French Quarter
Wide boulevards south of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, lined with colonial-era buildings. Quieter than the Old Quarter, with longer-established cafés.
6 guides cover French Quarter
What Hanoi drinks: trà chanh, nâu đá and the plastic stool
Iced lemon tea by the cathedral, robusta over condensed milk, and free green tea on every pavement. Hanoi drinking culture is cheap, caffeinated, and mostly about sitting down.
The Chinese-Vietnamese kitchen: mì vằn thắn and bánh bao
Hanoi has a Cantonese inheritance that mostly goes unremarked — wonton egg noodles with a quail egg in the bowl, and steamed buns sold from misted glass carts in winter.
Hanoi's sweet counter: tào phớ, sữa chua nếp cẩm and Kem Tràng Tiền
Three sweet things Hanoi does better than anywhere: silken tofu scooped in curls, yoghurt over fermented black rice, and stick ice cream eaten standing on the pavement since 1958.
Hanoi 3-day food itinerary: the route I'd send my mum on
Three days, three meals a day, nine neighborhoods. A pace-it-properly Hanoi food trip with morning, lunch and dinner stops, plus what to do between meals.
Best phở in Hanoi: a street-by-street guide
Where Hanoians actually eat phở — clear-broth phở bò, the chicken-only stalls, and the late-night bowls that locals defend with surprising passion.
The 8 best bánh mì in Hanoi (2026)
A working list of where Hanoi locals queue for bánh mì — pâté-only purists, fusion newcomers, and the one stall that runs out by 8am.