HANOI – shopping malls

… but first an addition to the previous post, Autumn in Hanoi. What a pleasant surprise, last night, a lady was selling roasted chestnuts in front of the hotel. She used one of these clever burners where a thick-walled stone vessel shaped like a flower pot, is heated from below with gas fire and filled with charcoal. When hot, the chestnuts are roasted in a wok on top of the burner.

These chestnuts are either from the south of China (the world's largest producer), or just across the border in Vietnam, as the fruit (it's a fruit, not a nut) needs temperate climates.

In the past days I did one mall each morning. And it led me to compare these shopping centres with the ones in Jakarta. The general conclusion is that the (top) malls in Jakarta are of a much higher standard, more luxurious and offering a wider variety of goods, and moreover seem to be frequented by larger numbers of customers. My experience is, of course, restricted to weekdays. During the weekend, many families and couples will likely hang out there. The ones included in my survey are: Vincom Towers, Royal City, Lotte Tower, Trang Tien Plaza and Parkson.

Vincom Towers, the oldest one, is fairly small and conventionally arranged around a central core, which allows an easy overview of shops. The range of goods for sale is standard, apart from the very big Lock&Lock offering a mouth-watering selection of household items and kitchenware.

Vincom Mega Mall Royal City, the newest addition to the Hanoi malls, is a huge two-storeyed, underground mall. If nothing else, its size is an experience. Its layout, however, is a handicap to easy shopping. The long main corridors with branches at 90 degrees do not aid in the search for a specific product or shop, while the maps and information boards are unclear and even incorrect. Vietnamese, a tonal language, is not spoken by many foreign visitors, and English is still in short supply among the Vietnamese population. The other day I ordered ba:n mi:, thinking I would get bánh mì, but got a questioning look instead, and that in a shop selling nothing but the baguette type sandwich.

The information centres of the Mega Mall, where no one speaks English, do not really help foreigners to find their way around.

Restaurants and other food outlets are scattered with no real logic to it, rather than being concentrated in a food court or restaurant alley. Apparently, some visitors picnic in the wide corridors on weekends.

The mall made a rather sterile impression, and for shopping I found it unattractive. 

The large number of shops selling furniture did astound me, as except for high-income earners, in the majority of homes furniture is restricted to a low table and beds.

But the water park, bowling alley and ice rink are exceptionally attractive and worth a visit.

The listed prices at the rink are for season-tickets (45, 90 and 180 days) for either weekdays and week-ends, with the latter more expensive, but single-day tickets can probably be arranged. It doesn't appear to be intended for hockey, as its shape is square, not rectangular; it looked long enough to accommodate a hockey rink (61 m) and maybe the boards could be placed, but I did not see any of the lines needed for a game.

The water park is probably as much fun for adults as for children. I didn't get a chance to observe it from the inside, but the posters looked exciting.

Lotte Towers is the mall to spend hours upon hours shopping and relaxing behind a coffee, or having a meal. Nicely laid out, clean and light, clear information boards at the base of the escalators, and a good assortment of shops and food outlets. The large Lotte supermarket is also worth a visit. 

 

Trang Tien Plaza offers a collection of high-end boutiques selling international luxury brands. Perfumes, jewellery, shoes, clothes, and on the top floors a number of restaurants. It is the place to go when looking for top brands.

And finally Parkson, a smallish but pleasantly laid out mall. Good selection of shops and articles. Definitely worth a visit.

Having done my blogging duty, I'm off to enjoy a bánh mì from the outlet next door. Easy, no confusion, they already know me there, and to order I only have to point at the pictures of the menu on the wall.