Cultural entertainment is rather thin on the ground throughout the city, although improving, but there are a few outlets. You can find information on performances in the daily English-language newspaper the Vietnam News and the monthly The Guide, published by the Vietnam Economic Times. An alternative source of information is Time Out, a free supplement in the weekly Vietnam Investment Review. Tickets should be purchased in person at the venue.

You can find traditional entertainment at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, 57B Dinh Tien Hoang (tel: (04) 824 9494; website: www.thanglongwaterpuppet.org). Hanoi's Opera House, 1 Trang Tien (tel: (04) 933 0131), is a beautiful building showing orchestral, choral, ballet and theatrical works. Films in English or with English subtitles are shown at Megastar Cineplex, Level 6 VinCom City Towers, 191 Ba Trieu, Ha Ba Trung district (tel: (04) 974 3333; website www.megastarmedia.net), as well as at the Goethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc (tel: (04) 734 2251), and at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien (tel: (04) 936 2164).