After its colonizers left Old-World imprints to its local inhabitants, the fusion between European panache and Asian stubbornness has clearly added to Hanoi's cultural cache. As the second largest city in Vietnam, Hanoi has seen a number of changes throughout its history. Old pagodas and museums remain deserted while a proliferation of dingy bars, spas and massage parlors tempt tourists and locals alike. With its rapid growth and extreme population density, several more shopping centers and hotels are being built.
No other city in Vietnam has the most pagodas and temples than Hanoi. The tally is 600 and counting. The French also laid down landmarks of stylistic interest: The Grand Opera House, The State Bank of Vietnam (formerly The Bank of Indochina), Presidential Palace (formerly Place of the Governor-General of French Indochina), the Cathédrale St-Joseph, the historic hotel Sofitel Metropole and the tree-lined boulevards at Phan Dinh Phung Street.
One of the more popular tourist sites in Hanoi is the Old Quarter, which has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. Traditional craftsmen fight tooth and nail with modern clubs and bars for attention and profit. Mornings here are best spent watching sunrise or sipping Pho Bo, the famous Vietnamese noodle soup. Evenings are for toasting a glass of Bia Hoi, the locals' favorite wine. At the heart of the district is a shopping mall, Dong Xuan, and every weekend, a night market surfaces, luring shopaholics with clothing, souvenir items and street foods like Cha Gio (Spring Rolls) and Che Chuoi Chung (Banana Sago Cream).
