Not rushing on motorbikes, not riding around Hoan Kiem Lake on cyclos and not gliding through streets on double-decker buses, the journey of exploring Hanoi by bicycles is enough for people to enjoy the landscape and realise the nostalgic but very familiar beauty of the capital city.
Exploring Hanoi by bicycles is an interesting experience for travelers. (Photo: NDO)
A dedicated bicycle, a water bottle and a helmet are the luggage required for people to join a journey to explore Hanoi on a route of about 45 kilometres. Not the city centre with "small alleys and small streets", the tours with bicycles will bring travellers to “green” experiences on Long Bien Bridge and at the middle bank of the Red River; take them along the dyke road with peach blossoms and kumquat gardens looming afar to the ancient village of Dong Ngac; and end with a leisurely moment welcoming the sunset by West Lake.
The first leg of the journey will be Long Bien Bridge with an over 100-year history of spanning the banks of the Red River. The rest on the bridge will open up separate spaces for people to find peace of mind. If wanting a place filled with trees, flowers and glasses, visitors can come to the middle bank of the Red River. Cycling among green banana gardens, vegetables fields or thatched lawns fluttering in the autumn wind, no one will remember the busy streets.
The feeling of freedom and relaxation in the middle banks of the river urges the “bicycle wheels” to roll quickly to Nhat Tan Village, which is famous for peach blossoms and kumquat gardens, and then follow the windy dyke road to Bac Tu Liem District’s Thuy Phuong Ward (known as Ke Chem in the past), one of the most ancient landmarks of the suburban area in Hanoi. Here, a cultural journey is opened when discovering the ancient beauty of Chem and Ke Ve communal house towards the Red River full of alluvial.
Travellers cannot but set foot in the ancient village of Dong Ngac, which has been known as the land with many studious locals in the ancient Thang Long. The villagers have continued to preserve many ancient houses over the generations.
Despite exploring the inner city, the journeys by bicycles promise to bring new emotions for cycling lovers. Getting out of the constraints and bores following a long time of social distancing, everyone wishes to be immersed in nature, seek the peace, learn traditional cultural values, and live slowly with Hanoi.
