Align Cafe

I loved going for solo cafe trips, just drinking coffee and using my laptop to just surf the net or watch movies. So, I happened to chance by this place, within walking distance from old quarters and I went there on a bus! I've lived here for about a month, so I can go around quite well. The entrance was simply fantastic, a zen-looking bamboo forest is overhead as you walk into the building surrounded by a pond. It would be nice to sit either outside or inside, but I chose inside for the aircon in the summer heat. It is a little difficult to find but it's worth it. Welcoming you is a majestic art piece dangling from the ceiling, with the brick-laden walls which gives you a rather colonial feel. I ordered Iced coffee with milk for 35k VND, a very reasonable price and sat there for a while. The only bad thing I didn't like is that the cafe allows people to smoke in there and also I didn't manage to see the cherry tree at the top because it's closed!

Tucked in between bamboo shoots positioned in a busy road across boutique old hotels near the old quarter of Hanoi is this gigantic worn palace. A long alley leads the way to the entrance where a small fish pond attracts you to pause for a minute. The interior is huge. Tables are scattered across the rooms. Then there is the second floor. Old wooden stairs get you there. The verandah is coziest of it all. Menu has to step up. Cakes are ok specially the opera. Prices are above average.