Ha’s guidebook of Places Near the Hanoi Rose-Apple Villa

This catering restaurant has a free water puppet performance on Saturday/Sunday nights, starting at 8 p.m. All are welcome to attend, whether you eat there or not. They do have an A La Cart menu available but they mostly serve larger groups. It's also a little pricey. My recommendation is that you eat at the La Bogeda Italian Garden restaurant and then walk over to Lang Van Hoa Am Thuc Nang Song Hong in time for the show. It is just a 10 minute walk. When you arrive, just walk in and look for the lake that has the water puppet theater on it. It is an outdoor theater with seating under a roof. It is a 30 minute show. You can also order a drink at their outdoor beverage bar.

If you want to visit a truly beautiful garden this is it. It's also the largest one in Hanoi. This place is a favorite among locals who want to take outdoor pictures in a garden. The whole surrounding area is beautiful. You could easily spend 2 or 3 hours enjoying the gardens. It is private so there will be a fee for entering.

The Bat Trang Pottery Village has recently been designated as a tourist destination by the government. You could easily spend a half day wandering about the small alleys and lanes exploring the mix of ancient and modern buildings. Walking tours in English and Vietnamese are available. You can also, make your own souvenir (e.g. paint your own coffee mug, bowl, etc.). You could make a day of it and walk there along the Red River. It's about an hour and fifteen minute walk from the Hanoi Rose-Apple Villa. You could take snacks and/or a picnic lunch and eat it along the way in the gauva orchards that line the banks of the river. This is one of our family favorites.

Rose Park is an easy 15 minute walk from the Hanoi Rose-Apple Villa along the dike. This is a private park so there is a fee.

From the Hanoi Rose-Apple Villa you could walk to La Bodega Italian Garden Restaurant in 40 minutes or get there by Grab in under 10 minutes. The brick oven pizzas are wonderful and the garden environment is nice (as long as it's not raining. Smile). They are open fromTuesday thru Friday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m.. On the weekends they are open for lunch and dinner. On the weekends you can eat in the early evening and then walk over to Lang Van Hoa Am Thuc Nang Song Hong for a free water puppet show at 8 p.m.. The show lasts for 30 minutes.

The Aeon Mall offers a variety of places to eat and shop. Restaurants include Vietnamese, Asian, and Western restaurants on the 3rd floor and in the outside garden walk on the 1st floor. There is also a popular foodcourt just outside the Aeon supermarket on the 1st floor. At the foodcourt you can purchase a wide variety of premade meals. The mall also has ice cream shops, bubble tea shops, and cafes. For those of you who want to buy groceries, you can buy them at the modern supermarket. You can also enjoy the many entertaiment venues there, such as, a movie theater, a bowling alley, and arcade. The mall is just 2.4 Km from the Hanoi Rose-Apple Villa and can be reached by Grab, bus (47b), or on foot (about a 40 minute walk).

Of all the orchards near the Hanoi Rose-Apple Villa, this one is probably my favorite. The boughs of the trees create a beautiful "ceiling". It is a pretty place to walk to and visit. From the villa it is about a 40 minute walk. If you stay all day you will be charged 30,000 VND. They do sell a variety of drinks and snacks. Right next to the ochard is a wide open grassy plain that often has a herd of water buffalos. The best time to see them is in the afternoon.