To make Quoc Oai District a magnet for visitors, the local government planned to improve service quality and work with travel agencies to include its destinations in tour itineraries.

From sunrise workouts in bustling parks to cleaner meals on family tables, Vietnam is quietly embracing a lifestyle centred on health and wellness.

Locals look forward to the holiday season, and Hanoi's Old Quarter is a hive of activity as Christmas preparations get underway.

Cuu village in Van Tu commune, in Hanoi’s outlying district of Phu Xuyen boasts of many old French-style villas which were built between 1920-1945. House owners were villagers who worked as tailors for French residents in that period. Let’s take a tour around the village:

Confucian relic sites are an indispensable component of Hanoi’s cultural heritage system, illustrating the traditional fondness for learning in the capital city.

A webpage, a part of the hanoidep.vn website, collecting reviews and information on restaurants in Hanoi was recently unveiled in Hanoi by the Hanoi Culture Fund.

Cha Ca La Vong (fried fish), Bun Cha Hang Manh (rice noodle with grilled pork), Banh Duc Le Ngoc Han (cake made from ground rice and peanuts) and Banh Cuon Hang Ga (steamed rice pancakes rolled with pork and mushroom) are just a few of the well-known dishes in Hanoi’s Old Quarter district.

An estimated 30 hotels offering 5,000 rooms - including 3,600 five-star rooms - are scheduled to be newly available in Hanoi this year, according to the Hanoi Department of Statistics.

A cultural extravaganza promoting the vibrant traditional customs of 54 Vietnamese ethnic minorities was held on March 29 at the Culture- Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups, outside of Hanoi, to welcome delegates to the 132 nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-132).

TripAdvisor, the world`s largest travel site, has announced its 2015 Travelers` Choice has announced its 2015 Travelers` Choice awards for Destinations.

The Hanoi People`s Committee has approved the restoration of Thang Long Citadel Complex`s Kinh Thien Palace in Hanoi, which was used for royal meetings under the reigns of the Ly (1009-1225), Tran (1226-1400), Le (1428-1789) and Nguyen (1802-1945) Dynasties.

It`s Rafael Carneiro of Brazil`s first time visiting Vietnam. He has mostly eaten noodle soups since he arrived – which has given him the impression that all Vietnamese food is the same. But a street food tour he took in Hanoi proved him entirely wrong.

Hanoi has unveiled a plan to develop exemplary no-smoking tourism areas in an attempt to build a friendly and civilised image in the eye of both domestic and international visitors.

Thousands of people on Monday flocked to Dong Da Park in Ha Noi to celebrate the 226th anniversary of Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory led by national hero Nguyen Hue over Qing invaders.

Lunar New Year`s Eve moments, moments of transition between Horse year and Hare Year, Hanoi streets are in brightly colored lights, and fireworks adorn making Hanoi more sparkling and colorful.

The days before the lunar New Year Festival, Hanoi’s streets are beautiful with the colors of flowers. The flower markets of Quang Ba nad Hang Luoc, and the roads of Lac Long Quan and Hoang Quoc Viet look like flower roads.

Hang Luoc street in Hanoi is busy with a year-end market, which sells antique and imitation objects

A long queue has formed outside a shop in Hanoi`s Old Quarter as city aficionados wait to buy a Tet delicacy, the humble Banh Chung, or Chung cake, which will grace many a table in the coming week.

The capital city is to host as many as 49 spring flower fairs from February 9 to 18 in the lead up to the lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

During the coming new lunar year festival (Tet), the calligraphy writing street at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi will be organised at Literature Lake (Ho Van) in the temple, according to Truong Minh Tien, Vice Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Hanoi authorities are restoring 82 stone tablets recording the royal examinations held under the Le-Mac dynasties (1442-1779) placed at Van Mieu (the Temple of Literature) and Quoc Tu Giam (Vietnam’s first national university).

‘Love Heart for Hanoi’, a heart-shaped sculpture decorated with millions of ceramic pieces, is on display at Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi.

An exhibition entitled ‘Gốm Việt đương đại’ (Vietnam’s contemporary ceramics) will take place at Heritage Space, Dolphin Plaza in Hanoi on January 24, with the aim of honouring traditional ceramic craft villages in the northern region.