Hoan Kiem Lake, the 36 Guild Streets and French Quarter

Every walk in Hanoi begins at Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword), the willow-fringed oval of water that anchors the city and separates the medieval merchant lanes of the Old Quarter to the north from the broad avenues of the French Quarter to the south.

Hoan Kiem Lake, Turtle Tower and Ngoc Son Temple

According to 15th-century legend, Emperor Le Loi was boating on the lake when a golden turtle surfaced to reclaim the magic sword Thuan Thien that had helped him drive out Ming dynasty forces; the small three-tiered Turtle Tower (Thap Rua) on a grassy islet near the southern shore commemorates the tale. Near the northern shore, cross the curving scarlet timbers of the Huc Bridge (Bridge of the Rising Sun) to Jade Island and Ngoc Son Temple, dedicated to general Tran Hung Dao and scholar Van Xuong. Opposite the bridge entrance stands the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, where wooden puppets skim across an indoor pool accompanied by bamboo flutes and drums. From Friday evening to Sunday night, the perimeter boulevard becomes a traffic-free walking zone.

The 36 Guild Streets of the Old Quarter (Pho Co)

Immediately north of the lake lies the Old Quarter, a triangular web of streets dating back to the Ly and Tran dynasties when artisan villages from the Red River Delta established craft guilds outside the royal citadel. Almost every street name begins with Hang (merchandise) followed by the ware historically sold there: walk along Hang Bac (silversmiths hammering jewellery), Hang Ma (glowing with red paper lanterns and festive decorations), Hang Gai (silk and embroidery), Hang Thiec (tinsmiths) and fragrant Lan Ong (lined with drawers of dried roots, cinnamon bark and traditional herbal medicine). Notice Hanoian tube houses: narrow shopfronts taxed by street width that stretch deep inside the block through air-well courtyards. Step inside the restored merchant house at 87 Ma May Street, whitewashed Bach Ma Temple and covered Dong Xuan Market, then cross onto the pedestrian deck of the 1902 Long Bien Bridge over the Red River.

St Joseph's Cathedral and the French Quarter

West of the lake, the twin neo-Gothic bell towers of St Joseph's Cathedral (1886) look onto a cobbled square ringed by cafes serving lemon tea and egg coffee. Walk south along Trang Tien Street into the French Quarter past the historic Sofitel Legend Metropole, the classical facade of the Hanoi Opera House (1911) and the courtyard exhibition at Hoa Lo Prison Memorial. Compare hotels across both areas in where to stay in Hanoi.