The Vietnamese capital is a drawcard for foodies, but as John Kerrison discovered, there’s an art and culture itinerary for the curious traveller.

In Vietnam’s ancient capital, there’s a long list of cultural gems you can visit.

If you’re on a stop over you might consider putting these three at the top.

Before starting your day focussed on culture and history, you’ll want to start with caffeine. The claims about coffee in Hanoi are true: it is really good. Try a classic (but touristy) egg coffee.

First on the agenda, the terracotta brick stupa of the Tran Quoc Pagoda is a striking tower on an island in Hanoi’s West Lake.

I found out the hard way that it’s important to check visiting hours. A man at the gates of the Buddhist shrine waved me away, grunting about the site being closed at lunch.

I returned the next morning, dodged the street hawkers selling bottled water and post cards, and crossed the bridge which was literally and metaphorically a transition from chaos to a refuge of calm.

Inside, there are two Buddhist prayer halls. In the Front Hall, dozens of statues and icons of Buddhist figures glint in the light coming through imposing wood doors.

I chose to sit in contemplation in the Incense Hall. Some visitors meditated to the sound of rustling feet as visitors filed into the hall to see the ornate statues.

You’ll find an easy way to bliss out by sitting in the breezy shade of the tree which, It’s claimed, was a cutting of the original Bodhi Tree where the Buddha became enlightened in northern India.

The Pogoda (albiet at various locations) is fifteen hundred years old but inside, you only have the present moment.

The Temple of Literature is just ten minutes south of the Pogoda by cab, or consider walking. That way you’ll stroll past the grand mausoleum for the father of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Min.

Don’t be confused by the many students in graduation clothes around the pools at the Temple of Literature. This labyrinth of shrines and imposing stone gates last hosted students of Confucianism 250 years ago.

Today it’s a photo backdrop for local students celebrating good marks or praying for them.

The Temple of Literature is popular, not only for its rich history and insight into the class system and Imperial court of Vietnam, but because of its shade from Banyon trees and Moringa.

There’s no better place to explore in the stifling heart of the day.

Allow plenty of time to stroll the courtyards and rest in the temples or ‘gates’ between the sprawling gardens.

Eventually, you’ll make your way to one of at least two gift shops. They’re well sign-posted and to give them credit, they stock authentic local wares including exclusive hand painted post cards.

“There’s an adage that history is written by the victors of war, and it’s obvious here.

My penultimate stop was another caffeine hit at Phin bar by Refined at 43 P Van Mie, the main road just East of the Temple.

Look out for a sign that reads, ‘Fine Coffee?’. I assume the question asks if you want some, rather than if it is. Because it is.

The team is friendly, the brew is good and you’ll be ready for an emotional visit to the city’s historic prison.

Hoa Lo Prison is located at 1 Hoa Lo Street and often referred to in tourist brochures as the POW museum during the Vietnam War.

Inside these fortified walls is a complex and longer history of colonial abuse by the French and the ‘resistance struggle for freedom’ in the lead up to the war of 1955.

There’s an adage that history is written by the victors of war, and it’s obvious here.

The museum narrative is one of very real and very brutal suffering by the Vietnamese people under French control, mixed with the legend and folklore of liberation.

Allow some time at this historical site and consider buying the excellent self-paced audio guide.

Hoa Lo Prison was built in the late 19th Century for political prisoners and most of the museum exhibits retell this story.

You’ll see the cramped conditions where men and women were held. To paint the macabre picture, mannequins– with twisted, anguished faces– are used effectively in several rooms.

The prison was designed to hold about 400 people but eventually held more than 2000.

A smaller section of the complex is dedicated to the more recent history, when American POWs dubbed it Hanoi Hilton.

The late US presidential candidate John McCain was a young pilot imprisoned in 1967. You can see his flight suit but there’s no reference to the abuse and solitary confinement he endured in what must have been a hellish six years.

McCain is on the record, saying he held no grudge toward the Vietnamese.

His commitment to peace is clearly held in high regard.

You’ll walk from the darkened prison back into the bright heat of Hanoi with a far greater understanding of the people and the politics, and perhaps a renewed appreciation of that calm breeze of peace under the Bodhi tree.