63
{
}
Dinh becomes the Seoul- or Bangkok-
style suburban development it aspires
to be. Looking deeper, My Dinh seems
to be metamorphosing into “Little
Korea”. It has the Korean-owned
tallest building in Hanoi — Keangnam
Hanoi Landmark Tower — Lotte Mart
and Lotteria fast-food outlets, Korean
massage parlors and flyers advertising
after-school tutorial classes from the
Korean International School. “While
the Old Quarter reminds me of Seoul’s
Insadong, My Dinh is like Gangnam,”
says Eun Ju, a Korean expat in Hanoi.
Although still rough around the
edges, My Dinh is definitely gathering
momentum and — for better or worse
—
changing the architectural landscape
of Hanoi. Looking at the city’s
architecture as a whole, Hiep concedes:
“
From an architect’s perspective, Hanoi
is far from an ideal model of a city,
considering its ill-planned infrastructure.
There’s still a lot of work to be done.
But culturally, Hanoi’s architecture
allows you to travel from one time to
another.”
Cebu Pacific flies to Hanoi from
Manila.
H I S T O R I C A L H A N O I
My Dinh used to
be farmland, but
now its landscape
comprises upmarket
apartment blocks
and office buildings
