Hải Phòng is Vietnam's third largest city, a port near Hanoi.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Haiphong is mostly significant as the largest city at the delta of the Red River, which is northern Vietnam's main river and the first major river delta from the Chinese border, historically a source of military conflict and also the center of the largest major flat (i.e. agriculturally suitable) region in the country, and therefore a population center of political importance. Its use as a port region is ancient, including opium trading from upriver warlords in Yunnan (China) and general shipping from the French colonial period up to the present.
At the port (city centre, Ben Binh St) ferries depart to Cat Ba Island (up to 100,000 dong) To visit Đồ Sơn Beach, about 20 km southeast of Haiphong, go to Lạch Tray St and board any bus marked Đồ Sơn (17,000 dong).
1 Hai Phong City Museum (Bảo tàng Hải Phòng), 11 Đinh Tiên Hoàng (Corner of Điện Biên Phủ and Đinh Tiên Hoàng streets.), ☏ +84 225 3823 451. Open mornings and afternoons from 14:00. Open late evening Tu and Su, closed Sa. (updated May 2018) Military Zone III Museum, 254 Lê Duẩn (in Kien An District, 5 km southwest of town), ☏ +84 9 3196 9388. 2 Naval Museum (Bảo Tàng Hải Quân), 353 St, Anh Dung Commune, Kien Thuy District, ☏ +84 3 1381 4788. (updated May 2018) 3 Elephant Mountain An Lao (Núi Voi), An Lao dist, ☏ +84 975200357. Elephant mountain An Lao or Núi Voi is a complex of rocky mountains, undulating and meandering. It is around 20 km far from Hai Phong city center.
Haiphong is known in Vietnam for gang activity. Maybe less well known but also historically central to transnational organized crime, particularly the French networks through most of the 20th century that supplied the American mafia. At the turn of the millennium there were numbers published, a known resident addict population of 10,000. Later studies on injectable drug use behavior give a figure of 4,000. Haiphong municipal authorities have promoted the project of a drug-free Haiphong with multi-year targets, but the gangs are unmanaged and deterrents are weak with many old and corrupt officials still present in critical positions. Taxis in some districts are unreliable at best.
Stalls about town offer the normal array of Vietnamese cuisine. Local specials include anything cua (crab) or seafood, for example: "bánh đa cua"- noodle soup with crab and other traditional Vietnamese ingredients. Delicious. Try it once and you won't forget it! "bánh bèo"- a white cake made from rice, filled with meat and eaten with a special sauce "bún tôm"- a kind of noodle soup, with shrimp "chè bưởi"- sweetened porridge, made of beans, glutinous rice and mostly grapefruit, often with added coconut sauce and dry-salted coconut slices "bánh mì que" or "bánh mì cay" — ultra-thin mini-baguettes stuffed with pork pâté, then dipped in a chilli, tomato and garlic sauce. There are also quite a…
Lipton Iced Tea - a branded Lipton tea bag in a narrow drinking glass filled with drinking water with sugar and ice cubes added. Makes a refreshing alternative to coffee. Hai Phong Beer (from 6000 dong/glass) - locally made beer. Haiphong Brewery (Hia Phong Local Beer), 16 Lach Tray, Ngo Quyen, ☏ +84 3 1364 0681. Bia hoi, fresh from the brewery that is directly behind this location. Many beer stands here. Look for the bar to the right of the alley where motor bikes are carrying yellow kegs in and out of the brewery. Decent food in an open kitchen. 10,000 dong for a tall glass (500 ml), 4,000 dong for a regular. The beer is pleasant with a slightly sweet aftertaste.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Haiphong typically sees ~33°C daytime highs and 24 rainy days.
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