24 hours in Hanoi: what to see

Hoan Kiem Lake is the first stop on the agenda: the small lake at the city's heart, tied to the legend of a magical turtle that returned a sacred sword to the gods, hosts on its central islet the Ngoc Son Temple, reachable by a red lacquered bridge.

A few steps away you enter the Ancient Quarter, the so-called thirty-six streets, each historically dedicated to a different trade, from silk to hardware, still recognizable in the shop signs today.

Heading west you reach the Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam founded in 1070, with its courtyards in sequence and stone stelae supported by turtles that commemorate the best Confucian students.

For lunch, one of the many pho stalls along the Ancient Quarter streets remains the choice most consistent with the city's gastronomic tradition.

For the final part of the day, the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, where the embalmed body of the Vietnamese leader rests, alongside his house on stilts and the Single Pillar Pagoda.

The Train Street, the rail track that passes inches away from the houses of the neighbourhood, has in recent years become a gathering point to observe the train passing among café tables.

With evening, an egg coffee in one of the historic venues of the Ancient Quarter or a water puppet show remains the most direct way to close the day.

Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, and the Temple of Literature already compose the historic stratification of Hanoi, while the afternoon choice between the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Train Street adds its institutional or more curious side.

A trip to Halong Bay and the Museum of Ethnology remain chapters for a second visit. Seeing the red-lacquered bridge of Ngoc Son Temple reflected in Hoan Kiem Lake at sunset captures Hanoi in a single glance.