The sights, one by one
Quarters and streets give the Old Quarter its pattern; these are the individual places inside it. Every fact on these pages was checked for this guide, and anything not verified is left out rather than guessed.
Hoan Kiem Lake and the Turtle Tower
The lake the whole city walks around, with the Turtle Tower on its islet and Ngoc Son Temple on Jade Island.
Dong Xuan Market
The quarter's great covered market: wholesale floors inside, the night market spilling out on weekend evenings.
O Quan Chuong, the Old East Gate
The last surviving gate of the old citadel, still standing in the middle of the traffic at the east of the quarter.
Bach Ma Temple
One of the four guardian temples of Thang Long, tucked into Hang Buom street and still an active place of worship.
Hoa Lo Prison Museum
The Maison Centrale: a hard, necessary museum about the prison that stood by the southern gate.
Long Bien Bridge
The steel bridge over the Red River, completed in 1902 and still carrying trains, motorbikes and bicycles.