The city’s French Quarter is situated in the Ba Dinh district, on south eastern part of Hoan Kiem Lake. Personally, this is my most favourite area in the city, with its beautiful colonial buildings on wide streets filled with old trees. It is home to foreign embassies, yellow-coloured old colonial government buildings as well as affluent private mansions and villas. This area is also bustling with hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars. Part of the main road, Trang Tien, is full of high-ends shops, boutiques, bookstores and galleries. You can also find Trang Tien Plaza, a French colonial shopping complex retailing international brands.

French Quarter is the centre of the city’s nightlife. It is also worth visiting and having a drink at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel, a beautiful historic luxury landmark built in 1901.