The grid of tree-lined boulevards south of Hoan Kiem Lake, laid out between 1883 and 1954. The set piece is the Opera House, a pocket-sized copy of the Palais Garnier completed in 1911. The Metropole Hotel, the Presidential Palace (originally the French Governor-General's residence), and the State Bank are nearby. The streets here are wider and quieter than the Old Quarter, good for a slower walk, with some of the city's best cafes and bookshops tucked into the colonial shophouses.
French Quarter
Colonial boulevards south of Hoan Kiem Lake with Opera House and cafes