Hanoi is one of the most vibrant places in the world. Within minutes of setting foot in the city, it feels like it sweeps you along and you just have to go with it. It’s at that moment you realize you’re in for a pretty unique experience.
We once heard it said that you’ll remember Hanoi for a lifetime, and it won’t remember you for a second. After spending time in Hanoi, we can easily understand why.
The experience of scooters winding around you. Food vendors whose stalls seem to spill out onto pavements everywhere selling unique variations of every dish you can imagine. Some with boiling hot pots of broth or sizzling pans of oil that you feel you need to hop over to get by. It’s stimulating in the best way. It’s loud, it’s busy, it’s affectionate and exciting.
Over the past few years, we’ve been lucky enough to visit Hanoi for extended periods twice as part of longer trips through Vietnam. This has meant that as well as getting our head around this bold city, we’ve also been able to experience Hanoi off the tourist trail too.
Our guide below is designed to help you get the best of both worlds when looking at the things to do in Hanoi. We’ve included all of the iconic must do things as well as experiences that’ll help you remember this city and experience it better.
Whether you’re at a stage where you’re just scanning for ideas or planning in more detail for an upcoming trip, our guides are designed to help you have a better idea of the things to do in Hanoi when you’ve finished reading to when you started, but also to give you the info you need to actually do them.
Below, you’ll find everything easily organized so you can head straight to whichever areas and experiences interests you most. So, let’s get into it!
There is so much to do in Hanoi, some of it more worth it than others! We’ve included some of the iconic highlights that you’re going to want to do alongside the places and activities we found while exploring ourselves that are worth considering.
We’ve also included info on how to find the places we’ve covered, along with our tips and personal experiences to help you decide which experiences are worth prioritizing for your trip.
Explore Hanoi's Old Quarter
We think the best way to begin exploring Hanoi is in the Old Quarter. It’s one of the most bustling and iconic areas of the city.
While there is a lot of focus on tourism here, it’s still possible to have an authentic experience of the city rather than feel like you’re in a tourist trap. Here are the things we’d recommend doing to get a really good feel for what it’s all about.
Walk Around Hoan Kiem Lake
Walking around Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the city is on pretty much every list, but even after having experienced it, we still think its one of the best things to do in Hanoi.
It’s set in the heart of the Old Quarter and is also known as Luc Thuy Lake (Emerald Lake) due to its year-round green color. The lake sits the intersection between numerous popular streets in the Old Quarter which means it’s pretty recurrent in a lot of your time around this area.
We loved our time here. Whilst it has been busy every time we’ve visited, it just feels like you get to experience the smells of street sellers food, coffee shops offering what feels like rocket fuel and the bustle of this vibrant area.
Hoan Kiem Lake can give you a sense of peace amongst an otherwise busy city and you can expect to see Tai Chi sessions, performance artists and families simply enjoying their time.
You can walk around the whole lake in about one to two hours depending on how much you stop. However, you’ll likely find yourself coming back to it at other points while in Hanoi. It’s one of those places you’ll naturally pass by while exploring other areas too.
There are also lots of exceptional restaurants nearby, shopping centers and weekend activities, so it’s always busy. It’s easy to reach Hoan Kiem Lake by foot from most hotels in the Old Quarter and by bike, taxi etc from other areas.
If you want some of the best views of the lake for photos, we’d recommend heading to Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, where the view of Ngoc Son Temple is just in front of you.
Go Deeper into the Backstreets of the Old Quarter
Think bustling streets with everything you can imagine on sale from food and homewares, to textiles and art, alongside buildings decorated with street art, the Old Quarter should absolutely be at the top of your list when visiting Hanoi.
We personally think one of the best things to do in Hanoi Old Quarter is to just walk around and take it all in. If you’re staying at a hotel in the Old Quarter, you have a head start, but it is also easily reachable on foot from other areas or by taxi.
We’d suggest walking from anywhere in the Old Quarter down to Hoan Kiem Lake, taking in the various little boutiques and street sellers along the way, as well as trying some of the food and drink offerings from the local specialty street food vendors.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter can seem overwhelming at first, there’s just so much going on! Fortunately, there’s plenty of guided tours you can book that meet up as a group and help make the city feel more approachable. We’d really recommend this one which gives some local insight on this buzzing area.
Some of the best streets to check out are Hang Dao Street, Hang Duong Street, Hang Ma Street and Hang Bac Street. A word of warning, keep your eyes peeled for mopeds!
We’d recommend you give yourself a half day to explore deeper into the Old Quarter so you can just allow yourself to get lost in the maze of streets, experiences, sights and smells.
It’s also a really fun place to explore and just simply set off and see where you get to in the evening too. The city just feels like it changes slightly at night, and you’ll find amazing street food sellers with seating areas packed to the brim with locals catching up with friends and sharing delicious food. It’s an experience we’ll never forget!
Experience the Hanoi Night Market
The Night Market in Hanoi is a market situated in the Old Quarter and is always bustling and full of energy. It’s a great thing to do in Hanoi at night.
When we went we discovered a whole range of things on offer including trinkets, crafts, painted goods as well as clothes and everything in-between. We would say that if you’re looking for something that bit different to take home to remind you of your time in Vietnam, this might not be the place you’ll find it, but it’s worth experiencing at least once.
We’d recommend grabbing a kumquat tea from one of the street sellers, then pick up mango dipped in chill flakes from another and just walking down, listening to the music and experiencing the bustle and pure carnage that the street closures for it create.
Then stop off somewhere to grab some barbecue, which there’s a big focus on. You can choose skewers already pre prepared with different meats, fish and vegetables as well as tofu to be griddled and served with different sauces and dips.
The Hanoi Night Market is on every weekend from Friday to Sunday, 6pm until 12am, but it’s always best to head down later after about 8pm to get the best atmosphere. You only need a couple of hours for this so can easily be fitted in with other plans.
We’d also highly recommend a guided walking and food tour of the Hanoi Night Market to help you experience it from a local perspective too.
How to find Hanoi Night Market:
Visit the Iconic Hanoi Train Street Differently
Train Street has become one of the top things to do in Hanoi in recent years. It’s pretty iconic because it’s very unusual.
It’s a narrow street with a still functioning train line that passes through at various points in the day. It’s had tourists hooked, the fact you can go sit and have a drink at one of the cafes along the street is a pretty understandable draw.
However, it has become contentious in recent times and many locals in the area are becoming increasingly worried about the actions of some tourists, usually not realizing just how dangerous this street can be.
Because it has become so popular, problems with crowding have happened, making the experience less safe. It is still possible to take in this pretty incredible experience in a way that doesn’t put stress on the local area and does it in a much safer way.
Many access points to Train Street itself are closed off and heavily guarded, apart from to residents, but step away from these touristy areas and you’ll see that it’s possible to experience a similar feel from different areas. For example, the train areas run very close to Banh Mi 25, where you can take a peek without the safety concerns that have arisen in recent years.
Whilst it’s not so easy to just walk onto Train street anymore, there are still ways to experience it up-close. We’d recommend an organised street food tour which you can book in advance that takes in a stop along the side of the tracks.
We were actually able to take the picture below of the woman walking along the track holding a cat, which is one of the photos we actually love the most from our trip to Hanoi on this tour, so we’d highly recommend it!
Learn the Art of Crossing the Road in Hanoi
One of the most unique things to do in Hanoi is learn to cross the road again. This might seem like a strange thing to add into a guide to Hanoi, but you’ll soon see why.
The traffic in Hanoi is intense, and you’ll find mopeds, motorbikes, rickshaws heavily congesting the streets pretty much from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep (and whilst you sleep, too).
There aren’t really many crosswalks in Hanoi, especially in the Old Quarter, so you need to cross the road by weaving in and out of the traffic. This may sound scary at first, but just watch how the locals do it and you’ll soon see that the best way is to walk very slowly so that the bikes can weave around you.
The first time you do it can feel terrifying, but after a few hours it starts to make more sense. In fact, you can always tell the people who may have arrived just yesterday because of their hesitation to cross the road and those that have been there longer by their confidence.
It’s certainly an unusual experience you won’t forget in a hurry!
Experience Hanoi’s Incredible Food Scene From Street Food to Restaurants
Hanoi is well known for its foodie scene and offers a whole range of food for all tastes and budgets. Hanoi, and Northern Vietnamese food is unique in that it takes a lot of elements from other areas of Vietnam and makes its own special thing. Expect for dishes to be lighter and more fragrant; making use of fresh herbs and spicier than some of the dishes you may expect to find in the South.
Below, we’ve gone over all of the best spots we discovered, things you need to try and where to actually get authentic Vietnamese food.
Get a Proper Taste of Hanoi
The food in Hanoi is delicious and its inexpensive nature means it’s possible to eat out every meal of your trip and try some of the best food Hanoi has to offer. Quite simply, eating is one of the very best things to do in Hanoi, it’s just so good!
Some of the meals we had in Hanoi, both in restaurants and by the side of the road were so good they actuually made us feel quite emotional. Every time we ate something that had that mix of vibrancy, homeliness and crunch, we lit up. Those meals often led to some of our best moments in the city: good food always seems to put us in a good mood.
You’ll find street food sellers offering grab and go as well or little sit-down areas as well as more traditional sit down restaurants and some of the biggest, most choice laden buffets you could ever experience here.
From our experience, we think that one of the best ways to experience an authentic taste of Hanoi, is to book onto one of the many local-run street food tours that are offered. These cater for different diets (for example, there are specific vegan food tours available) and offer the chance to try food from numerous vendors.
Some of the most popular foods in Hanoi are Pho (pronounced ‘fuh’) the traditional noodle soup usually involving chicken (Ga), Beef (Bo) or Tofu, Banh Mi, Nem (Spring rolls) and Summer Rolls, amongst a huge array of others.
It’s also extremely possible to eat vegan and vegetarian in Hanoi as there is a big Buddhist population. Look for dishes or places marked as ‘chay’ meaning vegan or ‘an chay’ which means you eat vegetarian food the same way Vietnamese Buddhists do, which is usually vegan. Some notable restaurants to try out are:
- Katze, Old Quarter: Offering homestyle cooking, the traditional way
- Veggie Castle: Offering healthy and hearty food in the form of an extremely reasonably priced buffet
- Huong Thien: Two floor restaurant offering hearty and healthy buffet style food
- Uu Dam Chay: Luxurious Restaurant, higher end
- Banh Mi 25: One of the most iconic Banh Mi Places in Hanoi
Try an Authentic Banh Mi
One of the best comfort foods you can ever imagine is the Banh Mi. An ever-popular dish in Vietnam and an iconic street food of Hanoi. You’ve likely tried a Banh Mi before, but nothing compares to the authentic taste of a Banh Mi here, and trying one is one of the best things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Matt is pretty obsessed with Banh Mi from when we lived in London and first tried them as we had a lot of Vietnamese restaurants near where we lived, so a lot of our time in Vietnam has been framed around where we can get him one.
They are pretty hard to resist: Crispy, warm, pillowy bread, filled with fresh crunchy veg, herbs, chili and the protein of your choice. It’s a culinary combination of two cuisines and a great example of how food is tied to history and culture. Taking it’s starts from French Colonialism; the Banh Mi is a signifier of modern Vietnam.
The Banh Mi is often eaten for breakfast and is seen as a cheap, filling street food and there are some great places to check out in the city for this delicious bite. Banh Mi 25 in the Old Quarter has a cult following.
Matt also highly recommends the breakfast plate in Banh Mi 25 (it isn’t always available, but when it is go for it). It’s a skillet with pretty much a deconstructed Banh Mi but in an incredible sauce with smaller loaves of bread to dip in. The great thing is you can usually have this with a beer if you want to.
Another great place to check out is Banh Mi Hoi An. Whilst these places have vegan and vegetarian options, if you’re looking for somewhere exclusively vegan, try Banh Mi Vegan.
We also found ourselves loving Banh Mi from Tự Châu Veggie when we returned. Having landed fresh off a flight from China, the next morning these pillowy and crispy baguettes really hit the spot from here!
Drink Local Craft Beer
Like so many places around the world, Hanoi has started (or has perhaps had brewing for some time) a specialty craft beer scene. Hanoi is well known for cheap beer halls (bia hơi), but the beer is often watered down.
When revisiting Hanoi, we were happy to spot and try some relatively craft beer spots. These were serving locally produced brews which each had distinct flavor profiles and interesting infusions.
If you’re into craft beer like we are, then you’ll love checking out some of the craft beer bars in Hanoi. We found it a great way to unwind on the backstreets away from the busiest areas.
A favorite was Old Quarter Beer which was ideally located pretty close to Hoan Kiem Lake. They have a number of local options on tap which are well worth trying your way through.
Indulge in a Hanoi Cooking Class
With food being such a big part of the culture in Hanoi, and so many of the flavors being perfect balances of unique ingredients you may not have experienced back home, a cooking class can be a great way to get a real feel for the food you’re trying out in Hanoi, and allow you to take home some of your newly learned skills in order to recreate your favorite dishes.
There are so many cooking classes on offer in Hanoi, some which will take you for a market visit (which we highly recommend) as well as ones that take place in small home stays or similar.
It’s also possible to organize cookery classes either as part of a group or one on one if that’s more your thing. You can find a whole range of classes available from the likes of Get Your Guide and other reputable tour operators. This is such a memorable thing to do!
We loved the cookery class we did through GetYourGuide. We are really into food, and even learning a few basic methods we hadn’t before gave us a lot of inspiration for when we got back home.
Dive Into Hanoi’s Coffee and Tea Culture
Coffee and tea are both culturally very important in Vietnam, and Hanoi is no different. Vietnamese Coffee, whether you go for something more traditional or something more speciality is iconic. It’s strong, dark roasted and pretty addictive.
The tea culture in Hanoi is impressive too. We found that the speciality tea houses offering both iced and hot tea were the most exciting. We’ve covered some of the best things to plan in and look out for below.
Experience Finely Prepared Artisanal Tea
Whether you like your tea hot or cold, you won’t find a shortage of beautiful, aromatic and complex teas in Hanoi. You can choose between more traditional tea houses, or newer contemporary new wave Vietnamese and Chinese tea houses.
The reality is, that if you enjoy tea you will likely experience the best tea you’ve had between China and Vietnam. This isn’t hard to understand with green tea so deeply entrenched in the heritage here.
The popularity of boba has become ever present in Hanoi too. But unlike some of the more watered down, extremely sweet versions back home, you can expect a more rounded experience of flavor and subtle notes.
We particularly enjoyed Cha Hong Pao for their new wave teas. They specialize in both milk tea and fruit tea. These can be enjoyed hot or cold. Interesting combinations are the order here.
Of course, you also have plenty of matcha based cafes such as Dao Matcha which is ever popular for very intense green hits of beautiful tasting matcha. Let’s not forget teaspresso too. Just try it. You won’t be dissapointed. For teaspresso we’d recommend trying Rincha Teaspresso.
Try Iconic Vietnamese Coffee
The coffee culture in Vietnam is pretty strong, if you like good coffee then you’ll really want to try a Vietnamese Coffee. If you love espresso, then Vietnamese Coffee will give you what you’re looking for as it’s really strong and aromatic.
There are so many different options to try, making use of yoghurt, butter, coconut, egg coffee, condensed milk and drip coffee. It can be extremely sweet, but the aroma and the whole experience (especially if you try one from a street seller) is a fantastic, unique thing to do when visiting Hanoi.
We quickly realized that the strength of Vietnamese Coffee really isn’t something to be messed with. By the end of our trip, both of our caffeine tolerance had increased quite a bit!
As you might expect, there are plenty of guided activities you can book focussing on coffee. These include hands on coffee-making workshops and historical café-culture walks.
Go Deeper in Search of Speciality Vietnamese Coffee
Not to be confused with our section above on general Vietnamese coffee, which has its own set of interesting characteristics, is the explosion in specialty coffee that has arisen in Hanoi.
This wasn’t surprising to us as Vietnam has a strong French influence from the colonial period. Now it seems extremely good coffee shops offering everything from intense espresso based drinks to interesting extractions are popping up everywhere.
Like many places in Europe, there’s also a great social aspect to the specialty coffee spaces, often using locally produced beans. They’re a great place to sit with your drink and watch the world go by.
We particularly loved some of the tea based iced americano’s that seem to be really popular. Think a jasmine tea base with a shot of espresso on top or offered as a cold brew. Delicious!
One coffee shop we really loved visiting was Hào Càfê. Who offered some of the best espresso we had in Hanoi.
Depending on the length of your trip, and where you plan to go, you may also be interested in looking at the coffee scene in other areas of Vietnam. We’ve covered the coffee scene in Hue and Hoi An which were incredible!
On our most recent trip, we visited China too, and enjoyed so many of the great things to do in Beijing. One of them being the incredible coffee scene there!
Discover Hanoi’s Creative and Art Scene
Hanoi is a big, bustling city and as you might expect, has a pretty incredible art scene which is ever growing. There are plenty of classes to join and places where you can spend time with artists in the area.
There are also plenty of places where you can either experience or buy incredibly iconic work of the region to take home with you. We loved the art scene in Hanoi, and our recommendations below are based off the things we really enjoyed.
Buy Affordable Art from Local Artists
When we revisited Hanoi in April 2025, we stumbled across a small boutique chain of shops called Tired City. These are dotted around Hanoi, and particularly the Old Quarter.
Offering art, clothing, prints and a lot more from local artists, they give you the chance to take back a lasting memory that isn’t the most obvious. When visiting we had a really great conversation with one of the staff about how the concept of the store is to support local Vietnamese artists.
Their prints particularly are beautiful, well priced and it’s refreshing to see the contemporary side of Vietnamese art and culture. Rather than the recycled images you often see in more touristy areas.
Immerse in Hanoi’s Art Scene Through A Workshop or Class
Hanoi has a bustling art scene, and spend any time walking around the Old Quarter down towards Hoan Kiem Lake and you’ll see a lot of impressive street art that is begging to be explored in more detail. However, this isn’t all that Hanoi has to offer those with a creative eye.
There are plenty of small galleries (such as the Nguyen Art Gallery) of local artists and traditional crafts to check out around this area too, but there is also an interesting collective of artists working in Hanoi who both show their work – mixing modern art with traditional techniques.
A great way to indulge in the art scene Hanoi has to offer is by taking a class – many of these being offered to learn silk painting in calm and relaxed settings with locals and international travelers alike.
Hanoi Art Tours offers interesting looks into the art scene of Hanoi and you can often find workshops happening near or around the Temple of Literature (you’ll find notices and leaflets advertising events happening locally), which is well worth exploring in its own right. Alternatively, there are plenty of art and craft workshops including pottery and jewellery-making. We tried some of these and you can easily book in advance.
When we visited, we tried out a silk painting workshop with local artists. This was one of the nicest afternoons we spent in Hanoi and it felt very far away from the touristy things surrounding it. We even got interviewed whilst doing this for Vietnamese TV who were doing a segment on the workshop, which was very random but all part of the fun!
Discover Vintage Vietnamese Art
One thing we loved about Vietnam are the old propaganda posters from the 1960’s – 1980’s. Last time we visited, we picked up a couple which now sit proudly in our living space at home. When we visited again, we bought more as we loved them so much.
Whilst some of the posters are overtly militaristic, and may not sit too well with your own beliefs, many of them, encouraging preservation of the environment, are beautiful and technically very accomplished pieces of art.
There are several shops in Hanoi that sell modern reprints from the original printing plates. And these large scale display posters are an affordable way to get what we think is a beautiful and unique hand made piece of art.
The main location we’d recommend for this is Vu Gia Gallery. This shop is well priced and packages all of the art up extremely well to bring back in your luggage. Each poster weighs very little so is easy to transport, even if traveling through Vietnam.
Visit Hanoi's Cultural Landmarks
Hanoi is home to some of Vietnam’s most significant landmarks. There’s a great combination of temples and more colonial sites to explore and they’re a great way to learn more about Vietnamese history and culture.
Spend Some Quiet Time at the Temple of Literature
The Temple of Literature is one of the most impressive buildings and significant cultural landmarks in the area and is one of the best unique things to do in Hanoi.
Not only is it stunning to look around, but it is also significant in that it was founded in 1070 and then became the first university in Vietnam until it was later closed after being open for over 700 years due to colonialism.
From our experience, you only need an hour to look around, and it provides a great, calming respite from the bustle of the city close by.
When you enter the space from the outside, it feels like everything just stops and you can actually hear yourself think again. This is one of the reasons the Temple of Literature just feels so special. It’s a great place to take a pause, or start the day.
It’s very popular to visit, so we really recommend going earlier on in the day. For more information on opening hours and up to date costs, visit their website here.
How to find The Temple of Literature:
Enjoy a Hanoi Water Puppet Show
We actually went into the Thang Long Water Puppet show thinking we weren’t going to enjoy it, but we ate our words and came out having had a great experience and loving every second.
Not only is a great thing to just make you feel like a big kid, it’s a fantastic way to enjoy ancient art.
Water puppetry is very traditional in Vietnam and is tied to the cultural identity very strongly. It has been practiced for over a thousand years and the plays performed by the talented artists in each show are based on myths and legends in Vietnamese history.
We’d recommend to anyone visiting Hanoi, especially if this is your first time. The show has been going since 1969 and is now seen as one of the leading arts and cultural hotspots in the city. Each showing lasts about 50 minutes and there are various showings on throughout the day and into the evening.
There can sometimes be lengthy lines for tickets to the Water Puppet shows. You can skip the queues by purchasing tickets in advance.
How to find the Hanoi Water Puppet Show:
Visit the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and Saint Joseph’s Cathedral
If you want to learn more about Vietnamese history, culture and its religious aspects, check out some of the museum and architectural offerings Hanoi has in abundance. We’ve added these together as you can do these activities in a day.
This obviously depends on your interests. We were more interested in exploring the city outside of these museums, so we made our visit pretty concise.
You’ll get to see some iconic places on this mini tour, but be aware, you’ll need to make sure you have your legs and arms covered to visit some of them, especially the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. We were very grateful we had jackets in our bags when we went, otherwise we’d have been turned away.
You can find out up to date opening times and entry costs for each location via the websites we’ve listed below.
- Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
- Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum
- Saint Joseph’s Cathedral (no website but free admission and opening hours listed in Google Maps link)
Take an Overnight Trip to Ha Long Bay
Whilst not technically in the city, a trip to Hanoi wouldn’t be complete without exploring the magnificent Ha Long Bay. This area is one of the most unforgettable things to do in Hanoi. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it isn’t hard to see why, it is absolutely beautiful.
Ha Long Bay itself can be very touristy and busy. You’ll notice when you take a tour that you will not be the only people there and it is possible to visit the lesser seen Bai Tu Long Bay instead. Depending on the tour you take, you can visit here instead, and it takes the same route at the beginning before turning off in a different direction.
You can only visit Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay through a tour, as much of this area is heavily protected, and there are a whole range of tours on offer from a number of companies.
You can take day tours, overnights and longer tours on small, medium or larger boats (often referred to as traditional junks). It takes about 3 hours by car to get to Ha Long Bay where you’ll board your boat, and most tours will collect you from Hanoi.
Tours can really vary in price, from group tours to individual charters. We booked a private tour with Origin Vietnam, who offer individually planned and curated experiences, off the beaten track adventures and local guides who give you an insight you likely wouldn’t get otherwise. However, as noted above, there are plenty of other options available including group tours of varying length and catering to a range of different budgets.
We took a private tour of Ha Long Bay which was incredible. It was affordable and the overnight boat was one of the most memorable things to do in Vietnam from the first time we visited this incredible country. Going to sleep on the water and waking up to yoga on the deck while the sun was coming up was pretty unforgettable!
We were also able to go kayaking in certain areas and got to see floating fishing villages which we learned are extremely rare. This, combined with incredible food and cooking classes while sailing and back on board made this just feel like a dream.
Consider Visiting Sapa While Staying in Hanoi
Sapa is one of the most worthwhile extensions we think you can make to your trip to Hanoi. We loved Sapa, thankfully we had good weather (most days) when we visited, and were able to see and experience everything this mountainous area has to offer. Warmth, hospitality, friendship, stunning views and good food.
You’ll see a lot of tour companies offering short trips to Sapa, but we’d recommend taking a couple of days to do the trip. It’s about a five hour bus journey from Hanoi, which sounds a lot, but we think it’s well worth it.
Sapa is in the Northwest of Vietnam and gives you access to incredible mountains, trekking and a way to experience local life at a more slowed down pace. Our full guide to the things to do in Sapa, Vietnam covers everything in detail, including tours from Hanoi, shorter trips, and our first-hand trekking experiences.
It also includes everything you need to know about booking tours from Hanoi to Sapa and lots of options for shorter experiences if you have limited time.
We also have a guide covering everything you need to know on geting from Hanoi to Sapa and is well worth reading if you’re thinking of planning a trip. This is a quirky (and fun) journey, which needs some planning but is a great part of the experience.
Our Travel Tips for Hanoi, Vietnam
Vietnam may be unlike anywhere you’ve ever visited before, it’s unique, it’s vibrant and there is a lot to see and do. Below, we’ve outlined some of our key travel tips for visiting Hanoi to help you have the best experience and make some incredible memories.
How to Get to Hanoi
Hanoi has one main airport serving it – Noi Bai International. Being the capital, there are international flights departing and arriving every day and it’s easy to get to Hanoi from a huge variety of places around the world.
You may find you cannot fly directly and need to fly in from a connecting flight. For example, Doha or Dubai are the main connecting hubs for flights into Asia.
From the airport, the easiest way to get into Hanoi is by taxi. Uber works in Hanoi, but you can also usually pick up a taxi from the front of the airport and they run on a meter, which isn’t expensive.
Where to Stay in Hanoi
If it’s your first time visiting Hanoi, we would recommend staying around the Old Quarter. Though depending on your noise tolerance at night, you may want to find a hotel that is a few streets back from Hoan Kiem Lake.
We’d recommend hotels over self catered options as the food in Hanoi is so reasonably priced that even if you’re working to a tight budget, you’ll be able to eat out (even if it’s street food) and it would be cheaper than cooking at home.
A note from our experience: make sure you do your research on the hotel before you book it. We will not book anywhere in Vietnam now that has under a 9 score on Booking.com. We also always look at the reviews on there, and recent reviews on Google to make sure they match up.
We’ve linked up to some specific areas we’d recommend staying at based on feel, each of them is very easy to get around using the available transport options.
- Hanoi Old Quarter: The most obvious and busy place to stay. There are endless hotels here and we’d recommend this if it’s your first time. Go a few streets back from the lake for something a little more quiet
- Tay Ho (West Lake): This area is a lot quieter and feels more modern. It has some good cafes, and is where a lot of expats live in Hanoi. It is a lot less crowded and touristy than the Old Quarter.
- French Quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake: There are more upscale hotels around this area at the other end of the Old Quarter just off the lake. It feels a little quieter and puts you close to great restaurants (which are still exceptionally affordable).
What is the Weather Like in Hanoi?
The weather in Hanoi, and the North of Vietnam can be extremely different from the weather in the South and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The best time to visit is ideally between October and April, but this will depend on where else you plan to visit in Vietnam as well. Be sure to read our guide on the best time to visit Vietnam to help you plan accordingly with the rest of your trip.
Smog and humidity play a big part in the weather too. Having visited again in April 2025, the humidity was at around 97%. This was quite intense and took some getting used to.
If you struggle with allergies, be sure to bring plenty of medication or know this in advance. The pollution and irritants can lead to a sore throat and coughing, which we found went away in a few days.
How to Get Around Hanoi
There are three main ways to get around Hanoi, these are:
Taxi
One of the easiest ways to travel around Hanoi is by taxi – these are very reasonably priced and can sometimes be the cheapest option aside from walking. Uber works in Hanoi, which is a great way to be able to travel cashless and know exactly what you’re spending.
You can also hail a cab on the street, and usually pay in cash for these. There are always plenty of taxis around so you should never be waiting long.
We also like to use the Grab app. This is a great way to book rides too. You can either book motorbike rides or car rides. This is also a great app to use for ordering food or other items you might need, like pharmacy care.
On Foot
If you’re able, exploring Hanoi on foot and walking is a great way to discover the city – especially in the Old Quarter, it can actually be easier than taking a cab, and sometimes take less time too. Whilst the city is big, the main areas you’ll want to explore are generally quite concentrated, so walking is a really viable option.
Bike
You’ll see lots of rickshaws being pedaled around Hanoi, and this is also a pretty viable mode of transport around the city – though it is certainly the more touristy option, and you’ll likely pay over the odds for it. You can also use the Grab app to get rides both in cars and on bikes to your destination too.
How Many Days Should You Spend in Hanoi?
Whilst you could spend a good long while in Hanoi, between 6-7 days will give you enough time to explore everything. Some guides will say that 4 days is enough, but this doesn’t give you the opportunity to really immerse yourself and just feels like you’re dashing from one place to another trying to tick things off as quickly as possible.
Give yourself a bit longer and take some time for spontaneity. 5 days will give you enough if you are shorter on time, but you may have to decide which places are most important to you to explore.
Using an eSIM for Your Phone in Vietnam
An e-SIM is the best way to keep connected whilst you’re in Vietnam. There are plenty of places selling physical SIM cards, but we use eSIM’s every time we travel now as it means you’re less likely to lose your original SIM card.
We like to use Saily for our eSIMs as they’re well priced and have really good coverage. We’d advise downloading the Saily app in advance.
Once you’re in Hanoi, and on your hotel’s Wi-Fi, you can buy the package right for you based on how long you’re travelling. We also have an article on how to use eSIMs while traveling, to help you install it easily!
How to Get Laundry Done Whilst Traveling Through Vietnam
Many hotels will offer laundry services pretty cheaply. This is usually charged per kg and is roughly 40,000 VND (about 2 dollars) per kg.
The second time we visited Vietnam, we made great use of this. Though we did have it recommended to us to check the weight before you send it off, so you get back the same amount!
There have been instances of items going missing. So, it’s advised to keep pictures of any really important items in your laundry. Your hotel will help you if you enquire with them and may have a local service, they use with discounts available for guests.
Cash, Card or Mobile Payments
When we first visited Hanoi, we mostly used cash. The second time we visited, it had changed a bit, but it really varied.
Some places didn’t accept card, and we always thought it was a good idea to have cash to hand. Though there does seem to be an increase in acceptance of things like Apple Pay and general card payments.
MoMo is widely used for card payments in Vietnam, which you can download, as is ZaloPay. Likewise, VNPay is used a lot and is a QR code system.
If you’re prefer to use an app, we’d say have a bit of cash on hand too. In case you’re ever in a situation where this doesn’t work.
Why Trust Our Hanoi Travel Guide?
Every single guide we write for This Expansive Adventure is based on our first-hand experience of visiting. We’re always upfront, and you’ll see that very transparently, especially in this guide!
We really care about ensuring you have the best experience while traveling and believe this comes from making genuine recommendations to you that we would do ourselves (and being honest when something is worth skipping).
We like to be upfront and give you honest opinions. Your trust in letting us be a part of your travel planning process, however big or small, means the world to us.
Enjoy Hanoi, Vietnam
As you can see, there is so much to explore in Hanoi, and you could spend a really long time just taking in everything this incredible city has to offer. Hanoi will stay in your memories for a long time.
Some people will say you either love it or hate it, but if you allow yourself to get swept along by everything going on and really get into the moment, you’re sure to love it.
We hope our guide has given you some ideas for what Hanoi has to offer, and some off the beaten track suggestions too. So, whether you’re visiting Hanoi as a spring board for a bigger trip to Vietnam or visiting the city alone, we hope you enjoy it to its fullest.
More Vietnam travel guides
Destination guides:
Planning guides:
- How to Get from Hanoi to Sapa
- Best Things to do in Vietnam
- Key Cities in Vietnam to Visit and Why
- When is the Best Time to Visit Vietnam
More Asia guides:
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