Where to stay in Hanoi: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

The Old Quarter is Hanoi's medieval trading district, a knot of narrow streets each once given over to a single craft: silk on Hang Gai, silver on Hang Bac, and so on. Today it is a blur of tube houses, tangled wires, scooters, street kitchens and bia hoi corners where fresh beer is poured for pennies. It is loud from dawn. It is also the reason most people fall for the city.

Hotels are mostly slim boutique affairs squeezed into tall buildings, often with a spa in the basement and a sky bar on the roof. One on Hang Gai hides behind a Gothic-style facade; another is styled as an art gallery; several look out to the Red River and Long Bien Bridge. There is a large five-star with a spa and bathhouse too. Ask for a high floor or a back room if you value sleep.

Hoan Kiem Lake is where Hanoi comes to walk, stretch and court. At dawn it belongs to tai chi groups; at weekends the road around it closes to traffic and fills with families. The red bridge to Ngoc Son Temple is the city's favourite photograph. A few streets west, St Joseph's Cathedral rises over a quarter of boutiques and cafes serving egg coffee.

Staying here puts the Old Quarter two minutes north and the French Quarter two minutes south, with slightly calmer streets than either. Boutique five-stars cluster around the cathedral, many with rooftop bars and lake or cathedral views; one has a pool and a sky bar looking across Hoan Kiem and the old town rooftops.

South and east of the lake the streets suddenly straighten and widen. This is the quarter the French laid out: shady boulevards, ochre villas now housing embassies, and the Opera House, modelled on the Palais Garnier, at the end of Trang Tien. It is the smartest address in the city, and the pavements are wide enough to actually walk on.

The hotels match. The most famous has been receiving guests since the colonial era and still has its white shutters, poolside bar and an air of old intrigue; another is three minutes' walk from the Old Quarter and close to the Opera House; a third stands steps from the lake. Choose it for romance, for a special occasion, or simply for a quiet night.

West Lake is Hanoi's lungs, a vast sheet of water north of the centre ringed by a cycling road, lotus ponds and cafes. Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in the city, sits on an islet by the causeway. The Tay Ho district on the far shore is where many expats live, so it is the place for brunch, craft beer and international restaurants.

Hotels here have what the Old Quarter cannot offer: space. One is built partly on stilts over the lake, with an overwater bar for sunset; others have outdoor pools, tennis courts and rooftop cocktails with lake views. One newer five-star is 20 minutes from the airport. The Old Quarter is a short taxi ride away, so you can dip into the noise and retreat.

Ba Dinh is Hanoi's political district: Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature are all here, among embassies, parks and small lakes. Keep going west and you reach the new business district, a skyline of towers that includes Landmark 72.

The hotels are large, modern and good value for five stars, with the pools and space that central Hanoi lacks. Expect high-rise rooms with wide city views, a long-established favourite beside Thu Le Lake, and a lakeside hotel on Giang Vo covered in gold, infinity pool included. The Old Quarter is around ten minutes by car from Ba Dinh, further from the western towers.

Halong Bay is the image on every Vietnam brochure: thousands of limestone karsts and islets scattered across the Gulf of Tonkin, threaded by junks and kayaks. It is a World Heritage site and the country's most popular excursion from Hanoi.

You can stay two ways. Halong City, especially the Bai Chay tourist strip, has high-rise hotels with bay views, pools and a beach close by. Or sleep on the water: overnight cruises sail through Halong and quieter Lan Ha Bay, with cabins, balconies and kayaking stops. Cat Ba Island, on the bay's southern edge, has simple hotels by the town beaches and a national park behind.

South of Hanoi, the same limestone towers that fill Halong Bay rise straight out of flooded rice fields. At Trang An, a World Heritage site, and Tam Coc, rowing boats glide along rivers and through low caves; the old royal capital of Hoa Lu is a short ride away, and the steps up Hang Mua end in one of the great views of northern Vietnam.

Ninh Binh city has the larger hotels, including international five-stars with mountain views. For atmosphere, stay out in the countryside around Hoa Lu and Tam Coc, where small resorts and garden lodges sit among the paddies with pools and bicycles to borrow. A resort on the edge of the Van Long nature reserve is about two hours from Hanoi by road.

Sapa is an old hill station in the far north-west, close to the Chinese border, and the base for walking among some of the most beautiful rice terraces in Asia. Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina, looms over the town, with a cable car to the top for those who would rather not climb.

The town itself is busy and often wrapped in cloud, which only adds to the mood. Hotels play up the views: hillside resorts facing the peaks and terraces, a flamboyant French-Indochine fantasy in the centre with a rooftop bar, and a hilltop retreat looking straight at Fansipan. Bring a jumper, even in summer.