Planning your trip to Hanoi, Vietnam

THE BEST WAY

From LAX, Asiana, China Southern, Korean, Cathay Pacific, China, Thai Airways, Singapore and Malaysian all offer connecting flights (change of planes) to Hanoi. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $1,206.

TELEPHONES

To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 84 (the country code for Vietnam), 4 (the city code for Hanoi) and the number.

WHERE TO STAY

Church Hotel, 9 Nha Tho St.; 928-8118, www.churchhotel.com.vn. A small, stylish hotel near the Hanoi Cathedral that fills up fast, so book early. Doubles $45 to $75, including breakfast.

Green Mango Restaurant and Hotel, 18 Hang Quat St.; 928-9916, www.greenmango-hanoi.com. A newly opened budget hotel with only seven stylishly decorated rooms (including two with balconies) near the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake. Doubles $50 to $90, including breakfast.

Hong Ngoc Hotel, 30-34 Hang Manh St.; 828-5053, www.hongngochotel.com. A part of a small, home-grown Hanoi hotel chain, located near the cathedral and silk district. The best rooms are in the rear and have Chinese- style furnishings. Doubles $51 to $79.

Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, 15 Ngo Quyen St., 826-6919, www.sofitel.com, is one of the most historic and handsome hotels in Southeast Asia, exquisitely restored by the French Sofitel group and located near the Hanoi Opera. There’s a pool and one of the city’s best French restaurants. Just make sure to ask for a room in the old wing; doubles from $440.

WHERE TO EAT

Café des Arts, 11B Ngo Bao Khanh; 828-7207. Serves Paris bistro fare on the second floor of a town house near the cathedral. There’s a handsome old bar with photos of jazz greats; Fixed-price dinner about $20.

Café Goethe, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc St.; 734-2251. A terrace cafe in one of Hanoi’s finest Art Deco villas, now the German Goethe Institute. Lunch specials $4 to $7.

Green Tangerine, 48 Hang Be; 825-1286. A popular, candlelit French restaurant in a fine old town house covered with vines. The five-course fixed-price dinner runs about $20.

Tam Tu, 84 Ly Thuong Kiet St. Excellent and modestly priced Thai restaurant, with a smart location next to the Fansland Cinema, a large- screen theater that often shows classics in their original languages.

Verticale, 19 Ngo Van So St.; 944-6317, www.verticale-hanoi.com. Haute French- Vietnamese cuisine by Didier Corlon, formerly of the Metropole, in a stylishly renovated Hanoi town house. Dinners $40 to $60, not including wine.

TO LEARN MORE

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, www.vietnamtourism.com.

Consulate General of Vietnam, San Francisco; (415) 922-1577, www.vietnamconsulate-ca.org. U.S. citizens must have visas to enter Vietnam.