The Walking Street | Travel & Photography

Hoàn Kiếm District
Hà Nội, Vietnam 2016

In the city center of Hà Nội lies the widely visited Hoàn Kiếm District. Also known as the Old Quarter, half of the area showcases French architecture with shady streets and villas plus the legendary Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake), while different embassies are also spread in the other half of the district.

In 2016, Hà Nội has officially opened the Old Quarter Walking Street, creating the most enormous walking area in Vietnam's capital city. The main agenda of these walking streets is to bolster the Vietnamese culture and introduce it to foreign tourists. The whole walking experience is something out of the ordinary for both the local and tourists to unwind and enjoy such a relaxing time after a hectic workweek.

The start of the pedestrian-only is from Friday at 6:00 PM until Sunday 12:00 AM. One can leisurely walk without having to mind zigzagging motorbikes since they are totally banned during the given days and hours. This is the best time to enjoy diverse culinary and artistic features of the city despite the changing lifestyle. One should also not miss and be entertained by traditional games and music.

_{Hoàn Kiếm lake during winter}

Nearby Attractions

• Ngoc Son Temple
• The Huc Bridge
• St. Joseph's Cathedral
• Hoa Lo prison
• Eiffel-designed Long Bien Bridge
• Hanoi Opera House

On top of all the enchanting activities, Hà Nội has invested on a total of 31 free WIFI transmitters at 21 areas and adjacent streets around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, one should log in to “Freewifi_UBNDHANOI” and get 30 minutes of free WIFI. The system logs one's device out every 30 minutes, all they need to do is just repeat the logging in process and be connected.

Dear Steemians, I hope the photo's are visually entertaining to you all. The Hà Nội walking streets see, feel, taste and experience!

This is my photo entry for @juliank’s and @photocontests’ #portraitphotography challenge.