Hanoi is the capital of my country - Vietnam. Living in Hanoi for a long time, I have come across many foreign visitors. They usually walk along Hanoi's old streets with a digital camera. And it isn't difficult to recognize the joy on their face. Last year, I had a chance to talk with a Canadian visitor, I asked him what was the most interesting place in Hanoi. Without hesitate, he answered me: "That is the Old Quarter". The answer is true, with its hundred years of history, many ups and downs have imprinted in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The Old Quarter is situated in a favorable place - center of Hanoi, near the Hoan Kiem Lake. Walking along 36 streets, You can see lots of ancient buildings which was erected in French antique architecture style. Moreover, the Old Quarter is also famous for its unique trading activities, each street in the Old Quarter specially trades one kind of goods. Such as people usually buy silk at Hang Vai Street (Vai means silk) and buy leather shoes, bags at Hang Da Street (Da means leather). Because of its unique trading activities, the Old Quarter is always very crowed and lively. At the weekend night, you'll have chance to join Night Market in the Old Quarter. In this market, you not only can buy some lovely souvenirs but also can taste many traditional Vietnamese food. Although Hanoi is beautiful with many attractive places, there is one thing I must complain about- that is the traffic. It is very hard to travel around Hanoi without worrying about traffic jam. Therefore, in order to fix this problem, Hanoi's authority need to take more decisive actions.
