Old Quarter ReviewA cyclo passes the Turtle Tower
Before the motorbike, Hanoi moved at this speed. A cyclo drifts past the lake in the morning sun, the oldest view in the city carrying the slowest vehicle in it.
Before the motorbike, Hanoi moved at this speed. The cyclo, a bicycle that carries its passengers in front, was the city's taxi for most of the 20th century, and a slow lap of Hoan Kiem Lake was its classic route.
The drivers are fewer every year, and most now carry visitors rather than locals. What has not changed is the view they sell: the Turtle Tower across the water, the shade of the great shoreline trees, and time to actually look at both.
If you ride one, agree the route and the price before you sit down, keep the ride short, and take the lake loop early in the morning or at golden hour. It is less a way of getting somewhere now, and more a front row seat that happens to move.
Source
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Walk the lake area with our map
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