Hanoi in 3 days

A tangle of narrow streets long named after the trades once practised in them, packed with shophouses, street stalls and scooters.

The lake at the heart of the city: the red Huc Bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple, and people exercise on the shore at dawn.

A Confucian temple founded in 1070 that became Vietnam's first national university, with courtyards and stone steles naming its graduates.

Pho, bun cha, banh mi and egg coffee, eaten on low plastic stools on the pavement, in the Old Quarter and beyond.

A narrow lane where the train passes within touching distance of the houses and café terraces; access has been restricted by the authorities at times.