Hanoi’s French Quarter is an oasis of laid-back luxury in the chaotic capital

With wide boulevards and a lake, the French Quarter provides a little more breathing space than the Old Quarter.

Hanoi’s Old Quarter is a tumult of traffic, trade and tourism. Travellers choose to stay in the Vietnamese capital’s historic neighbourhood to dive into its idiosyncratic brew of swerving motorbikes, roadside food joints and cacophonous soundtrack.

But while the clogged roads are an essential characteristic of the Old Quarter – hotels often supply guests with advice on how to cross them – increasing tourism is straining the capacity of its narrow streets.

Until recently, tour buses would squeeze through the maze to collect daytrippers from hotels causing traffic blockages. These have now been banned, but taxis and Grab (Southeast Asia’s Uber) cars still clog the streets.

For travellers who would rather dip in and out of the chaos, the nearby French Quarter is an ideal base. With wide boulevards, a lake and elegant hotels, it provides a little more breathing space while being just a short walk from the Old Quarter.

It is also a fascinating glimpse into the French influences brought by colonialism but later fused with Hanoi’s culture to become something unique.

Hang out at Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake

It is impossible to escape the buzz of scooters and the chorus of horns in Hanoi, but Hoàn Kiếm Lake on the edge of the French Quarter is a kind of oasis. Walking along the shore, you look out across the green water to the mossy Turtle Tower – the reptiles once lived in the surrounding waters – on an island in the centre.

At the northern end is Ngoc Son Temple. Dedicated to writing, study and literature, it is a key place of worship for students preparing for exams. A bright red bridge leads to a little island where the blare of the traffic becomes a distant hum inside the temple walls.

It is lovely to sit in the tree-fringed courtyard watching a cat stroll by and listen to the occasional blast of pop music drifting over from the Zumba classes on the lake shore. If you get up early, you can join Hanoi’s energetic residents for their morning workout.

Indulge in egg coffee at its birthplace

Vietnam has made coffee an entirely unique product. The country’s major cities each have their signature brew. In Ho Chi Ming, it’s coconut-flavoured, while in Hue it is topped with salty cream. In Hanoi, the shortage of milk and cream during the French invasion of the 1940s inspired one bartender to invent egg coffee.

Nguyen Van Giang worked in the bar of the Grand Metropole Hotel, which is still open today and is part of the Sofitel group. After opening in 1901, a year before Hanoi became the capital of French Indo-China, the hotel became the haunt of colonialists and foreign travellers. Short of milk to serve his guests, Nguyen added whipped egg yolk with honey and sugar to the coffee and served it over a bowl of hot water.

Visit the Metropole’s Le Club Bar today to sit in the spot where egg coffee was invented. The light-filled, leafy conservatory is an oasis of peace also serving French specialities like Salade niçoise, onion soup and croque monsieur.

Alternatively, you can visit one of two coffee joints that Nguyen opened in the city, now run by his descendants. You’ll find Cafe Dinh at the north end of Hoàn Kiếm lake. Head up to the second floor and sip your sweet Hanoi coffee with local artists and writers.

Capella Hanoi: Where to stay in the French Quarter

The city’s luxury hotel quarter can be found in the blocks around Hanoi’s rococo Opera House, a domed, ice-cream-coloured building dating from 1901.

Hanoi Capella is a lavish, playful reimagining of what might have been a rendezvous spot for opera’s greatest artists, singers and composers after the final curtain call.

Designed by starchitect Bill Bensley, it merges 1920s Art Deco Paris with Vietnamese heritage in flamboyant fusion. Bensley spent years gathering memorabilia, from theatre programmes to instruments and gloves to opera classes, to decorate the hotel.

The ground floor Michelin-recommended restaurant is named Backstage, and its plush red velvet chairs, floor-to-ceiling drapes and sparkly costumes hanging on the walls perfectly evoke the behind-the-scenes bustle.

Each floor is dedicated to a different aspect of opera – drama, music, and stars. The decor reflects these themes: a mini stage displaying beaded costumes on the drama floor; a powdering table on the actress corridor; and musical instruments attached to Picasso-style paintings for the music level.

Each of the 47 rooms is also individually themed, named after a singer, actress, composer or opera. The interiors are filled with nods to Vietnamese craft – embroidered silk upholstery, lantern-style lamps with dangling tassels and black rattan chairs.

The hotel collaborates with local artists for activities like pottery-making with residents of Bat Trang Ceramics Village and lacquer painting classes with Tran Anh Tuan, a master professor at the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Art.

Hanoi’s cuisine is legendary, and the city was crowned the best culinary destination by the World Culinary Awards in 2024. At Backstage, guests have the privilege of trying dishes cooked to the personal recipes of Madame Anh Tuyet, who was featured in chef Anthony Bourdain’s TV series No Reservations. Her pho – an aromatic broth with beef brisket – packs a punch at breakfast.

Dive back into history at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel

Staying at the Sofitel Legend Metropole (where egg coffee was invented) is the closest you can get to time travelling back to Hanoi’s history under French occupation – from the staff’s greeting of ‘bonjour’ to the in-house boutiques of Hermes and Chopard.

The heritage wing dates from 1901 and the Opera wing was added in 1996. In the older part, a recently installed exhibition details the timeline of the hotel from its opening to its role during two wars and reconstruction in 1992, opening guests’ eyes to the depth of history within its walls.

In 1946, former president Ho Chi Ming met with General Etienne Valuie, commander of Indo-China, and Nguyen Hai Than, president of Vietnam’s Quamingtang, in the hotel as part of negotiations for Vietnamese independence.

During the American invasion, both male and female hotel staff received military training and the pavement out front where guests once sipped coffee was dug out to make bomb shelters which guests can now tour with a guide. Singer Joan Baez’s LP ‘Where are you now, my son?’ was inspired by her experience of 11 days in the hotel’s bunker.

As guests no longer need to worry about sheltering from air raids, there’s plenty of time to enjoy the hotel’s extensive facilities. In the central courtyard, there is an outdoor pool with sun loungers. In the mornings, you can head up to Le Balcon for yoga or tai chi classes.

And when you’re ready to venture out of the hotel and face the Hanoi hustle, just remember to bid ‘au revoir’ to the doorman.