Old quarter
Hoàn Kiêm district takes its name from the lake (Lake of the Restituted Sword, also known as the Little Lake) and forms the heart of the city. On the north shore of the lake, beyond the line drawn by the axis of Hang Bông, Hang Gai and Câu Gô streets, lies the Old Quarter (also known as the "Quarter of 36 Streets and Guilds"), where each street groups together a trade guild. This market town was formed to the east of the former royal city by gradually bringing together several small villages and hamlets specialized in a particular activity: bronze casting, paper making, dyeing, etc. The district is bordered to the east by the Red River (Sông Hông), crossed by the Long Biên Bridge (formerly the Paul-Doumer Bridge), to the west by Ly Nam Dê Street (Citadel district) and to the north by Quan Thanh Street (West Lake district).
Central district
To the south of the Old Quarter, centered around Hoàn Kiêm Lake and the cathedral, is the Central District, a set of grid streets rich in buildings dating from the French colonial period. This is the modern district, once the hub of business and elegant cafés, where people met for tea and shopping.
Quarter of the Temple of Literature
A little off-center, to the south of the Citadelle district and to the west of the central district (behind the train station), the Temple de la Littérature district has its own coherence that deserves a morning or afternoon.
The Citadel district
In the Ba Dinh district, south of Lake Hô Tây (Western Lake) and Lake Truc Bach (White Silk Lake), lies the Citadel district. This is Hanoi's last city wall, and the administrative and symbolic center of Vietnamese power, with Ba Dinh Square, the presidential palace, the mausoleum of President Hô Chi Minh, the headquarters of the Vietnamese Communist Party (formerly Albert-Sarraut High School) and the National Assembly, which inaugurated its new building in 2015. You'll also find a wealth of colonial architecture.
West Lake District and New Town
To the north of the Citadel and Old Quarter (the boundary is drawn by the axis of Thuy Khuê and Quan Thanh Streets) is the West Lake District. It is one of the favourite places for walking and meeting people of the capital. It is also a residential area that welcomes many expatriates. Also included in this section are recently built off-centre sites in the new parts of a growing city.
