6 Best Sights in Hanoi, Vietnam

Here you can find delicate paper replicas of material possessions made to be burned in tribute to one's ancestors. Expect traditional offerings, like paper money and gold (currency of the afterlife), but also modern objects, such as replica iPhones, laptops, air-conditioning units, and karaoke machines. Hang Ma is also where Hanoians go to buy decorations, so it routinely erupts in the colors of the approaching holiday: red and gold before Tet; orange and black before halloween; and red and green before Christmas.

This beautiful shaded avenue leads past sprawling French villas and Chinese mandarin mansions (many occupied by long-serving party members) as well as the gracious North Door Cathedral (Nha Tho Cua Bac), at the corner of Phan Dinh Phung and Nguyen Bieu Streets. The large wheel of stained glass at the cathedral is reminiscent of Renaissance-era artwork in Europe and is enchanting from the inside; try the large front doors or ask around for a caretaker to let you in. Another option is to come on Sunday at 10 am for an English-language service. On the right side of the street stand the tall ramparts of the citadel, the military compound that once protected the Imperial Palace of Thang Long. In a surprising move, army officials in 1999 opened to the public Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, which runs straight through this once secretive space.

Hang Bac means "Street of Silver," which explains why silversmiths, jewelry shops, and money changers have dominated this strip for centuries. The Dong Cac jewelers' guild was established here in 1428, and it later erected a temple (now gone) in tribute to three 6th-century brothers whose skills, learned from the Chinese, made them the patron saints of Vietnamese jewelry.

The Street of Hemp now sells a variety of goods, including ready-made silk, lovely embroidery, and silver products. With plenty of art galleries, crafts stores, and souvenirs, this is a popular spot for tourists. Many trendy boutiques also line Hang Trong, which runs perpendicular to Hang Gai.

Shops along the Street of Fans sell a stunning selection of religious paraphernalia, including beautiful funeral and festival flags, porcelain Buddhas, and lacquered Chinese poem boards. Giant plane trees shade the street, which is bookended by Berry Temple (Den Dau) and a traditional wooden house honoring Vietnamese soldiers (Nha Tuong Niem Liet Si). Shooting off the street is To Tich, an alley bursting with bright, lacquered water puppets, rattan and bamboo baskets, porcelain and ceramics. If you can pull your attention away from all the eye-grabbing street-level sights, above you'll discover the timeworn facades of several French colonial teahouses.

Once called Rue Gambetta, Tran Hung Dao Street is now named after the revered Vietnamese warrior who repelled Kublai Khan's Mongol hordes three times between 1257 and 1288. This long, tree-lined boulevard is a marked example of the stateliness with which the French imbued these east–west streets. Several diplomatic missions line the boulevard; among them, fittingly, is the massive French embassy (No. 57), which takes up an entire city block. The regal Indian embassy building (No. 58-60) is also worth a look.