The magazine
Stories from Hanoi, Vietnam
Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Hanoi City Guide, in one place.
Areas
Hanoi, neighbourhood by neighbourhood
Seven neighbourhoods, each with its own guide: the guild streets of the Old Quarter, Hoàn Kiếm Lake at the heart, the boulevards and grand hotels of the French Quarter, the citadel and the Temple of Literature in Ba Đình, Tây Hồ and little Trúc Bạch by the northern lakes, and Long Biên across the river.
Neighbourhood guideThe Old QuarterThe 36 streets
Neighbourhood guideHoàn Kiếm LakeThe heart of the city
Neighbourhood guideThe French QuarterBoulevards and the Metropole
Neighbourhood guideBa Đình & the Temple of LiteratureThe citadel and the scholars
Neighbourhood guideTây Hồ & West LakeThe great lakeOn foot
The Old Quarter, the lake and the French Quarter lie within a short walk of one another: cross the road slowly and steadily, and the motorbikes will flow around you.
Practical
Before you go
Arriving at Nội Bài, visas and the e-visa, Grab and safe taxis, crossing the road, and three days that work for a first visit.
Before you goHanoi essentialsEntry, money, 115 and the seasons
Getting aroundGetting aroundNội Bài, the metro and the trains
ItineraryHanoi in three daysThe lake, the citadel and West Lake
Luxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addresses
ItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Metropole and two starsOur advice
Start at the Temple of Literature at eight
The Temple of Literature opens at 8am every day, and the citadel at the same hour: see both before the tour groups arrive, then lunch at Gia or Tầm Vị, across the road. The great sights
Day trips
Beyond Hanoi
The limestone islands of Hạ Long Bay lie east of the city, the karst and rice fields of Ninh Bình and the Perfume Pagoda to the south, Bát Tràng’s kilns just across the Red River, and the terraces of Sa Pa in the mountains of the north-west.
Beyond HanoiHạ Long BayLimestone islands at sea
Beyond HanoiNinh BìnhKarst, caves and rice fields
Beyond HanoiThe Perfume PagodaA pilgrimage by boatBeyond HanoiBát TràngThe ceramics village
Beyond HanoiSa PaRice terraces and FansipanOur advice
Give Hạ Long Bay a night
The bay is a long drive from Hanoi: an overnight cruise lets you see the islands at dusk and at dawn, when the day boats have gone. Hạ Long Bay guide
In depth
Hanoi in depth
A thousand years of Thăng Long, the city’s table, its lacquer and puppets, its hotels, how to move through a city of motorbikes and what a foreigner may buy: the stories behind Hanoi.
In depth: nature & wildlifeWild HanoiLakes, karst and the northern bays
The back storyHanoi at the tablePhở, bún chả and the stars
The back storyLacquer, silk and puppetsHanoi’s artsAt the table
Phở is breakfast in Hanoi: go early to Bát Đàn or Lý Quốc Sư, before the broth runs out, and save the starred tables for the evening.