The back story
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Neighbourhood guide
The Old Quarter: the 36 streets
The guild streets north of the lake, named for silk, silver and paper: temples, tube houses, Đồng Xuân Market and the city’s best noodle shops.
Neighbourhood guide · Hanoi
The Old Quarter, street by street
The guild streets north of the lake: silk on Hàng Gai, temples, Đồng Xuân Market, the cathedral and the Bib Gourmand noodle shops.
What's onThis week in Hanoi
What to see and do
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Neo-Gothic towers
St Joseph’s Cathedral
Twin grey neo-Gothic towers over a small square, with cafés all round.
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The great covered market
Đồng Xuân Market
The big covered market at the north end of the Old Quarter: fabric, household goods and food stalls.
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Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn
Tết and the lantern streets
Peach blossom and kumquat trees for Tết, and the lantern stalls of Hàng Mã for the Mid-Autumn festival.
Where to eat
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Bib Gourmand
Chả Cá Thăng Long
Turmeric fish fried at the table with dill. Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
6B Đường Thành, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Phở 10 Lý Quốc Sư
Beef phở near St Joseph’s Cathedral. Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
10 Lý Quốc Sư, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Phở Gia Truyền
Beef phở on Bát Đàn; expect to queue. Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
49 Bát Đàn, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Bún Chả Ta
Bún chả near the lake. Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
21 Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền Thanh Vân
Steamed rice rolls made in front of you. Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
14 Hàng Gà, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Miến Lươn Đông Thịnh
Glass noodles with crisp eel. Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
87 Hàng Điếu, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Phở Gà Nguyệt
Chicken phở near the cathedral. Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide.
5B Phủ Doãn, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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In the MICHELIN Guide
Chapter
Contemporary Vietnamese tasting menus near the cathedral. In the MICHELIN Guide.
12C Chân Cầm, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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In the MICHELIN Guide
Senté
Contemporary Vietnamese cooking in an old house. In the MICHELIN Guide.
20 Nguyễn Quang Bích, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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In the MICHELIN Guide
Duong’s
Vietnamese cooking by the cathedral. In the MICHELIN Guide.
27 Ngõ Huyện, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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In the MICHELIN Guide
Bún Chả Đắc Kim
Bún chả on Hàng Mành. In the MICHELIN Guide.
1 Hàng Mành, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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In the MICHELIN Guide
Highway4
Northern Vietnamese dishes and rice spirits. In the MICHELIN Guide.
5 Hàng Tre, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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Egg coffee since 1946
Café Giảng
The home of Hanoi’s egg coffee: a thick, sweet whipped yolk over strong Vietnamese coffee, down an alley off Nguyễn Hữu Huân.
39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Hoàn Kiếm, HanoiExplore View on map
Bars
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Above Tạ Hiện
La Mejor Sky Bar
A rooftop bar above the Old Quarter, a floor or two above the noise of Tạ Hiện.
22 Tạ Hiện, Hoàn Kiếm Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
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Plastic stools and bia hơi
Tạ Hiện after dark
The Old Quarter street where locals and visitors sit on low stools with a cold beer in the evening.
Shopping
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Silk and embroidery
Hàng Gai, the silk street
The Old Quarter street of silk shops, tailors and embroidery, a few steps from the lake.
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Hand embroidery
Tân Mỹ Design
Hand-embroidered linens, clothes and gifts on Hàng Gai, from a family of embroiderers.
61 Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, HanoiExplore View on map
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A house of curios
Collective Memory
A shop of Vietnamese design, crafts and curios on Nhà Chung, by the cathedral.
12 Nhà Chung, Hoàn Kiếm, HanoiExplore View on map
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The covered market
Đồng Xuân Market and the night market
The Old Quarter’s great covered market, and the weekend night market that runs south from it down Hàng Đào.
Where to stay
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In the Old Quarter
Peridot Grand Luxury Boutique Hotel
A boutique hotel on Đường Thành, on the western edge of the Old Quarter.
33 Đường Thành, Hoàn Kiếm, HanoiExplore View on map
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By the citadel walls
Hotel de Lagom
A boutique hotel on Lý Nam Đế, between the Old Quarter and the citadel.
30B Lý Nam Đế, Hoàn Kiếm, HanoiExplore View on map
Share your The Old Quarter tips
Eaten your way round the Old Quarter? Tell the next visitor which noodle shop, temple or café to find.
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