Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and located on the right bank of the Red River. The city's metropolitan area is set to increase by three times on August 1st when Ha Tay province, Vinh Phuc's Me Linh district and three communes of Luong Son district, Hoa Binh become merged into Hanoi.

Hanoi fully captures the spirit of old Vietnam, with its temples, monuments and dashes of ancient culture along the narrow streets of the Old Quarter.

There are plenty of flight offers so potential visitors to this South-east Asian gem should hurriedly find flights online and book a last minute holiday before they are all snapped up.

Traditions and culture in Hanoi

The local culture in Hanoi and in Vietnam generally is significantly influenced by neighbouring China, largely due to the country' association with the south of China.

This cultural association manifests itself in many ways; for one, education and self-improvement are highly valued by the Vietnamese. Historically, passing the imperial Mandarin exams was the only ticket for people who wanted to socially advance themselves.

During the socialist era, cultural life in Vietnam was strongly influenced by government-controlled media, while external cultural influences were shunned. Nowadays however, the local culture has had much more of an exposure to other South-east Asian cultures, as well as that of Europe and the US.

Cuisine in Hanoi is very diverse and popular and food such as pho, cha ca and banh cuon are thought to have originated from the city. Perhaps the most widely known dish is pho, a simple rice noodle soup usually eaten as a breakfast dish at home or at street side cafes.

Things to do in Hanoi

Buddha's birthday usually falls in June and is a great opportunity for tourists to participate in local celebrations.

The Summer Solstice celebrations are also worth pencilling onto your to do list. As part of the festivities, human effigies are burned to stock the God of the Dead's armies, as is the Mid-autumn Festival in which children carry colourful lanterns and band cymbals.

For club-hoppers, Apocalypse Now comes recommended. Located in Star Bowl Centre in Pham Ngoc Thach, it offers tourists the chance to dance the night away in exotic surroundings.

Weather in Hanoi

Summer (during May and September) is the hottest period in Hanoi, with average temperatures ranging between 30 and 36 degrees C (86 and 97 degrees Fahrenheit).

Spring (between February and April) is warm and sometimes accompanied by drizzle, while winter (between November and February) is generally cool and dry.

Destination checklist for Hanoi

Hanoi's has a population of around 3.5 million.

The city is seven hours ahead of GMT.

The official currency is the Vietnamese dong.

Vietnamese is the official language spoken.

The city's international dialling code is +84.