Hanoi’s Lotte Center

21-Apr-2018

Dublin is not a city of skyscrapers. In fact, the tallest structures are not even buildings. The Poolbeg chimneys, and the Spire are the 2 tallest monuments in the capital city, with the now iconic latter reaching a meager 120 meters into the sky. Most other buildings struggle to reach 50 meters, with only the top 3 even scared to reach 80 meters. As it stands, 2 dirty chimneys and a shiny erection to the celtic tiger are the most recognizable element of Dublins skyline. L…Lush??

The Lotte tower by comparison trumps all of those, standing at just over 270 meters by comparison. As of the time of writing it is Hanoi’s 2nd tallest building, and while it does stand out among the nearby Ba Đình and Lakeside buildings, it would stand well in the Cau Giay district, full of tall skyscrapers. It certainly is the building to visit if you want a panoramic view of the city, unlike Landmark 72, which may be taller but is further to the south in Nam Từ Liêm. If you ever live in Ba Đình, chances are this will become your landmark for grab bikes to drive to, or a good meeting up point. Even in smoggy conditions, the building sides and top floors illuminate red and pierce through the cloud. Its almost like a classic evil building, dark and ominous with stripes of red really do make it imposing on a dark night.

It was the final weekend before the long weekend, and before yet another trip, I felt like doing something in the city to unwind. The plan was just to visit the center and view the city from the observation deck. That definitely happened, but there was more to the story…

First off, the observation deck was great. I never actually made it into the shopping area of the building, instead taking an escalator underground to buy a ticket. From there, I went through a heart shaped entrance into the lift. An assistant pressed a button, and then the lights went out and the ceiling displayed the cosmos of the stars, as if we were taking off in a rocket. In all honesty I was just impressed with how quick it took to get to the 65th floor. If this was Ireland it would have taken 4 or 5 minutes, not a matter of seconds!

Once reaching the top, I was impressed by what was on offer. All sides had thick glass to give you a 360 degree view of the city as you walk around the floor, and there was even a daunting glasswalk to feel the height of the building. It was wise not to wear shoes on the glass. I felt the fear in me but did it walking and lying down. Photos had to be taken here eh?

Another enjoyable part was a futuristic keypad where you could type messages to people and particles would arrange themselves into the message. I send a birthday message in advance for Maria, and also a message to my TA in Kim Giang, Linh.

But most of all, the highlight really became watching the city go from bright and hazy to dark and illuminated. The skyscrapers all lit up, animating all sorts of great LED projections and colours. Most of the action was back at Cau Giay, but the city as a whole had lots to see. West lake from above revealed it as an oxbow shape, and the road from the lake all the way to the BME accommodation was seen to be a 5km spine for the city, linking the older city to all of the newer built up districts. It was small wonder that I called my family to let them know where I was at that moment.

After the deck, I was about to get on a grab bike back to Trung Hoà when I noticed a message from Chris. At this point he was in a bad way from a split with Zoe. Yet when I got back to him, he was excited to see me. It turns out he had a room booked in the tower for the 2 of them on that night, but obviously with the break up he was in the room solo. But it was only when he came downstairs to meet me in the lobby that he let me in on something; He won a deluxe suite and his room was upgraded for the night.

We headed into the hotel section of the building, roughly 40 floors up, and I walked in. I was astonished by the room. Imagine those M briefings in early James Bond films and it would feel like that. There was a huge bed, a desk for writing, a large bathroom, an entire living area with sofa and chairs, and a generally large 100m2 space to wander about in. It was a large room. But of course the highlight was the view. Its one thing to get a view from the observation deck, but quite another to have that view to gaze at all night long. Myself and Chris even switched off the lights to take it in. He was glad that SOMEONE was around to see this. Happily, Sadie and Kelly were on the way too.

I am probably underselling it, so here is what the description is.

After about an hour of enjoying the scenery, We headed up to the skybar, to be absolutely fancy-AF. I ordered a Saigon special that cost a whopping 200k, but I really should have ordered some sparkling wine or a drink and mixer considering the location. The glass was ice cold though, and the peanuts served as a side dish were a nice touch. It was all I ate that day, but hunger wasn’t on my mind when I was experiencing something fun and enjoyable.

The four of us settled in a corner by the jazz band. Sadie was recovering from an illness, but she was well enough to give this night a go. A Korean singer and the band were playing all the smooth and classic hits. A bit of Adele and Amy Winehouse cropped up as well, as the skyscrapers glowed outside the windows. It was a wonderful moment. It was great turning what was a simple sightseeing trip into one of Hanoi’s true highlights.

After all this, I left Chris and headed back to house 5, and had a quick trip to Circle K to get a few snacks before bed. It was a really great day to have a proper city view, something I always enjoy doing on holidays to cities. But also to help a teacher out when so many others were out on weekends to other places. And to finish the night chilling with cans in the room was always enjoyable, as the call to more adventures were looming large.