Hanoi

Hanoi lies on the Red River in northern Vietnam. Its centre is the Old Quarter, a grid of narrow streets that were organised by guild — each named for the trade once practised there — and still specialise today, in tin, silk, bamboo or votive paper. Hoan Kiem Lake sits at its southern edge, with the French Quarter's wide boulevards and colonial buildings beyond.

North and west are the Ba Dinh political district, the Temple of Literature and the West Lake area, which is quieter and where many long-term residents live. The city is far older and more layered than Ho Chi Minh City, and considerably less rebuilt.

Hanoi has the best street food culture in Vietnam and one of the most intact old commercial quarters in South-East Asia, where the street is still the workshop, the shop and the dining room.

It is also the base for northern Vietnam: Ha Long Bay, the mountains at Sapa and Ha Giang, and the limestone landscape of Ninh Binh are all reached from here.

• The Old Quarter on foot. The thirty-six guild streets, the markets and the shophouses. Early morning, when produce is delivered and people exercise by the lake, is the best hour.
• Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. The lake at the centre of the city, with a temple on an island reached by a red bridge. Surrounding streets close to traffic at weekends.
• The Temple of Literature. Vietnam's first university, founded in the eleventh century, with courtyards and stelae recording doctoral graduates.
• The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex. The mausoleum, the presidential palace grounds, the stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda. Dress codes apply and the mausoleum closes for periods each year.
• The Vietnamese Women's Museum. One of the best-curated museums in the country, on women's roles in family life, trade and the wars.
• Train Street. A residential lane with a working railway running through it. Access has been restricted at times for safety; respect current rules and barriers.
• Egg coffee. A Hanoi invention — coffee with whipped egg yolk and condensed milk — served in cafés hidden up staircases off the Old Quarter.

October to December is the best window: dry, cool and clear, and the most comfortable for walking.

March and April are warm and pleasant, though spring brings a fine drizzle locally called mua phun.

May to August is hot, humid and the main rainy season, with heavy afternoon downpours.

January and February can be genuinely cold and damp by tropical standards. Tet, the lunar new year, falls in this period and closes much of the city for several days while transport fills up.

The Old Quarter puts you in the middle of the food and the street life. It is noisy at all hours and the rooms are small, but nothing else is as immersive.

Around Hoan Kiem Lake is quieter, with the same walking access and generally better hotels.

The French Quarter, south of the lake, has wide streets, the opera house and the grander hotels.

Tay Ho (West Lake) is residential, green and calm, with a large expatriate community, but it is a ride from the centre.

Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem): the guild streets, Dong Xuan market, the densest street food and the night market at weekends.

Hoan Kiem Lake: the city's centre of gravity, with the temple island and the weekend walking streets.

French Quarter: boulevards, the opera house, the history museum and colonial-era architecture.

Ba Dinh: the political district, with the mausoleum complex, the Temple of Literature and the Imperial Citadel.

Tay Ho (West Lake): lakeside cafés, Tran Quoc Pagoda and a quieter residential pace.

The Old Quarter is best covered on foot, slowly. Crossing the road is the skill to learn: walk at a steady, predictable pace and let the motorbikes flow around you rather than stopping suddenly.

Ride-hailing apps operate for both cars and motorbike taxis and are the simplest way to travel further; they avoid fare negotiation. Metered taxis from the larger companies are also reliable.

A metro line runs on an elevated track across the city, with further lines under construction. Noi Bai Airport is around forty-five minutes north, served by airport buses and taxis. The main railway station handles the north–south line and the trains towards the Chinese border.

Hanoi is a street-food city and most of the best eating is done on a plastic stool. Pho in its northern form is clearer and plainer than the southern version, served with little more than spring onion and chilli.

Bun cha — grilled pork with cold rice noodles and a dipping broth — is the dish most associated with the city. Banh cuon, steamed rice rolls, and cha ca, turmeric fish cooked at the table with dill, are both Hanoi specialities.

Egg coffee and bia hoi, the fresh draught beer sold on street corners at very low prices, are the two drinks to try.

Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site of limestone karsts, is around two and a half hours by expressway. A day trip is possible but rushed; an overnight boat is the better use of the journey. Neighbouring Lan Ha Bay is quieter.

Ninh Binh, roughly two hours south, is sometimes called the inland Ha Long: karst peaks above rice fields, with the Trang An landscape complex, also UNESCO-listed, and the old capital at Hoa Lu.

Bat Trang, a ceramics village on the edge of the city, is a short and easy half day.

Sapa and Ha Giang, in the northern mountains, are overnight trips rather than day trips and need several days to be worthwhile.

Hanoi is inexpensive. Street food, local beer and short ride-hailing trips all cost very little, and a full meal on a street corner remains one of the best value experiences in Asia.

Accommodation spans hostel dormitories to international hotels, with good small hotels in the middle. The main costs for most visitors are tours: Ha Long Bay cruises and multi-day trips to the north are where a budget actually goes.

Cross the road at a steady pace. Traffic flows around pedestrians who move predictably; stopping or running is what causes problems.

Agree the price before a cyclo or motorbike ride, or use an app, which removes the negotiation entirely.

Dress modestly for the mausoleum and temples. Shoulders and knees covered; the mausoleum enforces this and bans bags and cameras.

Check Tet dates before booking. The lunar new year shuts much of the city and books out transport for a week or more.

Air quality can be poor, particularly in winter; those sensitive to it may want to check readings and carry a mask.