Lively and distinctive, Vietnam’s capital Hanoi is a thrilling attack on the senses, in which Parisian grace mixes with contemporary Asian living.

Found on the banks of the Song Hong (Red River), the name Hanoi more or less means as ‘city in a bend of the river’.

Home to 6.5 million citizens, the streets are alive with the noise of an estimated 4 million motorbikes and the tempting smells of hawkers promoting street food and drip-coffee.

From the thriving Old quarter to the leafy French Quarter, Hanoi is a city coping to modernize in fashion.

What to see

Hanoi’s city center, the Hoan Kiem Lake District, is a superb location to begin exploring the city. a lot of Hanoi’s huge accommodations, restaurants, stores, and markets may be located right here, in addition to the scenic Hoan Kiem Lake.

Wake up early find locals meet right here every morning at around 6 am to exercise traditional tai chi and stroll alongside the beautiful Huc Bridge to get to the Ngoc Son Temple, which sits on an island located in the north of the lake.

Hanoi’s most visited Temple, devoted to 13th century General Tran Hung Dao, patron saint la To and the scholar Van Xuong. As soon as you come in you’ll find antique bells, gongs, and ceramics in addition to the stuff lake turtle, displayed in an intricate glass case.

To the north of the Hoan Kiem Lake district are the small alleys and antique merchant’s homes of the old quarter, a congested square kilometer in which you’ll get a sense for the Hanoi of old times gone by. Go to the bustling Dong Xuan market or visit on Ta Hien Street for a homemade ‘Beer Hoi’, just before visiting Hanoi’s oldest temple. Initially constructed by Emperor Ly Thai To in the 11th century, a good deal of Bach Ma Temple’s present-day structure dates from the 18th century.

Foodies might also need to choose up a walking excursion ‘street food tour’ of the old quarter, to find out about a try Hanoi’s most unusual specialties and discover the city’s gastric hidden treasures.

Straight away to the west of the old quarter within the Ba Dinh district, the Temple of Literature is an extraordinary example of properly-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture. Built-in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, this temple and the close by One Pillar Pagoda are all that remains of the Ly kings’ vermilion palaces.

In stark comparison to the old quarter, to the south of the city, you’ll discover the European-style boulevards of the French Quarter, an enduring reminder of the French occupation at some stage in the 19th century. Building their own capital in the area, the French destroyed a lot of the ancient Vietnamese monuments and changed them with chic, Parisian-style buildings, such as the National Hanoi Opera house.

For the ones interested in Hanoi’s much current history might also need to go to the Hoa Lo Prison Museum. This former prison, nicknamed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by POWs throughout the Vietnam war, is home to a collection of exhibits and items to the American pilots incarnated here and the Vietnamese war for independence from France.

Flights to Hanoi from USA

At Air Tickets, you’ll find an incredible selection of cheap flights from the US to Hanoi. With flight bookings easy to do and last minute flight bookings as cheap as can be, you will surely find a great deal.