Overview
The political and cultural heart of Vietnam, Hanoi wraps around a string of lakes in the north of the country, quieter and more traditional than the booming south. Its narrow Old Quarter, once organised by trade into guild streets, still hums with shops, food stalls and a river of motorbikes, while wide French-era avenues and villas recall the colonial city. Cooler than the south with a distinct winter, it is a city for wandering, for coffee by the lake and for the food that spills onto its pavements.
Highlights
The Old Quarter’s guild streets are best explored on foot, opening onto Hoan Kiem Lake with its red bridge and temple island at the city’s heart. The Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum trace the history, and the French Quarter keeps the opera house and grand hotels. Pho, bun cha and egg coffee are the tastes to seek, and Ha Long Bay lies a few hours east.