Hanoi

Hanoi, Vietnam's historic capital, was founded in 1010 as Thang Long, the "city of the ascending dragon". At its heart is Hoan Kiem Lake and the red bridge to Ngoc Son temple, and to its north lies the Old Quarter, whose narrow streets were each named after the craft once practised there.

South of the lake stretches the French Quarter, with broad avenues, the Opera House and the historic Metropole hotel, and to the west the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and the country's first university. The city is full of parks and lakes, the largest being West Lake.

Hanoi has Al-Noor Mosque, the only mosque in northern Vietnam, built by Muslim merchants from India in the 19th century on Hang Luoc street near the Old Quarter, with small halal eateries around it.

Hanoi is also the base for the north: Ha Long Bay is about two and a half hours away, Trang An in Ninh Binh two hours, and the Sapa mountains five to six hours by expressway.