Hanoi for The Curious Wanderers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

The oldest temple in the Old Quarter, 9th century, with a golden horse and carved lacquer panels; small, quiet and rarely visited.

The medicine street: sacks of dried roots, seahorses and bark, and pharmacists who weigh each batch out on a brass scale; smell it before you see it.

Beef phở in a clear broth; the cooks slice brisket at the counter and the room fills with students by seven. Pay at the till.

A potters' village on the Red River since the 14th century, with kilns, shops and a ceramic market; walk the lanes rather than the main street.

Throw a small bowl on the wheel with a village potter; they fire and glaze it and will post it home, and it takes about an hour.

Charcoal-grilled pork patties in a sweet-sour broth with a basket of herbs; a lively street-corner dinner after a day among the kilns.

Dried fish, tea and noodles on the ground floor, haberdashery above, and the old 1889 hall around you; the best time is a Sunday morning.

The same ticket opens the palace foundations and the wartime command bunker of General Giáp, where the telephones and maps are still in place.

A café in an old villa with mismatched sofas and a short menu of Vietnamese and western dishes; the garden is a calm place for dinner.

At seven the lake is full of tai chi, badminton and ballroom dancers; walk one slow circuit and you have seen the city waking.

A bánh mì shop in the Old Quarter with warm pâté, pickles and chilli sauce on a crisp roll; get it to go and eat it on the street.

Market visit, cooking and a lunch of what you have made, in a French villa; the class ends in time for an afternoon flight.