City Info: Hà Nội

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As the capitol of Vietnam, Hanoi (written locally as Hà Nội) is the smaller of the country's two urban centers. Filled with museums, lakes and restaurants, it is a perfect entry point to seeing more, but it could take months to run out of things to do here.

The city is divided into four districts: Hoàn Kiếm, Ba Đình, Hai Bà Trưng , and Đống Đa. Be sure to bring along a good city map to give you a visual clue as to where you are and where you want to go. Many tourists stay in the Hoan Kiem district, with some adventuring down to Hai Ba Trung, but we'd encourage you to travel around Hanoi and spend some time outside the tourist areas.

Hoàn Kiếm is in the heart of the city and is home to The Old Quarter, the densely populated and busy tangle of streets where myriad sellers reside. There, you'll find the streets named for the product that was originally sold there, including Hang Bac (silver), Hang Thiec (tin), Hong Buom (sails) and Hang Bong (cotton). Some still sell the same merchandise, such as Hang Thiec--you'll find a variety of tin sheet-metal work. Others have completely changed, such as Hang Gai, which no longer hosts sellers of hemp and rock, but instead features a variety of souvenir shops.

Hai Bà Trưng , the district south of Hoàn Kiếm district, is home to Lenin Park (Thong Nhat Park). A must-see Children's Park sits at northeast corner of the park. Ba Đình district covers the sector of Hanoi adjacent to Hoàn Kiếm district. You'll discover the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the nearby One-Pillar Pagoda, and the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts here. South of Ba Đình is the Đống Đa district, the Temple of Literature and KOTO are the most well-known attractions here, but there are several other shops and small lakes in the area.

With a population somewhere near 3 million people, Hanoi is packed to the brim with motorbikes, locals and tourists. The most hair-raising aspect for most visitors is the traffic. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but once you learn to trust the local way, you'll be alright. After spending what amounted to nearly two months in Hanoi, this is what we learned:

Don't wait for the traffic to stop for you. It won't.
Keep an eye towards the oncoming motorbikes, just in case they don't swerve.
Horns are ubiquitous.
Trust in the chaotic order of it all.

Outside resources:

• Wikipedia: Ha Noi
• WikiTravel's take on the city
• Vietscape: Ha Noi
• The People's Committe's Ha Noi