The magazine said that Hanoi is a "millennium-old capital of crumbling pagodas and labyrinthine streets, now undergoing a werewolf-like transformation into a 21st-century Asian metropolis."

The city's Old Quarter, which covers nearly 100 hectares and includes almost 1,000 old houses, is extremely valuable to local people, commerce, culture and the city's architecture. Its old buildings reflect the city's different architectural styles during each period of its history.

Besides Hanoi, the magazine picked Sapa in northern mountainous Lao Cai province as the best place for walking. Ha Long Bay, a World Natural Heritage site in northern Quang Ninh province, was selected best for coast; Hoi An, a World Cultural Heritage site in the central region, as best for food; and the Mekong Delta in the south as best for river life.

Ealier, Hanoi and Hoi An also made the 2012 top 10 attractive destinations in Asia, as chosen by Smart Travel Asia, a Hong Kong online tourist magazine.