1 Highway 4 The Vietnamese take on alcohol embodies the age-old belief that consuming something living, disgusting, decaying or harmful turns even the biggest loser into a sexual behemoth for the night. Hanoi's Highway 4 Bar in the Old Quarter takes the Vietnamese alcoholic experience away from its grubby back-alley haunts and gives it new dignity. The bar's no-nonsense menu virtually screams 'Sexual satisfaction guaranteed or your money back', as the name of one concoction, 'One night, five times', suggests. Cobra whisky, bee spirit and herbal brews are served in shots on low wooden tables, tatami mats and cushions. It seems like a 1970s bohemian beat boozer, but it works (5 Hang Tre. Tel: [84 4] 926 0639).
2 Ethnology Museum This vast French-funded institution celebrates the diversity of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, from Sapa in the north to the Central Highlands. Interactive exhibitions, live displays, and aural and video units shower visitors with a wealth of living and ancient history. There are also recreations of authentic Yao and Tay stilt houses and an Ede longhouse among other buildings in the museum's grounds. Entrance fee HK$8 (Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District. Tel: 756 2193).
3 Bun Cha You'll find bun cha, northern Vietnam's finest street lunch, served all over Hanoi between 11am and 2pm. Bun cha is a barbecue-grilled pork-ball affair doused in a spicy fish sauce with sliced carrot, accompanied by a mountain of seasonal greens and herbs and a plate of cold rice noodles. It is a hearty meal for less than $3. Nem, crabmeat spring rolls, can be ordered as extras and dipped into the bun cha sauce. With more than 100 bun cha stalls and restaurants scattered throughout the city you might try a few before you find a favourite. Each has its own closely guarded recipe and the secret is all in the sauce. Try 61 Ly Thai Tho Street or a tiny front-room affair at 20 Ta Hien Street.
4 Snake Village Le Mat Village, or Snake Village, in Gia Lam district is on the opposite bank of the Red River from central Hanoi. There are 15 or so restaurants in this serpentine maze, all selling much the same farmed snakes and some more exotic creatures. Nguyen Van Duc's ' special snake and forest beast meat' restaurant is as good a place as any to take the plunge into the area's reptilian pleasures. Snake meat is served in 12 courses - you name it and the chefs have done it to the snakes. Many older Vietnamese swear by a therapeutic snake whisky nightcap. Bien, the cook and wife of the restaurant owner, says: 'It's no myth, my husband is very strong.' With drinks included, dinner costs just under $50 (Le Mat, Viet Hung, Gia Lam. Tel: 827 2891).
6 Temple Of Literature Otherwise known as Van Mieu, this temple was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong and was supposedly modelled on a structure in Shandong, the birthplace of Confucius. The temple went on to become the first university in Vietnam, originally only for the sons of Mandarins. Now it is open to everybody and alongside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is one of the most visited sites in the capital. The recently restored temple and gardens offer a surprisingly tranquil setting in the middle of a very noisy city on Van Mieu Street, 2km west of Hoan Kiem Lake. Opening times are 8am to 11.30am and 1.30pm to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday.