Things to Do
The French Quarter
South of Hoan Kiem Lake, the streets widen, the trees get taller, and the architecture shifts from tube-house shopfronts to grand colonial villas — a completely different side of Hanoi from the Old Quarter.
A different Hanoi
Where the Old Quarter is dense, commercial and centuries old, the French Quarter was laid out by colonial planners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an administrative and residential district — wide tree-lined boulevards, spacious villas, and the grand public buildings the French built to project colonial authority. The contrast between the two areas, sometimes just a few streets apart, is one of the more striking things about walking across central Hanoi.
What to see
- Hanoi Opera House — the district's architectural centrepiece, modelled on the Palais Garnier.
- St Joseph's Cathedral — sits at the boundary between the Old Quarter and the French Quarter.
- Ministries and former government buildings — several French-era administrative buildings survive along the wider boulevards, many still in official use today.
- Tree-lined residential streets — worth simply walking for the architecture and shade, especially in the hotter months.
How to explore it
Unlike the Old Quarter, this isn't really a wander-and-get-lost district — the wide boulevards are more suited to a purposeful walk or a slow cyclo ride between specific buildings. It pairs naturally with a visit to the Opera House or a stop at one of the area's colonial-era hotels for a drink.