Hanoi: a first-timer's guide to Vietnam's capital

Why go

Hanoi rewards curiosity. In a single morning you can watch people doing tai chi beside Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, eat a bowl of pho on a plastic stool, visit a temple older than most European cathedrals and sip coffee whipped with egg yolk in a café hidden up a narrow staircase. The city celebrated a thousand years in 2010, and layers of history sit side by side: Chinese influenced temples, French colonial villas and the solemn monuments of the modern state.

The Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake

The Old Quarter, just north of Hoan Kiem Lake, is a maze of narrow tube houses, shrines and shopfronts. Streets such as Hang Bac (silver) and Hang Ma (paper goods) still keep a trace of their old trades. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings the streets around the lake close to traffic and fill with families, buskers and snack stalls. The red Huc Bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple on an island in the lake. Nearby, St Joseph's Cathedral and the lanes around it are full of cafés.

The big sights

The Temple of Literature, founded in 1070, was Vietnam's first university, with peaceful courtyards and stone stelae carved with the names of successful scholars. Ba Dinh Square holds the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Presidential Palace grounds; check opening days before you go, as the mausoleum closes for maintenance some months each year and has a strict dress code. Hoa Lo Prison, once called the Hanoi Hilton, tells the story of the prison from colonial times to the war. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is the best introduction to the country's fifty four ethnic groups, and the Vietnamese Women's Museum is small, moving and excellent.

Food

Hanoi is a food city first. Try pho bo for breakfast, bun cha (grilled pork with noodles and herbs), cha ca (turmeric fish fried at the table with dill), banh cuon (steamed rice rolls) and bun rieu crab noodle soup. Egg coffee was invented here, and coconut coffee and iced salt coffee are popular too. Beer corners serve bia hoi, a light fresh draught beer, from tiny stools on the pavement. A guided street food walk on your first evening is a gentle way to begin.

Train Street and West Lake

The railway line squeezed between houses in the Old Quarter became famous on social media. Access to the cafés along the track is restricted from time to time for safety, so follow local police instructions and never stand on the line. West Lake, the city's largest lake, is calmer, with Tran Quoc Pagoda, cycling paths and a relaxed café and bar scene in Tay Ho.

Day trips

Ninh Binh, around two hours south, has limestone peaks rising from rice fields, rowing boat trips through caves at Trang An and Tam Coc, and the ancient capital of Hoa Lu. Perfume Pagoda, Bat Trang ceramic village and Duong Lam ancient village are easy half or full day trips. Ha Long Bay is better as an overnight trip than a long day.

Where to stay

First-timers usually stay in or near the Old Quarter for walking access to everything. The French Quarter south of the lake is quieter and more elegant, with grand hotels and wide streets. Tay Ho around West Lake suits longer stays and families who want space and calm.

Getting around

The Old Quarter is best on foot, though crossing the road takes practice: walk slowly and steadily so motorbikes can flow around you. Grab, Be and Xanh SM are the main ride apps for cars and motorbike taxis. Noi Bai airport is around forty five minutes to an hour from the centre by road, with public bus 86 and ride apps both reliable choices.