EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Old Quarter
The narrow, twisting streets that form the Old Quarter take their names from the products sold there five centuries ago; still crammed full of specialist traders and their goods, it's a bewitching place to wander.

Water Puppets
Don't miss nightly performances of the traditional water puppets - an aged art form in which puppeteers stand waist-deep in water and depict folkloric yarns with wooden marionettes.

Temple of Literature
The Temple of Literature is Hanoi's holiest site, with five walled courtyards dating to the eleventh century and traditional Vietnamese music recitals performed daily.

Café Giang
One of Hanoi's countless cafés, Café Giang is a hole-in-the-wall gem, whose specialty is the local take on cappuccino ( café trung ) - a rich, frothy coffee made with whipped egg.

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum makes morbid but compulsive viewing - pay your respects to the embalmed body of "Uncle Ho", which is displayed under glass in a cold, dark room.

Silk Street
Fix yourself up with a first-rate - and remarkably inexpensive - tailored outfit at one of the numerous tailoring shops on Hang Gai, commonly known as "Silk Street".

Dining in the French Quarter
The languid, palm-filled courtyards and high-ceilinged rooms of Hanoi's old French villas set the scene for a romantic dining experience; try Quan Hué or Hoa Sua for delicious food and bags of charm.

Hoan Kiem Lake
At the heart of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is an oasis of tranquillity; make sure you're here at dawn to see locals engaging in Chinese checkers, tai chi and aerobics along the waters' edge.

Bia Hoi
Have a cracking good night out at one of the many street-side Bia Hoi outlets in Hanoi - enjoy plates of seafood washed down with fresh local beer, all at bargain prices.

Museum of Ethnology
Worth the hike out of town, the Museum of Ethnology superbly displays all aspects of Vietnam's numerous minority groups - there are even life-size replicas of stilt houses within the museum grounds.