🇫🇷 Paris Charles de Gaulle → 🇻🇳 Hanoi · 2 weeks

Eat bun cha at Bun Cha Huong Lien on Ly Van Phuc (the exact restaurant where Obama and Bourdain sat) — go at 11am sharp when the charcoal grills are at peak heat, before the lunch rush fills every table.

Walk Hang Bong Street to the Train Street alley (Le Duan area) at 3:30pm on a weekday — the overnight train to Da Nang passes within arm's reach of café tables, an absurdly photogenic slice of Hanoi street life.

Book the evening water puppet show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre on Dinh Tien Hoang — performances run 40 minutes, buy tickets same-day at the box office for the front-centre rows, unforgettable and completely unique to northern Vietnam.

Climb to Café Pho Co on Hang Gai Street — a hidden café tucked through a silk shop corridor, four storeys up with the only rooftop view of Hoan Kiem Lake. Order egg coffee and arrive at golden hour (5-6pm).