Hanoi: A Sensory Immersion

The correct way to cross a Hanoi street is to walk slowly and let the motorbikes part around you. This loud, humid, completely alive capital rewards the traveler who learns its rules.

A lived in, first person guide to a thousand year old capital of lakes and tube houses, where the sidewalks are living rooms: Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn and the red Huc Bridge, the Temple of Literature and its stone turtles, pho and bun cha at the addresses the city swears by, egg coffee in hidden cafes, and Train Street as it actually works now.

Inside the guide:

• The famous sights and best areas, from the Old Quarter to Ba Dinh Square and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

• Where to eat: pho, bun cha, cha ca, banh cuon and the food streets

• Where to drink: coffee culture to Bia Hoi Junction, plus where to stay by area and budget

• Best photo spots and hidden gems, including the B-52 lake and the antique street most visitors miss

• Watch Out: the shoe shine scam, the donut ladies, fake taxis and the cyclo overcharge, plus itineraries for 1, 3 and 5 days

18 full-color photographs, including 7 full page panoramics: a full sensory immersion.