In which quarter house in Hanoi?

If you are lucky to leave for a trip to Vietnam, you will have the opportunity to visit Hanoi. This is in which neighborhood is staying in Hanoi!

Known as "the city between the rivers", the capital of Vietnam is located north of the country in the Red River Delta. It has 2.6 million intra-muros inhabitants and about 7 million in the urban area. Hanoi So a tentacular megalopolis (3 328,9 km2), the second most populous of Vietnam after Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville. Founded in 1010 and political heart of the country until 1802, it was the capital of the French Indochina from 1902 to 1954. City stage to go see the Halong Bay , attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, it has experienced a tremendous economic and demographic development during the 20th century. As often in South-East Asia, finding housing where to stay will be easy and adaptable to all budgets and the offer of accommodation is abundant: apartments, modern and traditional houses, guesthouses, hotels in large numbers.

Hanoi is subdivided into four major arrondissements but as often in the major cities, we recommend to stay in the city centre. Here's our selection in brief.

Old town, Hoan Kiem

Surrounded by the Red River, the Hoan Kiem district will easily be on foot. It bears the name of the eponymous lake and surnames itself the "36 streets and corporations" neighborhood because of the division of labour that had taken place in the 20th century in the streets of the city: the local economy was heavily segmented. In fact, each street corresponds to a profession, for example ironwork, textile, shoe, furniture, or confectionery and wedding gifts. This daunting antler in the first place is the city's lung and we think the best place to stay in Hanoi!

There you will find most public bodies and banks’ seats, with their skyscrapers that grow like mushrooms, as well as many tourist places such as the Ngoc Son temple, the Hanoi Opera, the Vietnamese National Museum of History or the puppet theatre on the water. And of course, many hotels where to sleep, hand-crafted art shops to unlock your memories (society and jewellery) and other bars and restaurants to spend good time. Attention, the area is filled with European, Australian and American Western tourists. If you choose to stay in Hoan Kiem, you are challenged: try to cross the boulevards!

Ba Dinh

Political Center of Vietnam, Ba Dinh is one of the quietest and most authentic districts of Hanoi. It is located south of Lake Hô Tây and Lake Truc Bach. You will meet the Citadelle quarter, the last city walls of Hanoi. You will also meet the Presidential Palace, the Mausolée Hô Chi Minh and the headquarters of the Vietnamese Communist Party and many buildings of the French colonial era. If this is where you put your suitcases to stay in Hanoi, do not miss visiting the botanical garden if you are looking for a green setting and visiting the many temples around.

Tay Ho

To the north of Lake Hô Tây, this is one of the favourite areas of expatriates. Lake Hô Tây – which means “West Lake” – is emblematic of the city of Hanoi. It is a place of encounter and memories for many local residents. This lake extends over 500 hectares and measures more than 14 kilometres of circumference in the middle of the city.

During your visits and walks, you can’t miss the Tran Quoc pagoda, built in the 6th century, – one of Vietnam’s oldest pagodas, built according to the Buddhist tradition -, the Van Nien pagoda and the Sai pagoda. If you want to find a place to stay in Hanoi that is not touristic, you are in the right place! On the day, renting a pedal boat can be a good opportunity to visit the city with another view, that of water.

Main photo credit: Flickr – Gil Garber