Close by Attractions

Start the first morning at Phở Bát Đàn, a few doors from the hotel. The system is old fashioned: you queue, pay at the counter, carry your own bowl and sit on a low stool. The beef broth here is clear, deep and simple, and many Hanoians consider it the classic version of the dish. Arriving before seven avoids the longest line.

Five minutes east, Hoan Kiem Lake forms the calm centre of the city. The red Huc Bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple on its small island, and the tiny Turtle Tower rises from the water in the southern part. Early in the morning the shores fill with people doing exercise, dancing and tai chi, which is more interesting to watch than any official attraction.

Between the hotel and the lake runs Hang Gai, the old silk street, with tailors able to produce a suit or an ao dai within a couple of days. Nearby, Hang Bac for silver and Hang Ma for paper decorations keep the tradition of the thirty six guild streets. Bach Ma Temple on Hang Buom, dedicated to the white horse spirit, is among the oldest temples in the Old Quarter and takes only fifteen minutes to see.

Quan Chuong gate, the last surviving gate of the old citadel walls, stands under ten minutes away and marks the eastern edge of the quarter. From there, Long Bien Bridge, designed in the French colonial era, can be crossed on foot along the narrow side paths for a view over the Red River and the banana plantations on the islands below.

In the evening, Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre near the lake presents the traditional performance born in the rice paddies of the Red River Delta, with puppets moving over water to live music. Tickets for the later shows sell out in high season. Afterwards, the weekend night market along Hang Dao and the bia hoi corners around Ta Hien offer cheap fresh beer on plastic stools.