It is six o'clock in the morning and Hanoi is already on the move.

Grannies in pajamas do their tai chi exercises along the shores of Hoan Kiem Lake as families of four zip by on a single motorbike. Mobile florists on bicycles laden with roses cruise by ladies on street corners peddling fresh-baked baguettes from giant baskets.

Everywhere you look, something is being chopped, barbecued or ladled. Vendors hawk everything from artichokes to orchids from bicycles.

The streets are calmer but no less populated at the other end of the day. At dusk, neighbors chat with friends on the sidewalk and take in the cooling breezes that blow off the water.

The Vietnamese live much of their lives outside, and the street is where some of the best food in the city is to be found. Here, people believe that eating should be an experience for all five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight and even hearing — sizzling of grills, the bubbling of steaming pots, sound of cleavers whacking. Anything that provides nourishment is appreciated — medicinal barks and cobras included.

This is the moveable feast of Hanoi, and it would be a shame to visit the city only to confine your meals to indoor venues.

IT'S ALL HERE, FROM THE TASTY SANDWICHES TO THE FABLED FISH DISH, CHA CA

In Hanoi, the table is always set — but it's outdoors.

FRESH COFFEE

Plan your day as you watch your coffee drip slowly through your own personal filter in the French manner, a habit left from colonial days. Coffee just doesn't get any fresher than this. No need for espresso bars here; Vietnamese coffee is grown and roasted fresh locally — most of the good stuff coming from the Central Highlands around Dalat. Arabica beans are roasted here with butter, giving them a mellow aroma and taste. Head to Hanoi's fabled Old Quarter, where Hang Hanh Street is devoted to coffee with a cluster of no less than six outdoor cafes along a narrow street. Better yet, stroll around nearby Hoan Kiem Lake and stop in at Hapro Café along the southwest shore, a beautiful, calm place in the Old Quarter to watch local life.

HANOI'S TRADEMARK DISH

This city's specialty is cha ca — braised fish served in a clay pot prepared at your table on a charcoal burner while your mouth waters. When the fish starts to sizzle, the waiter places spring onion and dill in the pot before serving it all up with noodles, peanuts, chopped chili and an herb plate of mint and coriander.

In her weighty tome, "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" writer Patricia Schultz advises readers to go to Cha Ca La Vong restaurant as one of life's great experiences. Cha ca originated in Hanoi at this Doan family institution over a century ago. It is such an event that even the street on which it is located was renamed Cha Ca Street. A legend was born and diners still stampede up the narrow, creaking stairs to this day. Located in an unassuming building with its famous landmark out front, a portrait of La Vong, a historic fisherman who now lends his name to the restaurant. Though cha ca can be found on many Hanoi menus, why not try it at its source?

THE VIETNAMESE SANDWICH

As you take a bite into your banh mi sandwich, baguette crumbs scatter. Never mind; you are out on the sidewalk where these stalls are always found. Banh mi vendors are everywhere and easily recognizable; just look for stacks of baguettes in glass-enclosed carts. Variations exist, but the classic banh mi is made with a smooth-textured Vietnamese-style pate, though you may prefer barbecued pork, cheese or chicken. Banh mi come with a huge assortment of toppings. Order "the works" and you will get cucumber, chilies, coriander, spring onions, shredded carrot and a splash of hot sauce, all wrapped up in a page from the Vietnam News. Banh mi has been called "the original fusion cuisine" because of its combination of French bread and Asian ingredients.

PHO: THE SIGNATURE SOUP

Pho is a perfect example of Vietnamese cuisine's balancing of flavors: salty, sweet, bitter, sour and spicy. Originally a Hanoi specialty, pho noodle shops are found on nearly every street corner throughout Vietnam. The key to finding a good noodle shop is looking for a pho stall that packs in the customers, never mind the peeling paint or discarded chopsticks littering the ground. A bowl of pho comes with sides of basil, mint, limes and other greenery to season your soup to taste. On a hot day, you may prefer not sitting at a street stall next to a boiling cauldron. Get comfortable in air-conditioned comfort at Pho 24, a small chain of pho noodle shops. Pho 24 gets high marks by all accounts, especially for its broth. The "24" in the name stands for the ingredients found in its stock and the hours taken to prepare it. No matter how good the noodles are, pho is really only as good as its condensed, meaty broth.

BOUNTY OF FRUIT

One of the great things about fruit in Vietnam is that a vast variety is always in season. It is fun to try some of the more exotic ones. Those pretty, pink specimens with the wispy, tapering stems are dragonfruit. Vivid and wild-looking on the outside, mild on the inside. Those hairy things are rambutan. Open one up and a pearly sweet bulb awaits you inside. Mangosteens, the "queen of fruits" take a bit of work to open up the shell but are worth the effort — inside are tart, bittersweet sections of delicious fruit. Durian are the stuff of legend. The Vietnamese say that durians "make you strong" which makes sense, considering the strong smell of these monsters.

FOOD THAT HEALS

Mixed aromas emerge from giant bags of bark, roots and herbs. Just outside the front door are vats of snake wine: rice wine with a pickled snake floating in it. You are at an herbalist, the ultimate Asian experience. Consistent with the Vietnamese notion of balance in all things consumable, herbal remedies are meant to correct the imbalances that you may have incurred by eating too much beef, say, or not enough vegetables. When Vietnamese catch a cold, they will be given hot ginger tea (yang) as it can help cure a cold (yin).

Though herbalists can be found anywhere that you see roots hanging from the rafters, the best place for a tonic is one of the many shops along Lan Ong Street in the Old Quarter, named after a legendary Vietnamese herbalist. Snake wine allegedly cures everything from night blindness to impotence, but if you don't want your tonic with a bite to it, just tell your herbalist what ails you and they'll brew up the appropriate concoction for you.

REASONS TO GO INDOORS

Though most Vietnamese foodies insist that the best fare is to be found at choice street stalls, certain meals benefit from full kitchens, decorative presentation and attentive service. Voted year after year as one of the city's best restaurants, the Emperor is composed of a renovated French villa around a lush courtyard. Rooms of antiques, flowers and gracious appointments are the perfect setting for that special dinner or occasion. The beauty of the restaurant extends to the dishes, such as fresh spring rolls with an array of fragrant sauces, king prawn salad, garupa fish in imperial sauce. Don't miss out on the soft-shell crabs cooked in onions, the Emperor's speciality. The combination of the attentive service, beautiful dining rooms and artful presentation make for a meal you won't soon forget.

A CLASS BY ITSELF

Those who live to eat know that Vietnamese cuisine ranks up there with the French and Chinese. Having sampled the unique surprises that Vietnamese cuisine holds, some visitors just can't get enough. A fine way to experience a country is to learn about it through its food. Old Hanoi Cafe offers short cooking courses for both casual visitors and pro chefs. This experience not only gives the visitor a deeper understanding of the local culture, but puts you in touch with Vietnamese people while cooking your lunch and eating it, too. Owner and chef Quan entertains as he teaches, between delicious dishes prepared hands-on in class.

There is something to be said about cooks that can whip up a tasty, beautifully presented snack on a street brazier in the wink of an eye and always for less than a dollar, no matter what you crave. The country's devotion to food culture is so unique that Vietnam is a country that many people return to just for its food, never mind the beautiful countryside, pagodas and beaches.

Consider the proverb: "You are only master of food that you haven't yet eaten."

John Lander is a Tokyo-based writer and photographer who specializes in Asia travel.