Rob McFarland finds European-style grandeur for Asian-style prices at the Hanoi Opera House.

WHAT Performance in Hanoi Opera House.

WHERE Hanoi, Vietnam.

HOW MUCH Tickets typically range from dong 150,000 to dong 250,000 ($9-$15).

WHY GO Built between 1901 and 1911, Hanoi Opera House is a beautiful example of French colonial architecture. A small-scale replica of Paris's Opera Garnier, its yellow and white facade is a beguiling mix of imposing columns, ornate stonework and domed roofs. Inside is equally impressive with a stunning, sweeping marble staircase that leads to an intimate 900-seat venue smothered in red velvet.

The problem is, you can't just turn up and have a look around. The theatre is closed during the day, so most visitors have to make do with gazing at its exterior while trying not to get mown down by the swarms of motorbikes that hurtle past outside. Thankfully, there's an alternative: pick up a ticket for a performance.

The opera house regularly holds classical concerts, operas and ballets and it's a wonderful chance to experience European-style grandeur at Asian-style prices.

At one day's notice, a group of us picked up $12 tickets for box seats at a classical concert and ballet. And those weren't even the cheapest. Seats in the circles were still available for the ludicrous sum of $9.

Suitably attired, we strolled there from our hotel and found a stream of elegantly dressed Westerners and Vietnamese drifting up the red-carpeted marble staircase.

The stalls area comprises 20 or so rows of plush red-velvet seats, while three ornately gilded marble galleries wrap around the theatre.

A hush descended over the audience as Russian Iriana Skoliakova-Bui and Vietnamese lad Nguyen Trong Linh performed two piano pieces by Brahms.

I'm no classical-music expert but I thought the standard was excellent. Next came a rousing rendition of Mendelssohn's Concerto in E Major, for which the two pianists were joined by the Vietnam National Orchestra.

After the interval there was a contemporary work by the Vietnam National Ballet Company, apparently inspired by the movements of birds.

Despite the European-influenced surroundings, there were constant comical reminders that this was culture Vietnam-style.

People texted during the performance, swapped seats and blatantly ignored the rule banning flash photography. At one stage the lights went off, plunging the entire theatre into darkness for five seconds. Miraculously, no one missed a note.

Vietnam's fortunes are on the rise, so you can expect to see some big names here in the future.

Two months after our visit, the New York Philharmonic played its first concert in Vietnam, an event that would have been unheard of a decade ago. Tickets to that performance were a little less canny at $120 each.

FREE STUFF During the interval, make sure you take a look in the impressive mirror room upstairs and venture out on to the balcony, where the Viet Minh famously declared it had taken over the city in August 1945.

BONUS Next door you'll find the swish outdoor restaurant and bar nineteen 11, where you can critique the night's performance over a martini. Just bear in mind that it will probably cost you more than your ticket.

DETAILS Hanoi Opera House is at 1 Trang Tien Street. For coming concert details and to reserve tickets, see ticketvn.com.