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Hanoi

Lakes, lacquer, and a thousand-year hum.

A capital of tree-shaded boulevards and guild lanes, where French villas sag beside Soviet blocks, the lakes fill with tai chi at dawn, and every corner has a stool and a bowl of broth.

Ten ways to spend the weekend

• The Romantics: A view at the right hour, a long dinner, one splurge, a slow Sunday.
• The Thrill Seekers: Dawn runs, coastal rides, a climb, a swim, and dinners you have earned.
• The Time Travellers: Old towns, the one building worth the ticket, and the tour that is actually good.
• The Food Pilgrims: Markets at opening, one tasting menu, a cooking class, the counter the locals queue for.
• The Night Owls: Late dinners, live music, the bars that matter, and the walk home at dawn.
• The Family Explorers: One big thing each half-day, playgrounds and water, early dinners, a nap built in.
• The Curious Wanderers: A bit of everything, well paced: the classic weekend with a few surprises.
• The Solo Traveller: Travel light, start early, sit at the bar, and let the city set the pace.
• The Slow Weekenders: Long breakfasts, a spa, one thing a day, and nowhere to be.
• The Three Generations: Grandparents, parents and children at one table: short walks, lifts, benches, big dinners.