Polite Pub Bar, Hanoi

One of Hanoi's legendary expat bars of the 1990s and 2000s, has had a complete facelift. A once cheap and cheerful venue of sports-mad expats, in the heart of the Old Quarter, Polite Bar has morphed into a cosy little cocktail bar with a new following of dressed-up locals, expats and visitors. We'd only recently dropped it off our listing, thinking its best days were past. But Hanoi's offerings are still pretty modest and the new Polite has a place. Good spot for a drink - though cigarette smoke can be annoying and the waiters weren’t sending out much love on our visits. One time-honoured ritual is holding. The local constabulary still like to ride by at midnight and create a scene if anyone still looks like they're enjoying themselves.

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