Hanoi s present a architecture is mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries, and the stately French-built section of town is largely intact. There s a cooler mentality here, too - prouder, more prudish. Hanoi is a magnet for intellectuals and artists, while Saigon seems to attract entrepreneurs and hustlers. Hanoi streetlife is fascinating. In the morning, you can see tai chi practitioners, martial arts exponents, and joggers along Hoan Kiem lake.
Bicyclists wearing berets ride part with baguettes tucked into their baskets.
Strolling through the old French sector, you can find a street occupied by outdoor barbers clipping their customers in front of mirrors hung off building walls. Further along the street, women sell freshcut flowers from the backs of bicycles. A large tortoise carcass of 2.1m long and 250kg heavy that lived some 400-500 years is still kept at the temple. Just at the beginning of the bridge is a stone brush tower. In the centre of the lake there is an islet where the Tortoise Tower stands.