DAY 1: THE OLD QUARTER Morning: walk the 36 streets of the Old Quarter, ideally with a specific food stop planned, such as bun cha at a stall recommended by your accommodation. Afternoon: Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple, followed by the Dong Xuan Market, Hanoi’s largest traditional market. DAY 2: HISTORY AND CULTURE Morning: the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university, founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius. Afternoon: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, including the Presidential Palace and One Pillar Pagoda, providing a different layer of the city’s 20th-century political history. DAY 3: FOOD AND FRENCH QUARTER A day organised around eating well: egg coffee at one of the cafes credited with inventing the drink, bun cha for lunch, and a walking tour of the French Quarter’s colonial architecture, including the Hanoi Opera House and St Joseph’s Cathedral, in the afternoon. PRACTICAL NOTE: Crossing Hanoi’s streets, with their constant motorbike traffic, requires a specific technique — walk at a steady, predictable pace and let the traffic flow around you rather than stopping or running, which is more dangerous than it sounds and quickly becomes manageable after the first attempt.