Words are not sufficient. More images after the jump.

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By all means, get lost in the Old Quarter. Have yourself dropped off at Hoan Kiem Lake (the beating, if wet, heart of Hanoi) and from the red bridge, cross the street and lose yourself in the maze of streets, shopping, and travel agencies you'll find there.

The Old Quarter is shaped like a triangle, with streets named after the goods sold in them (not so much now as it was several hundred years ago). The place is ancient, and the age does show in some places, but overall the impression you get is a clean albeit swarming retail area, with narrow sidewalks and persistent shopkeepers imploring you to check out their stuff; the shops are mostly full of cheap knockoffs with some real finds amidst the dross.

More images and shop recommendations after the jump.

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Pho is fine, but some days a guy's just gotta have rice.

Communists tend to be a straightforward lot - their communications tend to swing between aggressive on one hand, didactic on the other. So it was a surprise to see irony in full display at the War Remnants Museum in Saigon.

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