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Music & Arts
There are many clumsy shoe prints beyond the foot-high metal boundary, next to a small sign that screams out in all caps: "PLEASE, DON’T TOUCH THE ARTWORK."
Film & TV
The future of the Mekong Delta is uncertain. The river and the people that rely on it are facing the impact of climate change, extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels, saline intrusion, hydropower, over-fishing, pollution and mainstream dam construction upstream.
Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Apparently, the owners of Chon want people to find their café. However, you wouldn’t assume as much when attempting to navigate the narrow, snaking alleyways that lead to their joint. You’ll find a door-sized opening off of Nha Chung Street, yet there are no signs for Chon at all. The only indication of what the rat warren might lead to are bold, red declarations promising a hot bowl of phở.
Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Nestled deep in a dead-end street reached through a warren of alleyways from an almost impossible-to-see entrance is an ancient-looking building. This stunning traditional Vietnamese stilt-house is one of the few remaining structures of its kind in the capital, and houses one of Hanoi’s most inimitable cafes.
Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
A quaint melody drifts out of Nhac Xua and over to one side of West Lake, where café owner Nguyen Duy Binh and I sit. The calming, classical, Vietnamese-style guitar-driven music, is soothing.
Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
When you initially spot the café, it’s hard to tell exactly what it is — it isn’t hurtling towards you at 50 miles per hour and doesn’t have helmet shrapnel from its previous victims stuck to its grill. Instead, one of Hanoi’s newest cafés sits in its own peaceful oasis in a desolate parking lot in Ha Dong, far from the city center, yet still surrounded by the ruckus of traffic.
Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Tropical Forest isn’t one of those adorable coffee shops you find hidden away in one of Hanoi’s many pokey alleyways. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – its large glass presence resembles a giant terrarium full of trees and plants. Only two years old, it comes across as a metaphor for a new, modern Hanoi that rejects the small, family-run business and embraces modern trends.