Hanoi grabs your senses before you have time to settle in: from the back of a Grab, I watched a river of motorbikes part around the car like water around a pebble, someone grilling pork on the pavement and a woman in a conical hat (nón lá) weaving through traffic with 2 baskets of mangoes on a carrying pole. That’s Hanoi: loud, chaotic, sometimes exasperating, and one of the most magnetic cities I’ve visited in Southeast Asia. Here’s what you need to know for a first trip, with a link to my detailed guide on each topic: the Old Quarter and its colonial boulevards, street food, trips to Ha Long Bay, Ninh Bình and Sapa, where to stay, logistics and prices.
- What should you see in Hanoi?
- What should you eat in Hanoi?
- What is there to do in Hanoi at night?
- What is there to do around Hanoi?
- Where should you stay, and on what budget?
- When should you go?
- How do you get there and get around?
- Is it safe?
- Hanoi or Bangkok: which should you choose?
- My other Hanoi guides
What should you see in Hanoi?
Vietnam’s capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Southeast Asia, Hanoi was called Thăng Long (“Ascending Dragon”) when Emperor Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital here in 1010 AD, then took its current name (“City Between the Rivers”) in 1831 under the Nguyễn dynasty. Set on the banks of the Red River (Sông Hồng), which explains its flat terrain and occasional flooding during the monsoon, greater Hanoi has around 8.5 million residents and remains smaller and, relatively speaking, quieter than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
Every temple, museum and hidden corner is in my complete guide to Hanoi’s heritage and sights, including Train Street (it divides opinion and the police regularly close it), Long Biên Bridge at sunrise and the French Quarter. Here are the places I put first.
The Old Quarter
A dense network of narrow streets, each named after the trade once practised there: Hàng Gai (Silk Street), Hàng Bạc (Silver Street), Hàng Mã (Paper Goods Street). Some still live up to their names, others have filled with cafés and souvenir shops, and the tube houses squeeze onto plots 3 metres wide and 40 or 50 metres deep.
The pavements are taken up by parked motorbikes and cafés with plastic stools, so I walked in the road, and the first 30 minutes are terrifying. Then you find the rhythm: walk slowly and predictably, without stopping suddenly, and the motorbikes flow around you like water around a rock.
Hoàn Kiếm Lake
At the southern end of the Old Quarter, this is the heart of the city, and I got up early to see it at dawn: around 5:30 or 6:00, hundreds of Hanoians of all ages practise tai chi, ballroom dancing, laughter yoga and morning exercises here, a free show of everyday city life. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, the streets around the lake are closed to traffic and become a huge pedestrian zone for families and street performers: if you’re here over a weekend, don’t miss it.
The Temple of Literature and Hỏa Lò
The Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu), Vietnam’s first university, founded in 1070 AD, and Hỏa Lò Prison, the “Hanoi Hilton”, which traces its French colonial past as a prison for Vietnamese revolutionaries and its later use during the American War, are the 2 heritage sites I recommend first. I visited both in the same morning.
The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, outside the centre in Cầu Giấy district, offers a detailed look at the country’s 54 ethnic groups and is worth the trip by Grab. The Vietnamese Women’s Museum, near Hoàn Kiếm Lake, is surprisingly well designed.
West Lake (Tây Hồ)
Hanoi’s largest lake is surrounded by a quieter neighbourhood, popular with expats, with good cafés and restaurants. I cycled around it, about 17 km, and the western shore offers lovely sunset views. Trấn Quốc Pagoda, on a small island in the lake, is one of Vietnam’s oldest temples (6th century).
Long Biên Bridge
This old steel cantilever bridge has spanned the Red River since the days of French Indochina, built by the Daydé et Pillé workshops, the same engineers who worked with Gustave Eiffel. Motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians still use it, and I crossed it on foot; go at sunrise or sunset, when everyday life along the river below is a photographer’s delight.
Complex 01
A former factory turned creative space, with shops, cafés and art exhibitions. The place draws a young Hanoi crowd, and I found it a welcome break from the usual tourist trail.
What to eat in Hanoi?
Hanoi may be the best city for street food I’ve ever eaten in, and I’ve eaten my way around Bangkok. Here, a stall will often have served just 1 dish for 20 or 30 years, and that dish is usually exceptional; all my recommendations, with prices, are in my complete guide to street food and restaurants in Hanoi.
Bún chả, the king of Hanoi lunches, consists of grilled pork patties and sliced pork belly in a sweet-and-sour broth, with rice vermicelli and fresh herbs. I had mine at Bún Chả Hương Liên on Lê Văn Hưu street, famous since Obama and Anthony Bourdain visited in 2016 and still good, although some Hanoians prefer the neighborhood feel of Bún Chả 34 or Bún Chả Đắc Kim. Expect to pay 40,000 to 60,000 VND (around 1.50 to 2.30 EUR) for a full meal, and I cook it at home too: my bún chả recipe is here.
Egg coffee (cà phê trứng), egg yolk whipped with condensed milk and sugar over strong Vietnamese coffee, tastes like liquid tiramisu. Café Giảng on Nguyễn Hữu Huân street is its original creator and the most famous place to try it; I preferred the view at the more rustic Café Đinh, tucked upstairs in a building overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake. Expect to pay 25,000 to 35,000 VND (around 1 EUR) per cup.
Hanoi’s phở is the original, with a purer, simpler bone broth than the southern version, fewer herbs and garnishes, rice noodles and thinly sliced beef or chicken. I had it for breakfast, like the Hanoians, at Phở Thìn on Lò Đúc street and Phở 10 on Lý Quốc Sư street, 2 reliable spots charging 40,000 to 60,000 VND per bowl (1.50 to 2.30 EUR).
Chả cá, fish (usually snakehead or catfish) seared with turmeric and dill at your table, then mixed with rice vermicelli, peanuts and fresh herbs, is a northern specialty you won’t find properly prepared anywhere else in Vietnam. I had it at Chả Cá Lã Vọng, the historic restaurant on Chả Cá street, for 150,000 to 200,000 VND (5.70 to 7.60 EUR): expensive for street food, but unique to Hanoi.
Bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls filled with minced pork and wood ear mushrooms, served with fried shallots and nước mắm) is eaten for breakfast at morning stalls, especially around the Old Quarter, and my bánh cuốn recipe is on the site. Phở cuốn, fresh phở sheets rolled around beef and herbs, is a specialty of the Truc Bach neighborhood: I tried it on Ngũ Xã street at Phở Cuốn Hương Mai, the go-to stall.
Bánh Mì 25, near Hoan Kiem Lake, is the most famous tourist spot for bánh mì, complete with a queue, and the bread is good, a legacy of French baking. Unnamed street carts sell equally good ones for 15,000 to 25,000 VND (0.60 to 1 EUR), without the wait, and my bánh mì recipe is here. Bún riêu, a crab noodle soup in a tomato broth that’s less familiar to tourists, can be found on every street corner: ask for the nearest stall.
As for coffee, Hanoi also has hundreds of little cafés hidden down alleyways or at the top of narrow staircases. I found my favorite spots in Ba Dinh district and around Truc Bach Lake.
My best investment was a guided street food tour on the first evening. For 15 to 25 USD (14 to 23 EUR), a local guide introduces you to 5 to 8 dishes, shows you how to order, explains the condiments (chili, nước mắm, lime) and teaches you how to balance on those tiny plastic stools, setting you up to eat on your own for the rest of your stay.
After that, head for stalls serving just 1 dish where Vietnamese office workers are queuing. You don’t haggle at stalls with displayed prices; bargaining is for markets like Dong Xuan. Older vendors speak little or no English (or French), so download Google Translate with the offline Vietnamese language pack: camera translation works surprisingly well on menus.
What to do in Hanoi at night?
Bia hơi, fresh draft beer brewed daily and served straight from kegs at street stalls, costs 5,000 to 10,000 VND per glass (0.20 to 0.40 EUR), probably the cheapest draft beer in the world. I drank it on a plastic stool about 15 centimeters off the ground, surrounded by Hanoians, watching the dance of the motorbikes. The intersection of Tạ Hiện and Lương Ngọc Quyến streets in the Old Quarter is the most famous spot, but it has become quite touristy; for something more local, look for a stall in Hai Ba Trung or Ba Dinh district.
Tạ Hiện street is also the center of backpacker nightlife, with cheap beer and loud music, fun for an evening. My hidden bars are Polite and Co, The Kumquat Tree and Né Cocktail Bar; for techno and house, Savage and Unmute bring Berlin clubs to mind. Binh Minh Jazz Club, which has hosted live jazz for years, is a Hanoi institution, and Summit Bar at the Pan Pacific Hotel offers panoramic views over West Lake from its rooftop terrace.
If it’s a weekend, head to the pedestrian area around Hoan Kiem Lake afterwards. And don’t fight the chaos: sit on the plastic stool, drink the bia hơi, watch the motorbikes.
What to do around Hanoi?
Hanoi needs 2 to 3 days, and above all, it’s a base for exploring northern Vietnam: with 5 to 7 days, you can add 1 or 2 of the region’s best excursions. You’ll find activities, hidden spots and trip logistics in my guide to activities and excursions in Hanoi.
My 7-day plan: 2 days in the city, Ninh Bình on day 3, Ha Long Bay on days 4 and 5, West Lake and Trúc Bạch on day 6 to unwind, and the Vietnamese Women’s Museum on the last morning if your flight is late. With only 5 days, drop either Ha Long Bay or Ninh Bình: I’d keep Ninh Bình for a short stay (simpler logistics, less travel time), and the bay if you can spare the extra day, because squeezing Hanoi, Ninh Bình, the bay and Sapa into 5 days means you won’t properly enjoy any of them.
Getting around eats up time (a destination 3 km away on the map can take 30 minutes at rush hour), so don’t schedule back-to-back visits at opposite ends of the city. Keep half a day free of plans, too: my best moments in Hanoi happened in an alley, at an unexpected stall, ordering whatever the person on the stool next to me was eating.
Ninh Bình
About 2 hours south of Hanoi by bus or limousine van (around 200,000 to 300,000 VND one way, or 7.60 to 11.40 EUR, book through your hotel), Ninh Bình is nicknamed “Ha Long Bay on land”: its karst formations rise out of rice paddies and rivers. I took the Tràng An boat tour (entrance fee around 200,000 VND, 7.60 EUR), the most popular activity, which I prefer to the alternative in Tam Cốc: a local rower takes your small boat through caves and alongside towering cliffs.
Then rent a bicycle or motorbike in Tam Cốc to explore the rice paddies. For me, Ninh Bình was the highlight of my trip to Vietnam: stay 1 to 2 days, because spending 2 nights here and cycling through the rice paddies at dawn beats rushing through everything in 4 hours.
Ha Long Bay
Thousands of limestone islands and islets rise from emerald water, but a day trip means 4 to 5 hours on the road there and back for 3 to 4 hours on the water: I took an overnight cruise, with 2 days and 1 night being the minimum. Leave Hanoi early in the morning (3.5 to 4 hours by bus, usually included in the package), board around noon, go kayaking, swimming and exploring caves, sleep on board, spend a little more time on the bay the next morning, then return to Hanoi in the late afternoon.
These cruises cost 2,500,000 to 6,000,000 VND (95 to 228 EUR) per person depending on the boat: mid-range is enough, and avoid the cheapest ones, which cut corners on food and safety. Cát Bà Island is a less expensive base for exploring the bay without a cruise, with hiking, kayaking and boat trips.
Direct transfers connect Ninh Bình and Ha Long Bay, and comfortable, affordable limousine vans (minibuses with reclining seats) cover most routes in 3 to 5 hours. You can book vans through your hotel or 12Go.asia; book your cruise and transport to Ninh Bình in advance during high season (November to February), while in low season, booking through your hotel 1 or 2 days ahead is more than enough.
Sapa
This mountain town in the northwest, known for its terraced rice fields and ethnic minority villages, draws visitors with its treks and the cultures of the Hmong, Dao and Tày people. It takes an overnight train (6 to 8 hours) or a long bus journey each way, plus at least 2 days there: only attempt it with at least 5 days in total in northern Vietnam, and 8 days or more to add it to Ninh Bình and Ha Long Bay. In winter (December to February), Sapa can be foggy and freezing.
The Hà Giang Loop
Vietnam’s most spectacular road winds through mountain passes along the Chinese border, requiring 3 to 4 dedicated days. It is strictly for experienced motorcyclists with an international driving permit, which is mandatory in Vietnam; otherwise, hire a local driver, an “easy rider”.
Where to stay, and on what budget?
Your choice of neighborhood will shape your stay more than almost any other decision: you’ll find my specific hotels and their price ranges in my guide to where to stay in Hanoi, and I booked on Booking.com, where there are plenty of French-language reviews that are often very reliable. Even if you stay in the Old Quarter, the city’s most chaotic, noisy and touristy area, spend at least a full day outside it: West Lake, Trúc Bạch, the French Quarter and Hai Bà Trưng District offer excellent food, quieter streets and a more local feel.
My daily budget guidelines: 500,000 to 800,000 VND (19 to 30 EUR) on a tight budget (hostel, street food, walking, Grab motorbikes, free temples and parks), 1,500,000 to 2,500,000 VND (57 to 95 EUR) for mid-range travel (hotel, street food and restaurants, Grab cars, museums, cooking class or food tour), 4,000,000+ VND (150+ EUR) for a comfortable stay (boutique hotel, table service, private excursions, cocktail bars). Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia’s cheapest countries: under 80,000 VND (3 EUR) for bún chả with a beer, 200,000 to 300,000 VND (7.60 to 11.40 EUR) for a 1-hour traditional massage, 600,000 to 1,200,000 VND (23 to 46 EUR) per night in a mid-range hotel in the Old Quarter, a different world if you’re used to Paris prices.
The Old Quarter (Hoàn Kiếm District)
I stayed in the Old Quarter, the default choice for a first visit: Hoàn Kiếm Lake, the weekend pedestrian zone, the best street-food stalls and the bia hơi spots are all within walking distance. The downside is the noise (honking, karaoke, street vendors, from early morning until late at night): if you’re a light sleeper, choose a quiet alley or a room that doesn’t face the main street, ideally near Hoàn Kiếm Lake but away from the busiest part, the best balance between accessibility and peace and quiet. Budget 400,000 to 1,000,000 VND (15 to 38 EUR) per night for a clean hotel with air conditioning and breakfast, and 1,200,000 to 3,000,000 VND (46 to 114 EUR) for a boutique hotel with a rooftop bar.
West Lake (Tây Hồ)
The expat neighborhood: wider streets, more trees, less noise, better air, international restaurants, yoga studios, brunch cafés and the lakeshore for morning walks or bike rides. It’s 15 to 20 minutes by Grab from the Old Quarter and the main sights: if you don’t mind taking Grab, it’s an excellent, quieter base, and plenty of long-stay visitors and digital nomads settle here.
The French Quarter
South and east of Hoàn Kiếm Lake (Hai Bà Trưng and southern Hoàn Kiếm), you’ll find wide, tree-lined streets with colonial architecture reminiscent of the elegant neighborhoods of provincial France, and upscale hotels around the Opera House, including the most famous, the Sofitel Legend Metropole, steeped in colonial history. Quieter but still central, with a good mix of Vietnamese and international food, I find it an excellent compromise between the chaos of the Old Quarter and the distance of West Lake.
Hai Bà Trưng District
South of the French Quarter, less touristy and more residential, with lower prices, a growing number of cafés and restaurants catering to young Hanoians, and a “trendy” feel. A short Grab ride takes you back to the Old Quarter, and this is the neighborhood I recommend if you like getting away from the tourist infrastructure.
Trúc Bạch
A neighborhood around a small lake, halfway between the Old Quarter and West Lake, close to some of the city’s best phở cuốn stalls (Ngũ Xã Street) and the John McCain monument, at the spot where his plane was shot down. I find it underrated, more relaxed while still close to the center.
When to go?
Unlike southern Vietnam, which is hot all year round, Hanoi has 4 distinct seasons. The cool, dry season, from November to April, is the best: 15-22 °C during the day from November to January, 8-12 °C at night in December and January, then temperatures rise from February to April. This is high season, with rising hotel prices and a packed Old Quarter, but the weather makes walking around the city really pleasant.
From May to September, temperatures reach 35-40 °C with stifling humidity and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, sometimes heavy enough to flood the streets for an hour; mornings are generally clear, prices drop and crowds thin out, making this a workable option if you can handle the heat. October is the perfect window for me: the worst of the heat is over, the rain eases off and the tourist season hasn’t started yet.
Watch out for winter, which can be freezing: with the humidity and lack of central heating in most buildings, 12 °C in Hanoi feels more uncomfortable than 5 °C in Paris. Pack layers for the winter months, and a proper jacket in December and January.
How to get there and get around?
French citizens get a 45-day visa exemption in Vietnam (extended from 15 days in 2023). Check the Vietnamese embassy in Paris website before booking, as the rule has changed several times in recent years; for longer stays, apply for an e-visa online before departure, costing around 25 USD (23 EUR). At Nội Bài Airport, immigration queues can be long for late-evening arrivals, and the VIP Fast Track service (15 to 25 USD depending on the provider) is worth every cent after a 10 to 12-hour flight.
There are no direct flights from Paris-CDG to Hanoi: connect through Bangkok (Thai Airways, VietJet), Singapore (Singapore Airlines), Doha (Qatar Airways) or Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), for a total journey of between 10 and 14 hours, or take Vietnam Airlines with a stopover in Ho Chi Minh City. Booked 2 to 3 months ahead, an economy return ticket costs between 500 and 800 EUR; compare prices on Google Flights or Skyscanner.
Grab, the local equivalent of Uber for both cars and motorbikes, is the most important app on your phone: I used it for every trip, with no rigged meters, no language barrier and no “tourist” prices, and the Be app, a Vietnamese competitor, sometimes offers lower fares. A Grab motorbike costs 10,000 to 30,000 VND (0.40 to 1.15 EUR) for a short trip and gets through faster than a car at rush hour; for your departure, allow 45 to 60 minutes by Grab to Nội Bài depending on traffic.
For taxis, only use Mai Linh (green) or G7 (white), which have honest meters: any other company is a gamble. Don’t rent a motorbike unless you’re an experienced rider with an international driving permit (mandatory in Vietnam): Hanoi traffic kills, literally, so take Grab motorbikes for the thrill of weaving through traffic without the responsibility of staying alive.
On foot, in the Old Quarter and around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, you share the road with motorbikes: cross slowly, at a steady pace, without running or stopping, or follow a local pedestrian. By my 2nd day, I was crossing 6-lane roads without slowing down.
I bought a Viettel SIM card at Nội Bài Airport as soon as I arrived, with nationwide 4G for around 150,000 to 200,000 VND (5.70 to 7.60 EUR) on a tourist plan. With Google Translate (Vietnamese offline pack) and offline Google Maps downloaded before departure, you’ll solve 90% of communication and navigation problems; the rest is in my complete guide to practical tips.
Is it safe?
Hanoi is very safe by the standards of any major city: violent crime against tourists is extremely rare, and the risks are mostly financial (scams, overcharging). Keep your phone secure in traffic, as snatch thefts from motorbikes do happen from time to time.
A fruit seller puts her carrying pole on your shoulders “for a photo”, then demands 200,000 to 500,000 VND (7.60 to 19 EUR): don’t touch the baskets, say “no” firmly and keep walking. A shoe shiner cleans your shoes without permission, even if you’re wearing sandals, then demands payment: pull your feet away and move on. Some taxis have modified meters that jump up in large increments (hence Grab, or Mai Linh and G7 if you take a taxi), and anyone offering you “free” fruit, fritters or snacks on the street is setting you up for a payment demand: in tourist areas, nothing is ever free.
Vietnam uses the đồng (VND): 100,000 VND is worth around 3.80 EUR, and cash is essential for street food, markets and small shops. ATMs are everywhere, but most charge 20,000 to 50,000 VND (0.75 to 1.90 EUR) per withdrawal, so withdraw large amounts; a Boursorama Ultim or Revolut card avoids foreign exchange fees on the French bank’s side, but local ATM fees still apply. When the screen offers you a conversion, always choose “Vietnamese Dong” and decline euros, which come with a 3 to 5% markup.
A trap to watch out for: the 500,000 VND and 20,000 VND notes are both blue and similar in size. In dim light or when you’re tired, handing over a 500k instead of a 20k costs around 18 EUR, or 25 times the price: sort your notes by value and pay attention at street stalls.
No vaccinations are mandatory, but check the latest recommendations with your doctor or on the Institut Pasteur website. Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does not cover Vietnam at all: take out travel insurance with repatriation cover, from Chapka (Cap Assistance) or ACS for example, starting at around 30 euros per month. Buy berberine at any pharmacy in Hanoi: locals and expats swear by this plant-based medicine for stomach upsets.
Air pollution can be high, especially in winter when smog settles over the city: an N95 mask deserves a place in your suitcase, particularly if you have respiratory sensitivities, because even without any particular issues, your throat and eyes can feel it after a few days of walking at rush hour. Mosquito repellent is useful all year round, and I cover health, scams and safety in detail in my guide to planning a trip to Hanoi.
Hanoi or Bangkok: which should you choose?
If you’re torn between Hanoi and Bangkok, I’ve spent time in both, and they suit different tastes. Bangkok is bigger, more modern and more international, with the BTS Skytrain, a wider food scene (regional Thai cuisines, international options, fine dining), shopping from street markets to luxury malls, a bigger nightlife scene and more English spoken, and it’s your jumping-off point for the Thai islands, Chiang Mai and the south.
Hanoi is smaller, rawer and more atmospheric, and for a French person it has a particular resonance: it was the centre of French Indochina, with its plane-tree-lined boulevards, ochre-yellow or mustard façades and Art Deco buildings turned into government offices and cafés, Haussmann-style proportions in the tropics that Bangkok doesn’t have. Its food is more focused (fewer dishes, each perfected over generations), it’s quieter at night (relatively speaking) and cheaper across the board, and its coffee culture is incomparable. And Hanoi connects you to the landscapes of northern Vietnam, among the most spectacular in Southeast Asia.
Bangkok is easier and more comfortable, the city where you relax and eat well; Hanoi is more intense, more rewarding if you make the effort, and it’s the one that left the biggest impression on me. If you’re visiting both in succession, start with Hanoi, because Bangkok will then feel like an upgrade, while the reverse can feel like a step backwards. My complete guide to Bangkok takes over from here, and if some beach time is on the agenda, Phuket and Bali are natural extensions.
My other Hanoi guides
Each section of this guide has its own detailed page: where to eat in Hanoi with all my recommended spots, what to see in the Old Quarter, what to do in and around Hanoi, where to stay in Hanoi neighbourhood by neighbourhood, and planning a trip to Hanoi for visas, budgets and seasons. To recreate these dishes at home, start with my page on Vietnamese cuisine.
