Luxury hotels in Hanoi

Hanoi guide

Hanoi: the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake

Thirty-six streets of trades, egg coffee, the Temple of Literature and Ha Long Bay beyond.

Hanoi's Old Quarter, a maze of streets once named after the trades practised in them, is the city's most cited sight, best explored on foot or by cyclo, with stops for pho and bun cha. Hoan Kiem Lake, with the red Huc Bridge, is the heart of the city, closed to traffic on weekend evenings.

The Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and a water puppet show complete the city. Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO site of limestone islands, is reached in about two and a half hours for an overnight cruise. October to April is the most pleasant season.

Ha Long Bay by overnight cruise

Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of nearly 2,000 limestone islands, is the most cited excursion from Hanoi, about two and a half hours by road. An overnight cruise on a well-chosen boat, with kayaking, caves and tai chi on deck at dawn, is the best way to see it.

Lan Ha Bay, next to Cat Ba Island, has the same scenery with fewer boats, and many of the best cruises now sail there. The weather is best from October to April, though winter mornings can be misty.

Hanoi's street food

Hanoi is one of the world's great street food cities, and a guided food walk through the Old Quarter at night is among its most cited experiences. Pho bo, beef noodle soup, is eaten for breakfast, and bun cha, grilled pork with rice noodles, became famous worldwide after a presidential visit.

In the afternoon, ca phe trung, egg coffee whisked with condensed milk, is a Hanoi invention served in old cafés up narrow staircases. Banh cuon, cha ca with dill and turmeric, and fresh beer on tiny plastic stools complete the city's flavours.