opt for a light that's the local dish here for the lunch And I opt for Banh Goi Goc Dao For your information, it has served crispy goodness for 40 years So I don't doubt anything about its precious I will choose for my lunch right now Okay so here we got Banh Goi which is the main dish today This Vietnamese crispy dumpling Nem Co Be, the fried crab spring roll Banh Ran Ma and Banh Ran Ngot which is sweet and normal Pancake here with the meat inside And Banh Tom with shrimp pancake Dumpling and also some kind of very popular snack here in Vietnam Sausage, fried fermented pork So I choose this one Banh Goi or pillow pancake is like Vietnam's answer to the empanada or samosa Deep-fried pillow filled with minced pork, wood ear, mushroom, vermicelli and quail egg Crispy outside, juicy inside And this place is famous for doing it right Can you hear the mouth-watering crunchy sound? It might look a bit greasy but no It's light, flavorful and that dipping sauce adds just the right amount of things A big bite right now Dip it in the sauce Can you hear the crunchy sound? Super crispy, super crunchy It's a favorite lunch stop for office workers and students nearby No matter what time of day you come There's always someone grabbing a plate under the shade of this old banh ran tree The lunch doesn't have to be a full meal Just something hot, fresh and satisfying is enough And right now we're putting the food tour on pause Because to really experience Hanoi It's not just about what's on the plate but more about what's behind the city One of the most visited places I highly recommend when you travel to Hanoi is Nha Tu Hoa Lo, Hoa Lo prison's relief To speak one, this place is not a fun, exciting place to visit It's a heavy one, a place that holds a deep, painful part of Vietnam's history Here, Vietnamese revolutionaries were shackled, tortured and held in overcrowded, windowless cells Well, I cannot believe how hard the life is Because so many prisoners are persecuted in just one room There's so many, I think it's about 50 to 60 prisoners here And they have to use just one public toilet area as you can see here I hope that you can imagine how hard they have to survive And how hard they have sacrificed for us to live the life today Well, can you ever imagine, you know, passing this underground sewer? You can see that the space here cannot even accommodate one person But more than a hundred prisoners have passed this successfully In order to, you know, to escape and continue to striving for the independence of Vietnam So I am very grateful, eternally grateful for that Many were political prisoners, students, writers, workers, fighting for independence It's raw, it's emotional and at times uncomfortable But places like this are important They remind us how far the country has come This is the condemned cell And it was built completely isolated with other parts In order to sentence the prisoners to death So, you know, it was super, super hard to live here Because they have to do everything in just one room From eating to going to the toilet to everything And as I have read outside So this door was just opened two times a day for lunch and for dinner I didn't expect to feel this as much as I have been to Hoa Loc for so many times before But every time I stand here reading those pieces of stories or letters I get choked up Because behind every name on this world is a family that was torn apart A child that never saw their parents come home And suddenly the prison is no longer about history It's about humanity So this is the memorial area for memorial and also for the exhibition And as you can see here, there's a lot of big posters Which have also Vietnamese, English and French also for you in order to read So yes, you can read a lot of historical short stories here In order to understand more about Vietnamese history And also to know why we live so gratefully to the soldiers in the past Because they have sacrificed a lot for us for this independence and peace It's dinner time and Hanoi is so well known for its diverse cuisine But it would be a pity if you don't try Bún Chả And today I opted for Bún Chả Hương Liên And do you see anyone here? It's President Barack Obama from the USA And for your information, in 2016 during his visit to Vietnam President Obama opted for Bún Chả Hương Liên for his dinner With two bottles of beer Hanoi So that's also the reason why this restaurant has rose to the fame And also people here in Vietnam and in Hanoi also call it Bún Chả Obama So I can't wait to try it right now You've got thin rice noodles, a mountain of herbs, perilla, mint, coriander And of course the star of the show, real pork patty and pork belly Swimming in this sweet savory dipping sauce that smells like pure comfort It's smoky, slightly sweet, a little tangy from the pickled papaya And the pork is just caramelized perfection The dish has all the right notes, bold, bright, rich, fresh This meal feels like a reward after a long tiring working day Just have nothing much to say about it Such a perfect combination with pork, dipping sauce, fresh herbs 24 hours, 3 meals, 1 legendary spot and full of unforgettable memories I hope that I have partly conveyed the life in a day of a true local Hanoi auntie Thank you very much for watching and good night everyone