Golden Silk Boutique Hotel

Crowded and full of colors, Hang Gai street is known as the "Silk street" of Hanoi with shops selling silk products close together, to create a definition specific to Hanoi streets.
Hanoi is now over 1000 years old and is one of the most ancient cities of the world. When speaking of the history of Hanoi (formerly Thang Long), one much mention the Old Quarter - the 36 ancient streets located just north of HoanKiem lake. Hang Gai street is one of Hanoi's ancient streets. It connects HoanKiem lake to Cua Nam street through Hang Bong street. In the past, this street specializes in selling thorny wire, jute wire, hammocks and ropes. Nowadays, there is no reminiscence of hemp so Hang Gai moved on to the trading of silk-products.
Known as the street of silk, Hang Gai has been famous for a long time as one of the most bustling and boisterous streets in the capital city. With silk shops lined up side by side, the always crowded street is a don't miss area for visitors to Hanoi. Located in Hang Gai Ward, Hoan Kiem District, the 250m-long street has 120 shops, including 91 shops trading silks or goods and services related to silk products and 21 shops trading other goods. Not so long ago, Hang Gai Street was a simple but beautiful silk trading area known mostly only to locals. Over the years, with the influx of tourists, the silk shops have become specialized to meet the needs of foreign visitors. Examples of the high quality, diversified silk products can be seen at Cu Thanh Shop with its fine silk fabrics; Hoa Silk with its fashionable silk shawls; Kelly Silk,which quickly produces ready-to-wear products;Khai Silk,whichproduces European styles and De Maison, who displays its sailboat logo on their fashion accessories and souvenirs.
Today, the old town is undergoing development, enabling it to receive a largernumber of tourists.Hang Gai is central to this development and is key to the future progress of Hanoi

The Water Puppets Show is within 5 minutes walk from the hotel and also the Night Market which is open from 1800 to 2300 during weekends ; Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

A walk around Hoan Kiem Lake or browse along many side streets and small local cafes.

Walk, shop or drink and eat in the abundance of Shops, Cafes and Restaurants within the Old Quarter's mo4e than 40 walking street.

Hanoi has rich food traditions and many of Vietnam's most famous dishes, such as Pho, Cha Ca, Banh Cuon, and Com are thought to come from Hanoi. Perhaps most widely known is Pho, a simple rice noodle soup often eaten as a breakfast dish in the home or at streetside cafes, but also served in restaurants as a meal. Two varieties dominate the Hanoi scene: Pho Bo, containing beef, and Pho Ga, containing chicken.

Hanoi has been selected as one of the top 10 cities for food in the world by Shermans Travel. Vietnam's national dish Pho; has been also named as one of the Top5 streetfood in the world by globalpost.

Hanoi has a restaurant about the insect food, in Khuong Thuong village, Hanoi. The most special cuisines at his restaurant are those processed from ant-eggs, in the styles of Thai people or Muong and Tay ethnic people in Vietnam.

*** Shopping
With its rapid growth and extremely high population density, several modern shopping centers have been built in Hanoi. Major centers include:
- Trang Tien Plaza, Hoan Kiem District
- Vincom City Towers, Ba Trieu Street, Hai Ba Trung District
- Ruby Plaza - 44 Le Ngoc Han Street, Hai Ba Trung District
- Parkson Department Store, Tay Son Street, Viet Tower, Dong Da District
- Big C - Thang Long Supercenter, Cau Giay District
- Metro AG, Tu Liem District
- The Garden Mall, Me Tri - My Dinh, Tu Liem District
- Vincom Shopping Galleries, Vincom Park Place, Hai Ba Trung District
- Ciputra Mall, Ciputra urban area, Tay Ho District (currently under construction)
- Yen So Shopping Mall, Hoang Mai District (currently under construction)

***Entertainment
- Performance of the water puppet theatre Thang Long
- A variety of options for entertainment in Hanoi can be found throughout the city. Modern and traditional theaters, cinemas, karaoke bars, dance clubs, bowling alleys, and an abundance of opportunities for shopping provide leisure activity for both locals and tourists. Hanoi has been named as one of the top 10 cities for shopping in Asia by Smart Travel Asia. The number of art galleries exhibiting Vietnamese art has dramatically increased in recent years, including galleries such as "Nhat Huy" of Huynh Thong Nhat.

A popular traditional form of entertainment is water puppetry, which is shown for example at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.

*** Museums
Hanoi is also home to a number of museums:
- National Museum of Vietnamese History
- Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts
- Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
- Vietnam Museum of Revolution
- Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)
- Ho Chi Minh Museum
- Contemporary Arts Centre
- Vietnam Military History Museum
- The Hanoi Museum (currently under construction until 2010)

*** Landmarks
North gate of Hanoi Citadel from inside (19th century)
As the capital of Vietnam for almost a thousand years, Hanoi is considered one of the main cultural centres of Vietnam, where most Vietnamese dynasties have left their imprint. Even though some relics have not survived through wars and time, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike. Even when the nation's capital moved to Hue; under the Nguyen Dynasty in 1802, the city of Hanoi continued to flourish, especially after the French took control in 1888 and modeled the city's architecture to their tastes, lending an important aesthetic to the city's rich stylistic heritage. The city hosts more cultural sites than any city in Vietnam, and boasts more than 1,000 years of history, and that of the past few hundred years has been well preserved.

* Old Quarter
- Main gate to the Temple of Literature
- Hoan Kiem lake by night
The Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem lake, has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. At the beginning of the 20th century the city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now part of the old quarter. Each street then had merchants and households specialized in a particular trade, such as silk traders, jewellery, etc. The street names nowadays still reflect these specializations, although few of them remain exclusively in their original commerce. The area is famous for its small artisans and merchants, including many silk shops. Local cuisine specialties as well as several clubs and bars can be found here also. A night market (near Dong Xuan market) in the heart of the district opens for business every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening with a variety of clothing, souvenirs and food.

Some others prominent places are: The Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), site of the oldest university in Vietnam 1010; One Pillar Pagoda (Chua Mot Cot); Flag Tower of Hanoi (Cot Co Ha Noi). In 2004, a massive part of the 900 year old Hanoi Citadel was discovered in central Hanoi, near the site of Ba Dinh Square.

*** Lakes
A city between the rivers, built from lowland, Hanoi has many scenic lakes and it is sometimes called "city of lakes". Among its lakes, the most famous are Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, Halais Lake (Ho Thien Quang in Vietnamese), and Bay Mau Lake. Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as Sword Lake, is the historical and cultural center of Hanoi, and is linked to the legend of the magic sword. West Lake (Ho Tay) is a popular place for people to spend time. It is the largest lake in Hanoi and there are many temples in the area. There are small boats for hire and a floating restaurant.

* National Museum of Vietnamese History
Under French rule, as an administrative centre for the French colony of Indochina, the French colonial architecture style became dominant, many examples remain today: the tree-lined boulevards (e.g. Phan Dinh Phung street) and its many villas and mansions, Grand Opera House, State Bank of Vietnam (formerly The Bank of Indochina), Presidential Palace (formerly Palace of the Governor-General of French Indochina), Saint Joseph Cathedral, and the historic Hotel Metropole. Many of the colonial structures are an eclectic mixture of French and traditional Vietnamese architectural styles, such as the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts and the old Indochina Medical College.