Hotels in Hanoi

Hanoi is Vietnam's capital, set on the Red River in the north of the country. Founded over a thousand years ago, it preserves a dense Old Quarter of narrow streets where each lane once specialised in a single trade - silk, silver, paper, tin - and where motorbikes, street kitchens, and morning tai chi by Hoan Kiem Lake set the daily rhythm.

The city is the cultural and political heart of Vietnam: French colonial boulevards in the Ba Dinh district, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, and a constantly evolving street food culture from pho to bun cha. Halong Bay, Sapa, Ninh Binh, and the Perfume Pagoda all sit within a few hours by car or train.