In the heat of the ... motorbikes: Experience the city of Hanoi like a local

Tranquil gardens and chaotic streets, timeless temples and Insta-worthy entertainment - a trip to Hanoi is a study in contrasts.

Hanoi is a big, bright, busy city. Walking in its Old Quarter, there is much to capture the attention, from hanging lanterns to the buzz of thousands of motorbikes. But be warned you should look down every now and then, too. By the time I did, I had lost a shoe to a pseudo-shoesmith with faster hands than a Vegas magician, who resoled it with rubber and gave it back with a 250,000 dong ($15) bill.

Ah, Vietnam. Tranquillity and peace one minute, bedlam and memorable street peddlers (and so, so many bikes and scooters) the next. Its mix of chaos and calm somehow works in perfect harmony, often separated by a single wall or narrow lane. But how best can you spend a day (or two) in Hanoi? The simple answer: tie up those shoe laces really tight, and embrace the chaos.

If you're fresh in Hanoi it's worth diving straight into some of the city's history. One of the best places to do that is the Temple of Literature. In the heart of the city, it was Vietnam's first university and dates back more than a thousand years.

Our group started at the magnificent Great Middle Gate, which serves as the entry point for five stunning courtyards, the most compelling of which is the Well of Heavenly Clarity; a large square pond surrounded by statues that has me asking plenty of questions. Our tour guide, Khong, tells me the series of tortoises immortalised in stone and swathed in clouds of incense are there because hard-shelled reptiles hold a special reverence for the people of Vietnam. There are a few more creatures held in high esteem by the Vietnamese, too - the dragon, unicorn and phoenix, an unexpected guest list of mythical proportions.

At the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the fields and walkways make for an easy, leisurely way to immerse yourself in Vietnamese history. It's a welcome reprieve from the cacophony of traffic. There are other places, too, where you can switch off from the mayhem, albeit for short moments. The first sight of the Hoan Kiem Lake is one of those, and at night it is especially breathtaking. The red glow from the Huc bridge defines the space after dark and the lake is almost magnetic, drawing you in with its beauty.

In a city dominated by motorbikes and scooters - weaving between trucks, buses and cars - the humble rickshaw, oddly, seems like the safest way to get around. On a one-hour meander through the Old Quarter, it becomes evident that Vietnamese people will fit anything and everything on the back of a scooter. On my ride, rival road-users were spotted carrying windows, a bird cage, an air-conditioner unit, eight crates of ... something, and then one scooter was doing its best impression of a work ute, carrying a mountain of scaffold. These scooters also transport entire families. I spotted three people on one scooter and couldn't believe my eyes. Shortly after a bike with five people on it zoomed right past us - helmets optional.

Look beyond the sea of bikes and the streets are lined with shops. The Vietnamese love their food, and a lot of it is cooked and served on the street. Chicken, goat, pork, beef, take your pick. Hanoi's population is a touch more than five million people, which is roughly the same size as Sydney. However, all of those people are jammed into a space almost a quarter of the size of Australia's biggest city. When day turns to night more and more Hanoians flock to the streets. They eat (trying a pho is a must, while a banh mi is almost compulsory) and they drink (have a crack at a coconut juice and the beer is outrageously cheap). Families gather and kids play. It's organised chaos and as a visitor, it's impossible not to enjoy it.

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The art of water puppetry is more than a thousand years old, inspired by the rice-growing fields in the north of the country, which is where we are in Hanoi. And so we head an hour out of the city to the Quintessence of Tonkin, a show that has taken an ancient art form and rocketed it into a new stratosphere.

On a gigantic purpose-built stage, the performance uses a compelling fusion of live music, dance, a light show and, of course, water puppetry to transport the audience to the rice fields. Cameos from a cow and water buffalo give the crowd plenty to cheer about as well. Our show was executed in the driving rain. When the storm hit and the show hadn't yet begun, hopes were low. But the performers were sublime, even in the face of huge thunderbolts and deafening claps of thunder. After the hour-long show, the small but clearly thrilled crowd was on its feet. This performance will not be forgotten. World class.

From one ancient form of entertainment to one that's emerged purely for the 21st-century social media post ... welcome to Train Street, which is exactly as advertised: a narrow street in Hanoi, minus any of the omnipresent Hanoi traffic and where, several times a day, a giant freight train cuts through a block lined with cafes and bars - and at a decent speed, too.

Getting there: Budget airline Vietjet has launched new flights from Sydney and Melbourne direct to Hanoi. Flight time is about 10 hours and there are two services weekly from Sydney, on Thursday and Sunday, and from Melbourne on Tuesday and Saturday. vietjetair.com

Staying there: The Movenpick Hotel Hanoi is a five-minute walk from Hanoi's Old Quarter and offers five-star comfort at a reasonable price. A classic room is about $220 a night. all.accor.com

Explore more: vietnam.travel

The writer travelled courtesy of Vietjet.

Pictures: Getty Images; Shutterstock