Northern Vietnam: Hanoi, karsts & the old imperial city

Hanoi

The capital of Vietnam, Hanoi is a city of more than a thousand years of history, recognizable for its dense Old Quarter, tree-lined lakes and a blend of traditional Vietnamese and French-colonial architecture.

The heart of the city is the Old Quarter, a tight grid of narrow streets historically organized by trade, still crowded with shophouses, markets and a constant flow of motorbikes. Nearby, Hoan Kiem Lake forms a green civic center, with the small Ngoc Son Temple reached by a red bridge.

Hanoi also preserves major monuments and colonial-era buildings, including the Temple of Literature, a Confucian academy founded in 1070, and the French-built Opera House and grand boulevards. The mix of frenetic street life and quieter historic sites gives the city a strong sense of layered time.

Where to take photos

• Old Quarter — a dense web of trade streets and shophouses, busiest and most alive in the early morning and evening
• Hoan Kiem Lake — a tree-lined city lake with the Ngoc Son Temple on a small island reached by a red bridge
• Temple of Literature — an 11th-century Confucian academy with serene courtyards and traditional architecture
• Train Street — a narrow residential lane where a working railway runs close between the houses

Ninh Binh

South of Hanoi, Ninh Binh is known for dramatic limestone karst landscapes rising from rice paddies and rivers, often described as a dry-land counterpart to Halong Bay. The area takes in a UNESCO World Heritage landscape and Vietnam's ancient capital.

The region's signature scenery lies at Tam Coc and Trang An, where rivers wind among towering limestone peaks and through cave tunnels, traditionally explored by small rowing boats. The Trang An Landscape Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for both its natural and cultural value.

Ninh Binh was also the site of Hoa Lu, the capital of Vietnam in the 10th and 11th centuries, where ancient temples remain. A climb such as the one at Hang Mua opens out onto wide panoramas over the karst peaks and the winding river below.

Where to take photos

• Trang An — a UNESCO-listed complex of rivers, caves and karst peaks explored by rowing boat
• Tam Coc — a river route winding among limestone cliffs and rice paddies, a brilliant green before the harvest
• Hang Mua — a steep stairway climbing to a peak with panoramic views over the karst landscape and river bends
• Hoa Lu — the ancient capital of Vietnam with surviving temples set among the limestone hills

Hue

On the banks of the Perfume River in central Vietnam, Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945. Its complex of monuments is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The centerpiece is the Imperial City, a vast walled citadel enclosing palaces, gates, courtyards and the Forbidden Purple City, once reserved for the emperor. Though damaged in twentieth-century conflict, much of the moated complex survives and has been progressively restored.

Along the Perfume River outside the city stand the elaborate royal tombs of the Nguyen emperors, each set in landscaped grounds, as well as the riverside Thien Mu Pagoda with its seven-tiered tower. Together the citadel, tombs and river make Hue the great storehouse of imperial Vietnam.

Where to take photos

• Imperial City — a vast moated citadel of palaces and ceremonial gates at the heart of the former capital
• Thien Mu Pagoda — a seven-tiered riverside pagoda, an icon of the city above the Perfume River
• Tomb of Khai Dinh — an ornate hillside royal tomb blending Vietnamese and European styles with elaborate mosaics
• Tomb of Tu Duc — a landscaped royal tomb complex set around lakes and pavilions in a wooded setting

More guides to explore

Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An Travel Guide: Lantern-Lit Streets & the Ancient Town

Can Tho, Vietnam

Can Tho Travel Guide: Floating Markets of the Mekong Delta

Vietnam

Vietnam: towering karsts, lantern towns & dynamic cities