IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME
It would have been very easy for a city like Hanoi, one of the most ancient capitals in the world, to fall victim to melancholy and give in to the brutal passage of time, and yet there is almost nothing in the local atmosphere that speaks to this. What you find instead is a cinematic stillness—a reverence for the thousand years that have passed and for the time it now finds itself in.
In Hanoi, long and storied memories of colonial rule, war, and reunification are lovingly preserved in its six great districts: Hoan Kiem, The Old Quarter, The French Quarter, Ba Dinh, Ha Ba Trung, and West Lake. Of these, it is the first three that hold essential experiences for travellers. They are a charming and lively showcase of the city’s noisy
