VietNamNet Bridge - If you are in Hanoi and want to explore less well-known areas of the capital city, you should stop by the sites for free outdoor activities.

Violinist on Hoan Kiem Lake

A guitar club in Hanoi gathers for street performances every Sunday afternoon at Ly Thai To Flower Garden, besides Hoan Kiem Lake, where local passersby have a chance to enjoy or even join in the melodious atmosphere. Some of these young people are members of an online guitar forum, Hocdan.com, one of the largest forums for guitar lovers in Hanoi.

Established in October, 2011 by Hieu Orion, one of the most famous guitarists in Hanoi, hocdan.com now boasts some 43,000 members, mainly students. They chose the place to gather every Sunday afternoon with their guitars, cajon drums and harmonica, playing well into the evening.

Sometimes the young artists are joined by older ones, such as violinist Ta Tri Hai, 74, another famous street artist who has been playing on the roads and corners of HCM City and Hanoi, winning the love and respect of a large number of people.

The Hanoi-born artist formed a street music club six years ago in HCM City. Ngan Sao (Thousands of Stars) gathers many young people who play in the streets and public parks. He recently traveled to Hanoi where, in addition to performing on the streets with the members of hocdan.com, he has been seen accompanying young students on their charity trips to local hospitals.

Hoan Kiem Lake Karaoke Club

Not far from Ly Thai To Flower Garden is the free karaoke club on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday nights. Anyone can stop here and sing.

Laughter yoga club

Every morning, hundreds of people gather behind King Ly Thai To statue, which faces Hoan Kiem Lake, to look at each other and are doubled up with laughter for 45 minutes. This scene makes others curious. They are members of the Laughter Yoga Club, a physical exercise recently imported into Vietnam from India.

The club’s chairman Le Anh Son said that this type of Yoga was developed by an Indian doctor. It combines smiling exercises with Yoga breathing methodology. He added that five-minute practice of laughter yoga consumes energy equivalent to a 30-minute exercise with machines.

Outdoor dance classes

You do not need high heels and gorgeous clothes to take part in outdoor dance classes in Hanoi where many middle-aged people gather.

With a CD player, dance teachers can organize a dance club for those who love this art form, with relatively low tuition. Such classes are available around the major lakes in the city such as Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake and the parks of Nghia Tan, Thanh Cong and Thong Nhat.

Street singers

On Sunday afternoons, if you pass the Hoan Kiem Lake and Ly Thai To flower garden, you will see groups of young people singing passionately. Using simple musical instruments like guitars or empty wooden baskets as drums, these amateur singers can still transmit their passion to the audience.

Luala Concert

Luala Concert debuted in 2011 in Hanoi. It is a free music event to introduce to audiences some rarely known music genres. It has two seasons, Autumn-Winter for classical music and Spring-Summer for experimental music. The events attract the participation of the most famous artists in Vietnam.

West Lake old bike market

At 7am every weekend, many people gather on the West Lake bank (near the Ly Tu Trong flower garden) to sell and buy old bicycles. It has become a “market” for those who love old bikes.

Parks, flower gardens and pavements

Instead of paying money to participate in fitness centers, many Hanoians go to parks, sidewalks or flower gardens parks to play badminton, football or shuttlecock. Peak hours are the early morning and late afternoon, particularly in the summer.

Pha Le