Hanoi has shaken off its once hostile attitude to travelers to become one of the most beguiling cities in Southeast Asia. It's slow-paced yet quick to charm, with a lovely landscape of lakes, shaded boulevards, verdant public parks and French-colonial architecture.
Hanoi personifies the spirit of historic Vietnam in the temples, monuments and pockets of ancient culture along the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, yet perfectly reflects the rapid changes sweeping the country as Hanoian yuppies sip cappuccinos in roadside cafés and compare cell phones.
When to go
There is really no bad season to visit Hanoi. The city offers countless attractions that can be seen year-round, and the climate is generally agreeable.
Tourist season runs from late June through August and October through Tet, the New Year's celebration that takes place in late January or early February. Though accommodations and transportation are bound to be booked around Tet, it's worth making the effort to see Hanoi dressed up for the festivities.
Vietnamese tend to travel in the summer and around Tet, making public transportation that much more difficult to book.
A Top Day in Hanoi
There's something about Hanoi that encourages early rising. It might be that most Vietnamese seem pathologically incapable of sleeping beyond about 05:00 , no matter how much bia hoi (fresh beer) and rice wine they put away the night before. And so I try (OK, yes, only a couple of times a week) to prise myself out of bed, shoulder my camera and wander down to Hoan Kiem Lake as early as possible. The benefits are soon apparent; traffic in the Old Quarter is quiet, a ghostly blue-grey mist hovers above the lake and elderly Hanoians practice their distinctive floppy t'ai chi in slow rotation around its perimeter. As the sun rises I'll wander through the Old Quarter, watching the city wake up along streets lined with trees and crumbling buildings of yellow stucco, eventually stopping for breakfast of pho and a fresh, fluffy baguette. Suitably fortified, I'll engage a xe om (motorbike taxi) and head out to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum before the crowds arrive. I've seen Bac Ho before, but with rumors he might be about to get his wish and be buried, I figure it's time for one last peek. I love the romance and history of Hanoi and few places encompass it quite like the Temple of Literature, an easy walk away. Sitting here with a book is the perfect respite from the buzz of the city, and eating lunch at nearby KOTO satisfies both my hunger and my desire to aid the less fortunate of the city. In the afternoon I might check out another museum or just wander down to Pho Nha Tho for some shopping, and a drink while watching the shadows of St Joseph's Cathedral grow longer, before heading back into the Old Quarter for bia hoi with friends. Dinner at the Culi Cafe (40 Luong Ngoc Quyen) makes a tasty change from Vietnamese food, and a stroll down to Highway 4 for rice wine on the roof (get there before about 23:00 and hustle upstairs) will ensure I won't be up early tomorrow.
(Author: Andrew Burke)
Orientation
Hanoi sprawls along the Red River (Song Hong), which is spanned by three bridges. The oldest is the 1682m (5500ft) Long Bien Bridge, built in 1902. Though bombed repeatedly by the US, the bridge supported rail and other traffic continuously throughout the war; today it serves pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles only. A few meters south is the newer Chuong Duong Bridge, and north of the city, servicing the airport, is the Thang Long Bridge.
Most of Hanoi's streets are prefixed with pho , while larger roads and boulevards are called duong . The city is divided into seven central districts (quan) , surrounded by outlying neighborhoods called huyen . Can't-miss quan include the Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi's attractive city centre, and the elegant Ba Dinh district, also known as the French Quarter, which is home to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum.
Most travelers experience of Hanoi will be in the Old Quarter, just north of Hoan Kiem Lake. This fascinating maze is made up of narrow streets whose names reflect the wares that are sold there.
Getting There
For a capital city there are surprisingly few flights into Hanoi, but that's slowly changing. You can get direct flights into Hanoi's Noi Bai airport from Europe (Paris, Vienna and Moscow), Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), and most major Asian cities (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh, Tokyo, Seoul, Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taiwan), including several Chinese destinations. There are no direct flights to Hanoi from the Americas.
The bus system is inexpensive and easy to use with the aid of a bus map. There is cheap public transportation from Hanoi's several bus stations to all parts of Vietnam. Most travelers avoid the buses, preferring to use the transport provided by the government sanctioned travel and tour companies.
The capital's main train station, Ga Hang Co, provides access to the 2600km (1612mi) Vietnamese railway system, which runs up and down the coast between Hanoi and Saigon with links all over Vietnam and twice-weekly service to Beijing. Though sometimes even slower than the buses, these dilapidated trains are more comfortable as well as safer, for cross-country travel.
Getting Around
There are plenty of taxis and minibuses plying their trade between the airport and city centre, and it's possible to hire either for a trip around town. However, watch out for airport sharks taking you to the wrong hotel for commission, as this is all too common.
Renting a car or motorbike is a popular option, despite the presence of water buffalo, chickens, maniacal truck drivers, bicycles laden with struggling pigs, and packs of hormone-crazed teenage boys in vehicles of every shape, size and color all sharing the narrow, pockmarked roads and obeying traffic laws that have no parallel in the known universe. Hanoi is so compact that you can get by (and get fit) by walking around town. Remember, walk don't run through the traffic: the drivers will go around you (just don't try this at home!).

(Source: Lonely Planet)

Links for reference:

Travel to Vietnam

Vietnam travel services

Vietnam tours packages

Mekong river cruise

Vietnam travel guide

Hanoi hotels information

Hanoi travel guide