It’s one of Asia’s most anachronistic and atmospheric capital cities: a place of mist-shrouded lakes and honking motorbikes; of decaying colonial villas and narrow ‘tube’ houses; of communist hand-painted propaganda posters and world-class modern art; of crusty French baguettes and beef noodle soup; of girls with straight cut fringes and cowboys ...

It’s Hanoi. And whether you’re visiting on business or leisure this alphabetic guide provides you with an at-a-glance insight into one of the region’s most unique urban destinations.

A is for Art
Now that modern Vietnamese art - whether oil on canvas or lacquer - has become fashionable in New York and London, bargains are increasingly hard to come by. Most of the posh and wickedly expensive galleries are on Hang Bong and Hang Gai, but you can enjoy a relaxing Parisian breakfast in Stop Café on Bao Khanh (near the cathedral) then wander upstairs to Café des Arts to view some contemporary Vietnamese art at reasonable prices. Just around the corner at 6 Hang Hanh is Ngoc Mai Gallery run by local artist Tai Thi Hien and her husband. Looks a bit gloomy from the outside but poke around and you are likely to find a bargain or two.

B is for Baguettes
Vietnamese French-style bread sold on every street corner: warmed and light, perfect with a cup of local coffee and eggs for breakfast at any café in the Old Quarter. Try Old Hanoi or the Tamarind Café, both on Ma May.

C is for Coffee
Arguably the best coffee in town, Mai’s has been growing, roasting and grinding their own coffee since 1936. You can smell the toasted beans long before you reach Mai’s Shop at 96 Le Van Huu Street. Expect to pay about 160,000VND for a kilogram of Arabic coffee, or 250,000VND for the premium espresso.

D is for Dong versus Dollars
Despite what many guidebooks tell you, American dollars are not universally accepted in Hanoi. To be safe, it’s best to keep a wad of Dong handy: 100,000, 50,000, as well as some 20,000, 10,000 and 2,000 notes (which you can exchange at your hotel or banks in the city).

E is for Eyes Wide Open
Not as bad as Ho Chi Minh City, but it’s getting there fast in terms of traffic congestion and motorbike madness. When crossing the road keep moving slowly but with purpose. The motorbikes will weave around you (at least that’s the theory!). Better still, stand next to some locals and follow them as they cross.

F is for Face Masks
‘Uni-bra’ is the only word one can think of to describe this essential travel accessory worn by the majority of motorbike riders in Hanoi and throughout Vietnam. These fabric face masks (designed to protect one’s lungs from noxious street fumes) come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours and make a great ‘alternative’ gift. You can buy them in markets, shops and from street vendors. More cavalier scooter riders in Hanoi sometimes opt for a bandana tied around the face leaving only the eyes exposed (although the result can look a little like a Japanese lunch box on wheels).

G is for Get Lost
Pack some cash, a map and your hotel card, then walk in any direction. Hanoi is one of the safest and smallest capitals in Asia and getting deliberately lost is the best way to explore the streets and meet ordinary people. Hanoians might look hard but if you smile you’ll get an even bigger one right back. And what appears to be a meandering dead-end lane could lead to a temple, lake, market, park, café, or forgotten war relic. Just hail a cab, cyclo or motorbike taxi when you’ve had enough aimless adventuring for one day.

H is for Hanging On
Everywhere you go in Hanoi, you’ll be asked the question, ‘Moto?’ Xe om or motorbike taxis are the transport of choice and necessity by residents of Hanoi. If you can overcome the natural fear of being perched precariously on the back of a speeding motorbike without a helmet then it’s a great, quick and inexpensive way of getting around town.

Is for Internet Access
Internet cafes seem to outnumber restaurants in Hanoi. They’re cheap and often packed with young Vietnamese (even in remote Sapa, the local H’mong girls in tribal dress can be seen checking their Hotmail and Facebook accounts in Net cafes). Most big hotels and an increasing number of smaller establishments in Hanoi offer in-room WiFi connection.

J is for Just Say No
In the old quarter, cyclo and motorbike taxi drivers will often whistle, clap their hands and call out to you from across the street asking if you need a ride. For some visitors it can become a little wearing, but if you’re not interested stay calm, smile, shake your head and move on. Don't be afraid to say 'no' politely: they take rejection well, they’re used to it.

K is for Kangaroo Café
This tiny café on fashionable Bao Khanh Street is one of Hanoi’s most reputable tour operators to places like Ha Long Bay and Sapa. It also offers a fine selection of home-style Vietnamese dishes or Western food (including all-day breakfasts and vegetarian). Big portions, reasonable prices. Writer’s choice: the lemon lime here is an ice-cold godsend after a long, hot day on the streets!

L is for Lakes
The numerous, often mist-shrouded, lakes of Hanoi offer a welcome relief to the motorbike honking streets of the Old Quarter. Relax in the shade of fragrant milk flower trees on the banks Ho Hoan Kiem (the lake around which the original town was built) and enjoy the cooling breeze. Dozens of lakes - large, small and tiny - exist throughout the city and there used to be more but, when the French took control of Hanoi in the late 19th Century, they drained many of the lakes and canals to make way for wide, tree-lined boulevards.

M is Making Your Own Way
If you plan on staying in Hanoi for any length of time you might want to rent a motorbike, scooter or bicycle. You can hire at any number of places around town (ask your hotel where the nearest one is). Bicycles are generally safer and cheaper and can be hired from US$1 a day depending on quality and model. Tip: you don’t need a whiz-bang mountain bike with lots of gears; a sturdy Chinese-made bike is ideal for the flat streets of Hanoi.

N is for Noodles
You can eat pho (noodles) for breakfast, lunch and dinner on almost every street corner in Hanoi. Beef noodle soup is the most popular, but you can have your pho served with chicken, vegetables or a variety of ‘specialty’ meats, usually adorned with a dollop of chilli sauce and freshly-squeezed lime.

O is for Old Quarter
The bustling streets of Cité Indigène (as the Old Quarter was known to the French) surround the jade-green serenity of Hoan Kiem Lake. Spend an hour or two early one morning before the sun, the street-hawkers and cyclos are out strolling through the Old Quarter peering up at the ‘tube’ houses (no two are the same!) and admiring the graceful sadness of crumbling French villas.

P is for Painting By Numbers
There are a rapidly increasing number of fake art dealers in Hanoi, competing with those to be found in Ho Chi Minh City. ‘Ten years ago, there were none,’ says Gérard Gastel, owner of Café des Arts. ‘Now they are everywhere.’ Often they will employ art students to sit at the shop entrance and shamelessly copy from a faded 5x4 photograph of an original Van Gogh or Renoir (an amazing feat in itself!). In terms of cost, you can expect to pay from five to fifty US dollars for a fake masterpiece. It all depends on your taste, as well as the quality and size of the fake involved.

Q is for Queen’s English
Considering that Hanoi only opened up to tourism and world trade in the early 1990s, a surprising number of people speak English. Tour guides, hotel and restaurant staff can chat away quite merrily. Beyond that, you will need a map, a phrase book and a healthy dose of patience. French, Russian, Chinese and Korean can sometimes come in handy.

R is for Rise and Shine
Many Hanoians are up and on their bikes (quite literally) shortly after dawn. From 4am you’ll find people out doing calisthenics, tai chi or power walking by the lakes. Most museums and temples open and close early, and even the Old Quarter tends to wind down and nod off completely by 10pm.

S is for Swimming for a Living
West Lake, also known as the Lake of Mist, is Hanoi’s largest. Worth a visit on clear, calm days to watch the shrimp-fishers: men and women who spend several hours at a time chest-high in the water fully dressed and with a conical hat and face bandana as protection from the sun.

U is for Uncle Ho
Ho Chi Minh’s image is everywhere: from statues to political posters, on t-shirts, most currency, clocks and lacquered art. Uncle Ho is revered and respected throughout the county and many Vietnamese men still like to grow Uncle Ho’s trademark wispy moustache and beard.

V is for Vacation within a Vacation
Got a couple of days to spare? Take a cosy, overnight train right from Hanoi to Sapa, the former French colonial outpost, high in the Hoang Lien mountain range and home to a wide range of minority hill tribes. The train leaves Hanoi every evening at about 10pm and you can choose from a variety of sleeper cabins. Book through a reliable tour operator such as Handspan, Kangaroo Café, or with your hotel in Hanoi.

W is for War Relics
From museums to the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, there are many places to view relics and reminders of what the Vietnamese call ‘the American War’. In the middle of a lichen-filled pond in Ngoc Ha village (a residential section of Western Hanoi) lies the mangled fuselage of an American B-52 bomber, shot down during the US-led Christmas raids of 1972.

X is for Xich Lo
Xich lo is the Vietnamese word for cyclo: a bicycle-powered rickshaw. These environmentally friendly contraptions offer the perfect antidote to city-tired feet. A one-hour ride will cost about 40,000VND, but whatever you agree on the driver will ask for ‘beer money’ at the end of the journey; you can either walk away or give him an extra 10,000 if you feel the ride was worthwhile.

Y is for Yen Nao!
Or ‘Quiet!’ in Vietnamese. You might find yourself on the verge of yelling this at times with the ringing of xich lo bicycle bells, honking traffic and braying street vendors. Resist the urge. If you find yourself overdosing on the sounds of the city, retire to the back of a local coffee shop and cool off beneath a quietly whirring ceiling fan.

Z is for Zip Codes
Hanoi can be hell to navigate on foot or by car: a maze of narrow streets that even long-term residents don’t entirely comprehend. Invest in a good laminated street map and a wax pencil, which you can use to circle your destinations to show taxi drivers. Insight publish a great flexi-map of Hanoi that is weather proof and can be purchased at most large book stores and airports.

Sidebar: Hanoi - the facts

Hanoi - A Few Good Facts
Population: 3,500,000
Average cost of breakfast in the Old Quarter (eggs, bacon, baguette and coffee): 20,000 to 50,000VND
Number of motorbikes in the city: about 500,000
Number of cars: 60,000
Cost of genuine Vietnamese art: US$200 to US$500 would be considered a bargain for a large oil on canvas
Time zone: GMT +7
Electricity: 220V 50HzHz