Former Ambassador of France to Viêt Nam Jean-Noel Poirier

How can one truly capture the charm of this city? I often grappled with this question while hosting French ministers or CEOs of major companies, who were in town for a whirlwind of meetings during a single night visit.

Hà Nội is like a warm cup of green tea on a misty winter day. To appreciate this city, you need to take your time and savour it for what it is: a place rich in history and familiarity, with its unique sounds and flavours, where the old French colonial buildings in the downtown area blend seamlessly with the new districts. Day after day, at the street corners, you encounter the same faces. Despite their tough jobs and challenges, they soon greet you with a smile.

Hà Nội is a place where you create new memories every day. Is winter approaching? Wonderful! It’s the perfect season to stroll the streets after sunset. Where else in Asia can you walk through a city like Hà Nội? Nowhere, as far as I know. Hà Nội is compact, and you never feel lost, even if you’re unsure of your exact location. The essence of Hà Nội is found in its streets, in the eyes of the street food vendors, and in the sight of a lovely young lady by the lake gazing at the full moon.

“How long will you stay in Hà Nội?” the then Chairman of the People’s Committee [the Mayor of Hà Nội] would ask my visitors. “Just one night, I leave tomorrow morning,” was the typical, and disappointing, response. As for me, I stayed a bit longer: 12 years. And I still have much to discover.

Nishimura Noriko, Tokyo Metro Hanoi Representative Office

I first came to Hà Nội in 1994 when I was a student of the Vietnamese Faculty at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan.

At that time, the traffic was not as busy as it is nowadays, so I often used cyclos as a means of daily transport and even for travelling to Bát Tràng. It was always a comfortable ride with the fresh breeze, rain and sun protection from the cyclos.

Counting from the Lý Dynasty, Hà Nội has a history of over 1,000 years, and has a variety of traditional cultures, such as traditional mother-of-pearl chairs and tables, tea culture, the spirit of Zen, an abundance of attractive food in the Old Quarter, literary arts and so on.

My hometown Kyoto in Japan, also has a history of over 1,200 years, and I feel that there are some similarities.

When I first came here, there were still very few cafés, the city was dark at night, and the streets echoed emotionally with the sound of operating cyclos. Nowadays, what surprises tourists the most is the city traffic full of motorbikes and cars.

Also, 30 years ago, when I spoke with Vietnamese people, they would usually say, "Việt Nam is poor, isn't it? But no one makes such comments now. With rapid economic growth and the increasing popularity of the internet, I think the interests of young people in Japan and Việt Nam are no longer so different.

I believe that urban railways will bring a change to the lifestyle of Hà Nội, and it will even become a more attractive city.

An Sung Gu, deputy general director of Posco Vietnam Holding

This year marks my 24th year living in Hà Nội, a city with a subtle charm. I’ve seen it grow tremendously since I first moved here. I also spent about three years living in HCM City. Many people say that HCM City has a more pleasant climate, but I prefer Hà Nội. Compared to South Korea, the seasons here are less distinct, but Hà Nội's spring, summer, autumn and winter are truly beautiful. Autumn, in particular, is wonderfully pleasant.

Hà Nội has a unique allure, blending dynamic development with the laid-back, traditional vibes of a capital with over 1,000 years of history. Although the roads can get clogged with cars and motorbikes during the morning and evening rush hours, the tranquil atmosphere around the many lakes, where you can leisurely fish or meet up with friends, is so harmonious. This is also a city where modern skyscrapers and buildings over 100 years old coexist. 

The people of Hà Nội are incredibly kind. Though making friends with locals might be challenging, once you do, the friendship can last forever. The people you meet on the streets, by the lakes, and the shop owners all treat foreigners with warmth and kindness. 

Hà Nội is also a city filled with delicious traditional dishes, warm and comforting like home-cooked meals. It’s a place where you can enjoy Việt Nam’s flavours in a way that’s unique compared to other cities in the country. I hope Hà Nội keeps growing in harmony, where the new and the old beautifully come together, blending progress with tradition.

Jason Martin Lusk, founder and managing partner at Clickable Impact

I lived in Hà Nội for 11 years before relocating to Hồ Chí Minh City. In many ways, though, Hà Nội remains my “forever home”. It's where my wife is from, where my in-laws live, and where my Vietnamese culinary preferences were forged. 

Someone once described Hà Nội to me as “gritty chic”. I adore that description. The city’s rough edges–curmudgeonly vendors, questionably sanitary street food, gracefully decaying infrastructure–are all part of its charm. I love stumbling upon tiny temples tucked in alleys. I appreciate that a place home to millions can feel quaint, idiosyncratic, and stubbornly set in its ways.

Over the years, I’ve seen Hà Nội change. The traffic has worsened, the pollution has got nearly unbearable, and modernisation has strained the city's old charm. Yet, Hà Nội remains an exciting, captivating city that rewards endless exploration. I tell people often: "The best part of leaving Hà Nội is returning as a visitor. And I return as often as I can."VNS