The First-Timer’s Travel Guide to Hanoi, Vietnam (2019)

Hanoi is my favorite city in Vietnam. I wasn’t so sure after our first trip from two years ago, but a recent month-long stay made it clear.

Among the cities we’ve visited, we found Hoi An to be the most charming and Saigon to have the best food, but Hanoi is the most liveable. It’s a big city, much bigger than Hoi An so there’s more to do, but it doesn’t swallow you up like Saigon. It’s home to about the same population size as Ho Chi Minh City but it feels more intimate and inviting.

In fact, we plan on living from city to city in the near future and Hanoi will probably be our first stop. It’s one of our favorite cities so far and one we can really see ourselves living in.

Spend a few days exploring its tree-lined neighborhoods with crumbling but charming French colonial…