Ha Noi: Gridless Patterns
Whether you are a spontaneous explorer or a strategic traveller that planned to elbow through Train Street, don’t miss the Ha Noi version of the Streamliner. More so, pull out a stool and enjoy a cup of coffee waiting for the Reunification Express Train pass by on this colorful narrow street of Ha Noi. For an instance, you will be closer to a moving train than you ever have.
Randomness is what makes Hanoi energizing. A city full of dynamism ran by an organized chaos. Smiles abound on every corner embracing your curiosity as you wander through the intricate gridless patterns of Vietnamese life. Whether eating on the street or cycling around the Ho Tay Lake, you will witness a level of authenticity sometimes lost in developed countries.
Recognized as one of the most overcrowded cities in the world, Hanoi never sleeps. It is an intense fast paced city with a traditional merchant quarter dating back to feudal times. It is characterized by an organic network of narrow streets lined with traditional shop houses. Ha Noi’s complex simplicity of existence uncovers an arduous past and holds a unique position in Viet Nam. Its manifold appearance of ancient and modern Asian, French and Soviet influences reflects the vibrant history and diverse ideologies it has been shaped by over the centuries.
The city’s architectural and urban heritage combines exceptional monuments and compounds such as pagodas, temples, the citadel, and government buildings scattered through the urban fabric. However what makes Ha Noi a magical architectural forest is the fascinating plethora of gridless hidden passages. These long and narrow rectangular faceless concrete vestibules unveil an invisible layer discovered by curiosity, bravery and trust. Wandering through dark tunnels with no end in sight, these hidden back bones will mesmerize you into beautiful spaces. A coffee shop, a roof top, a hotel, or an open door to a Vietnamese home, there is more to Ha Noi than what the eye can see.
These arbitrary wonder ways cast a light into the intricate floor plan that constitutes modern Ha Noi. After considerable transformations either due to war destruction, poor maintenance during less affluent periods, transformations by users, and demolition to make way for profitable buildings, no guide will clearly depict the Vietnamese stories hidden behind walls. With an open mind and no agenda, one can read the passing of time by observing the asymmetrical evolution of Ha Noi’s architecture. And whether you ended up on Train Street to catch the train or indulge on espressos, gridless patterns will help you discover a new way back home.
