Hanoi

Where to stay

Most budget hostels cluster in the Old Quarter, especially on Ma May, Hang Bac, and the lanes near Ta Hien Street. Tay Ho (West Lake) is worth considering for longer stays: guesthouses there run cheaper and you're away from the 2am noise on Ta Hien.

Getting around

• Airport bus 86 runs from Noi Bai Airport straight to Hoan Kiem Lake for a low flat fare. Metered taxis are fine but the tout cabs outside arrivals will quote three times that.
• Dong Xuan Market, at the north end of the Old Quarter, sells clothes, fabric, and dry goods at wholesale prices. Everything on Hang Gai a few streets south is the same stuff marked up for tourists.
• Tet falls in late January or February depending on the lunar calendar. Hostel beds in the Old Quarter sell out weeks early and prices spike. Either book far ahead or plan around it entirely.

When to go

Hostels are cheapest and half-empty in June through August when it's hot and rainy. Prices climb from October as the weather cools, and the stretch from December through Tet is the tightest market of the year.