On the morning of March 20, Thanh Tung met a friend at a coffee shop deep in an alley on Hang Gai Street.
To enter the shop, the 25-year-old man had to ride his bike directly through two silk shops and traverse a dark alley to reach the eatery’s “parking lot.”
"People who visit the old town for the first time rarely notice this spot, or wouldn’t dare to enter because they think there is no parking space. As for regulars, they just drive straight into the shop," Tung said.
The store is in an old building – built more than 100 years ago, adorned with horizontal lacquered boards and old wooden doors.
Tran Tuan, the owner, has been in the coffee business since 1998, serving locals looking for a quiet space. At first, the shop only opened on the ground floor, but has since expanded after it became more popular, overflowing with customers. Now the top floor has a direct view of Hoan Kiem Lake.
It has also become popular among foreigners thanks to word of mouth. On weekends, the full café still maintains its quiet atmosphere.
Many years after moving from Hoan Kiem District to Tay Ho District, Tran Tuyet Nhung, 53 years old, and her mother have continued habitually taking their morning coffee at the coffee shop.
"The shop still retains the traditional, signature Hanoi aesthetic that makes me nostalgic for my childhood,” Nhung said.
According to the owner, customers have to navigate many small alleys before making their way to the shop.
But the shop can only accommodate about a dozen bikes.
“If there's no more space, I have to hang a notice outside the alley so people can park their bikes somewhere else," Tuan said.
At 3:00 p.m. every day, a pho restaurant called "Bung," located in a small alley on Hang Trong Street, Hoan Kiem District, fills to the brim with customers.
It's named “Bung” (Cradle) because customers must hold their bowls in their hand while eating since there is no space for tables.
For locals at the Old Quarter, this dish is considered an afternoon snack because the broth is sweet and light, with tender beef, and just enough noodles to satisfy without overfilling.
Before 2016, the store owner was selling this dish on the sidewalk, at the intersection of Hang Trong and Hang Bong Street. But when the city decided to clear the sidewalk of street food vendors, Bung’s owner decided to move their business to the second floor of a building located inside an alley at Hang Trong Street.
Customers coming to eat must enter 5 meters deep into a narrow alley that can fit two people passing by at most, then follow a sign to the second floor via a spiral staircase.
According to the restaurant owner, most of the diners are locals, alongside a significant number of outsiders who found the place via online reviews. The shop is especially crowded after-hours.
A regular customer since she was a student, Cau Giay District resident Anh Trang (white shirt) said she likes Bung because of its rustic style.
"It’s hard to find a place where I can enjoy a hot bowl of pho in an old, traditional store like Bung, I often joke with my friends that ‘Pho is more delicious when you have to climb and crawl your way to it’,” the 30-year-old woman said.
In addition to coffee and pho, Le Minh Hong's stewed sweet herbal chicken soup shop on Hang Ruoi Street, Hoan Kiem District, is crowded with customers during off-hours.
The 68-year-old woman has been managing her business for 30 years. Before 2010, Hong and her husband used to sell their food on the sidewalk, using some 50-60 chickens each afternoon.
But after moving their business to the end of an alley to make cooking more convenient, customers now have a place to sit and eat away from the weather. Opening hours have also been extended to 9-10 pm.
With only a sign saying the words "ga tan" (stewed sweet herbal chicken soup) in front of the house, customers still frequent the shop. In an alley that is warm in winter and cool in summer, sipping on the soup is pleasant year-round.
"Many regulars don't even need to order, they just have to wait a few minutes to get their food, because I already know what they want," Hong said.
Associate Professor Dr. Le Quy Duc, former deputy head of the Institute of Culture, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, said that many diners still prefer small restaurants deep in the Old Quarter due to nostalgia and the desire to preserve traditional culture.
According to the expert, before the renovation, the Old Quarter was a go-to place for food and drinks. The streets at that time were still narrow, so people conducted businesses inside their own homes. As time went on, diners started to form an attachment to these types of establishments and were willing to trudge through small, hidden alleys just to relive the experience.
"At these establishments, people not only enjoy Hanoi's famous dishes but also enjoy the atmosphere of the Old Quarter and learn more about the Hanoi of the past – it’s an immersive and relaxing experience,” Duc said.
