Hanoi Cafes: The City’s Most Important Cultural Spaces

Hanoi, the enigmatic 1000-year-old capital of Vietnam, is a city steeped in legend and layered with intrigue. At the city’s geographical and spiritual heart is the semi-mythical Lake of the Returned Sword, which divides central Hanoi into the chaotic tangle of lanes and alleyways that constitute the Old Quarter to the north, and the grand, tree-lined boulevards that form the French Quarter to the south.

Architectural reminders of a checkered yet vivid history stand on every corner, including 19th century traditional shophouses, Neo-Gothic cathedrals, Art Deco colonial mansions, and imposing public buildings exhibiting Soviet Brutalism. As other Southeast Asian capitals look increasingly commercial and sometimes worryingly dystopian, Hanoi remains steadfast in maintaining its visual liveliness.

It should be unsurprising that such a visually striking city engulfed in legend and history is also a hotbed of artistic expression. Just steps from the central lake sits Nguyen Quy Duc’s Tadioto, one of Hanoi’s most well-know art spaces. Located within the same neighborhood as the brightly historic Metropole Hotel and the fluffy Opera House, the dark and obscure interior of Tadioto contrasts powerfully with the grand and almost whimsical structures outside.