Lakes, scooters and a thousand years of history
Hanoi is Vietnam's capital and its most atmospheric city, centred on Hoan Kiem Lake and the tangled streets of the Old Quarter, where each lane was once named for the goods sold there. Wide French-era boulevards lead to the Opera House and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the Temple of Literature dates back to 1070. Food is the great pleasure: bowls of pho for breakfast, bun cha at lunch and egg coffee in a hidden upstairs café, with scooters streaming past all day.