In 1010 the Vietnamese king Lý Thái Tổ moved his capital to the banks of the Red River and named it Thăng Long, Ascending Dragon, after he is said to have seen a dragon rising from the water. The city grew up around the royal citadel, and for most of the next eight centuries it was the political heart of Vietnam. The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, in the middle of modern Hanoi, preserves layers of this history, from the foundations of palaces excavated beneath the ground to buildings of the Nguyễn dynasty and the French colonial era. It was listed by UNESCO in 2010, the year Hanoi celebrated its thousandth anniversary.
The highlights include the Đoan Môn gate, a grand stone gateway with five arches, and the Kính Thiên palace foundations with their carved dragon staircase. Across the road, at 18 Hoàng Diệu, an archaeological excavation has revealed wells, foundations, roof tiles and ceramics from many dynasties. More recent history is here too: a bunker known as D67, used by the North Vietnamese military command during the war, with maps and telephones still in place. Nearby stands the Hanoi Flag Tower, built in the early nineteenth century.
The citadel is close to Ba Đình Square, where Hồ Chí Minh declared independence in 1945 and where his mausoleum now stands. The Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, is a short ride away, and the Old Quarter, with its narrow streets named after the goods once sold there, is a few minutes further.
Riding in Hanoi is an experience you will not forget. The streets are packed with motorbikes and scooters, moving in a constant flow that seems chaotic but has its own logic. Go slowly, stay predictable, use the horn as locals do, and do not make sudden moves. Foreigners need a valid licence recognised in Vietnam, and the rules about international permits are specific, so check before you ride. Outside the city, the roads north into the mountains are some of the most spectacular in Asia.
Fuel is everywhere, and so is food. Try phở for breakfast, bún chả for lunch, and a glass of iced coffee with condensed milk at any time. The weather is hot and humid in summer, cool and damp in winter; autumn, from September to November, is the most pleasant season.