Hanoi's Old Quarter still runs on French-colonial facades and streets named for the guilds that once worked them, all navigated by an unbroken river of scooters. Most visitors add on an overnight boat through the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay a few hours east.
Good to know
- Cross the street at a steady, predictable pace — scooters flow around you, stopping confuses them.
- Book an overnight Ha Long Bay cruise (not a day trip) at least a few weeks ahead in high season.
- Bargain gently at Dong Xuan and the Old Quarter; opening offers are usually inflated for tourists.
Eat this
Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
36 narrow streets each once named for the guild that worked it — silk, tin, paper — now scooters, cafés and shops.
A residential alley so narrow the daily train passes within arm's reach of café tables — check the schedule and mind the whistle.
Hanoi's largest indoor market — three floors of textiles and housewares, with a lively night street-food strip outside.
Whipped egg yolk and condensed milk over strong robusta — invented here in the 1940s during a milk shortage.
A quiet perch above the honking chaos of the streets below, best right at sunset.
Central lake with a red bridge to a small island temple; locals do tai chi here at dawn.
Thousand-year-old art form: wooden puppets performing folk tales on a water stage to live traditional music.
Vietnam's first national university, an 11th-century Confucian temple with stone stelae listing centuries of doctoral graduates.
The embalmed leader's mausoleum, his stilt house and the one-pillar pagoda — arrive early and dress respectfully.
Grilled pork patties in sweet fish-sauce broth with rice noodles — the bun cha spot Obama and Bourdain ate at.
Limestone karsts rising from emerald water; an overnight boat with kayaking, a cave visit and sunset on deck is worth the three-hour drive.
Full-scale stilt houses and tombs in the garden represent Vietnam's 54 ethnic minorities, indoors and out.