Hanoi for The Night Owls: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
Lakes, lacquer, and a thousand-year hum.
The city after dark. Days start at noon, the real plan starts at nine: a concert, a cocktail bar with a door policy, a club worth the queue, and breakfast on the way home.
Friday: Grilled pork, a night market and a jazz club
- Bún chả Đắc Kim
Sweet-sour broth, charcoal-grilled pork patties and a heap of herbs and noodles; a heavy early dinner before a long night.
- Weekend night market
Friday to Sunday the old streets close to traffic and fill with stalls selling clothes, souvenirs and snacks; it is crowded and loud and good fun.
- Binh Minh Jazz Club
A small club behind the Opera House with live jazz from nine o'clock, and a saxophonist who has been there since the 1990s; reserve a table by the stage.
Saturday: Skyline, then rock
- Bún thang Bà Đức
A delicate chicken and egg noodle soup with shrimp and pickles, which is gentle enough for a late start after Friday; sit down, sip and wake up.
- Lotte Observation Deck
The 65th-floor viewing deck above the city, with a glass floor and a café; go for the hour before sunset and stay as the lights come on.
- Hanoi Rock City
A scrappy live-music venue in a courtyard by West Lake that has hosted Vietnamese rock bands for years; check the programme and doors open at eight.
Sunday: Phở, puppets and a hidden bar
- Phở Gia Truyền Bát Đàn
A long-time local phở counter: beef brisket in a clear, spiced broth with fried dough sticks; arrive at noon and pay first.
- Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
The late show, at eight o'clock: puppeteers waist-deep in water behind a screen, a live band and a good start to a quiet night out.
- Nê Cocktail Bar
A hidden cocktail bar on Tống Duy Tân, with local ingredients such as lemongrass, rice wine and coffee in the glass, and a door you must find.
Monday: Dawn market and breakfast
- Long Biên wholesale market
Trucks and bicycles unload fruit and flowers in the dark under the bridge; go before five, and the market is mostly finished by seven.
- Phở Thìn Lò Đúc
Breakfast after the market: pan-fried beef phở, garlicky and hot, on a plastic stool; they open at six and you will not be the only night owl.
- Egg coffee at Café Giảng
A last, warm egg coffee in the original café after a short sleep; sit in the back room and watch the Old Quarter wake up.