The city of Hanoi has developed over the centuries along the banks of the Red River ( Song Hong ). There are three bridges across the river into the city including the 19 th century Long Bien Bridge which was repeatedly bombed and repaired during the Vietnam War.

The centre of Hanoi which contains the majority of the city's tourist sights and attractions is a compact area which is easy to get around on foot or cyclo. The street names are prefixed with ‘hang' (meaning shop or trader) in the Old Quarter which is a reference to the guilds that traded here; ‘pho' which is used for other narrow streets, and ‘duong' for the wider boulevards.

The inner districts of Hanoi are:

Hoan Kiem District

At the heart of the city is Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter to the north of the lake, the French Quarter to the south of the lake, St Josephs Cathedral and museums.

Ba Dinh District

Ba Dinh Square to the north-west of the city centre is where Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Museum and House are located. The Army Museum and Fine Arts Museum are also in this district, along with the One Pillar Pagoda, Botanical Gardens and Zoo.

Hai Ba Trung District

Lenin Park , one of the largest parks can be found here, plus ancient temples and pagodas

Dong Da District

The Temple of Literature - one of the highlights of Hanoi is located here.

Tay Ho District

West Lake and Truc Bach Lake with ancient pagodas on their shores.

Cau Giay District

The modern Museum of Ethnology is located here to the west of the city centre.