Many trips to Vietnam start in Hanoi, and it is a fantastic city to explore first. The city is a beautifully chaotic maze of buzzing motorbikes, rich history, and deep-rooted traditions. While it is easy to get swept up in the energy of Northern Vietnam, you do not need more than two full days here to see the main highlights, though we highly recommend adding an extra day just to shake off the jet lag. In this guide, we will break down the best areas to base yourself, essential packing tips, and the exact spots you shouldn't miss.
People often pair this with a trip to Halong Bay, which is a three to four hour drive from Hanoi. Find that blog post here: Ha Long Bay Guide: Is the Cruise Worth the Hype?
Vietnam operates under a single-party communist government, which maintains tight social controls and experiences low civil unrest. This stability makes it an exceptionally safe destination for international travelers, and violent crime against foreigners is incredibly rare. Your biggest safety concerns will simply be navigating the chaotic city traffic.
When it comes to money, the official currency is the Vietnamese Đồng (VND). Because the exchange rate sits at roughly 1 CAD to 18,500 VND, you will instantly become a millionaire upon withdrawing cash. Most places accept cash only, so be sure to have a good amount of local currency on hand. ATMs are widely available throughout the city.
While this city guide is designed to help you plan a trip to Hanoi on your own, we know that outsourcing the logistics can completely eliminate the stress of planning. If you prefer a fully customized experience, we highly recommend Wanderlust Tours. We our not sponsored, but our parents used them to coordinate all of their hotels, activities, and transportation so they could just show up and relax. They are incredibly responsive over email and WhatsApp, and their service fees are highly reasonable compared to booking everything yourself.
Hanoi is a very budget friendly place to visit. We recommend between 2-3 nights, especially if you are arriving here and will be Jetlag.
Here's a breakdown of our costs for two people over 3 nights:
| Budget Category | Cost for 2 people |
|---|---|
| Accommodation | $240 CAD |
| Food | $200 CAD |
| Activities | $150 CAD |
| Total | $590 CAD |
Choosing the right base makes all the difference in a fast-paced city like this. Ideally, you want to position yourself within a 10-minute walk of Hoan Kiem Lake, which keeps you central to everything.
Old Quarter (Recommended): This is the absolute best area to stay. Walking around the Old Quarter is incredibly fascinating because it feels entirely foreign. The streets are packed with character, vibrant colors, and endless hidden gems.
French Quarter: This neighborhood features grand colonial architecture and wider boulevards. It is definitely cool to see and explore for an afternoon, but we do not recommend it as your primary base if you want to be steps from the action.
Note: We have a detailed Vietnam Google Maps List with all the things we did. Use the filters on mobile.
Carillon Boutique Hotel: Located right in the heart of the Old Quarter, this boutique gem places you exactly where you need to be. It is very walkable, has excellent air conditioning, and serves as a perfect sanctuary from the bustling streets outside.
Trinh's House: A family-run guesthouse situated above a laundrette. This is an exceptional budget option that is incredibly clean and sits in a prime location. In this specific case, the Google reviews are wrong. Avoid booking the top floor, however, as it requires walking up multiple flights of stairs.
Hanoi Paon Hotel Spa & Sky Bar: A modern hotel with a rooftop bar and pool. They had an amazing breakfast spread, and the rooms are very clean and spacious.
A Jeep Tour is a great way to see the city and learn about its history. The tour takes you through the Old Quarter, French Quarter, and other key areas while providing historical context and local insights. It includes a stop at the famous Train Street as well!
Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple: The calming heart of the city. In the early mornings or during sunset, it is a wonderful place to walk and observe local Vietnamese life. There is a small island with a temple on it, but we do not recommend paying the entrance fee since you can get a great view from the outside.
Train Street: A narrow residential alleyway where the train passes just inches from homes and cafes. Sitting by the tracks with a drink is a surreal experience. Some sites claim that you cannot go here, but there are designated areas where it is perfectly legal to sit and watch.
Beer Street (Ta Hien): The ultimate spot to experience Hanoi's electric nightlife. It is loud, crowded, and filled with tiny plastic stools spilling onto the pavement. Enjoy a cheap beer alongside locals and tourists.
The French Quarter: Take a long walk through this neighborhood to admire the dramatic architectural contrast compared to the tight alleys of the Old Quarter.
Free Walking Tour: We highly recommend booking a free walking tour on your first morning. It is excellent for finding hidden spots and narrow alleyways you would almost certainly miss walking around on your own.
Massages: After clocking miles on your feet, take advantage of the local spas. Massages here are very cheap and incredibly easy to find, typically running around $25 CAD per hour.
A quick heads-up on Hanoi's cultural sites: the main state museums have strict dress codes (absolutely no exposed knees or shoulders) and feature unusual opening hours, so always verify times in advance. We were not able to enter Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum because we were both wearing shorts. While the exhibits lean heavily into state propaganda, they are still deeply fascinating to see for historical context.
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum: The imposing resting place of the revolutionary leader. The atmosphere here is strict, somber, and heavily guarded.
Ho Chi Minh Museum: Located right near the mausoleum, this building uses avant-garde art installations to document the leader's life and the revolution.
Vietnamese Women's Museum: A highly rated, beautifully curated look at the role of women in Vietnam's history, culture, and wartime struggles.
When you visit Vietnam, you absolutely must try the following dishes:
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Bánh Xèo is a crispy, turmeric-infused crepe filled with shrimp, pork belly, green onions, and bean sprouts. To eat it, you tear off a piece of the crunchy pancake, wrap it in a fresh lettuce leaf with herbs, and dunk it into a sweet and tangy chili fish sauce.
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Phở Bò (beef) or Phở Gà (chicken) is Vietnam's iconic noodle soup, featuring a deeply aromatic, clear broth poured over flat rice noodles and tender cuts of meat. The soul of the dish lies in its complex broth, which is simmered for hours with charred ginger, onions, and a fragrant blend of toasted spices like star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.
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Spring Rolls are split into three major categories depending on whether they are fried, raw, or wrapped in noodle sheets. Hanoi’s local specialty, Phở Cuốn, uses wide, uncut sheets of fresh pho noodles to wrap stir-fried garlic beef and coriander into a soft, savory roll. Crispy fried rolls (Nem Rán) pack minced pork, shrimp, and glass noodles into rice paper fried to a golden crunch. Fresh summer rolls (Gỏi Cuốn) are a raw, healthy alternative wrapping poached shrimp, pork belly, rice noodles, and lettuce in translucent rice paper.
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Nem Lụi is a grilled pork skewer dish that is a specialty of Central Vietnam. The pork is marinated in lemongrass, garlic, and fish sauce, then grilled over charcoal.
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Cơm Chiên Trái Thơm is a fried rice dish served inside a hollowed-out pineapple. The rice is stir-fried with shrimp, chicken, and vegetables, then seasoned with soy sauce and fish sauce. The pineapple adds a subtle sweetness to the savory dish.
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Rau Muống Xào Tỏi (Stir-fried Morning Glory with Garlic) is a simple, yet flavorful side dish. The morning glory is stir-fried with garlic and seasoned with fish sauce, creating a savory and aromatic accompaniment to any meal.
Here are a few restaurants we visited and loved:
Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su: Famous for serving up some of the most flavorful and legendary bowls of traditional beef pho in the city.
CỌ Restaurant Vietnamese Cuisine & Vegetarian Food 1: An excellent, clean spot offering fantastic traditional dishes alongside extensive vegetarian options.
Important Note: While Hanoi is famous for its street stalls, the food hygiene standards are different from what you might be used to. Kristian got sick two out of the three times he visited Hanoi from eating street food. To keep your stomach safe, stick to established brick-and-mortar restaurants.
Hanoi has a world-class coffee scene, and stopping for a strong, iced caffeine fix is an absolute daily requirement. Vietnamese coffee culture is entirely unique, built almost exclusively on ultra-strong, slow-dripped Robusta beans brewed through a metal filter called a phin. Because Robusta is incredibly bold and naturally bitter, the local culture relies heavily on creative additions, most famously sweetened condensed milk, to create a perfectly balanced, intense, and rich flavor profile.
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Cà Phê Trứng (Egg Coffee): A legendary Hanoi specialty born out of dairy shortages in the 1940s. Egg yolks are vigorously whipped with condensed milk and sugar until they transform into a thick, velvety, meringue-like custard foam floating on a shot of hot black coffee. It tastes exactly like a rich liquid tiramisu and is best eaten with a spoon.
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Cà Phê Cốt Dừa (Coconut Coffee): The ultimate tropical refresher. A shot of robust black coffee is poured over a blended slushy mix of coconut milk, condensed milk, and ice. It handles like a rich coconut sorbet with a massive caffeine kick.
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Cà Phê Muối (Salt Coffee): Originating in Hue, this drink sounds unusual until you try it. A layer of lightly salted cream sits on top of a classic condensed milk coffee brew. The salt cuts through the natural bitterness of the Robusta while amplifying the deep sweetness of the condensed milk, creating a strangely addictive, savory-meets-sweet profile.
You will walk by tons of cafes in the Old Quarter, but here are a few we visited:
Cong Cafe: A wildly popular chain with a cool, communist-chic aesthetic. You have to try their famous coconut frozen coffee.
The Note Cafe: Located right by Hoan Kiem Lake, this multi-story cafe is entirely covered from floor to ceiling in colorful sticky notes left by travelers from all over the world. It is fun to stop by and read some notes, but the coffee itself is nothing special.
If you love outdoor gear, Hanoi is a goldmine. Vietnam is a massive manufacturing hub for major outdoor brands, which means the city is filled with high-quality counterfeit clothes and luggage.
Outlet Factory Store - 86 Hàng Đào: Wander through the dedicated retail streets in the Old Quarter to find shops packed with incredibly well-made technical gear, jackets, and backpacks from brands like Arc'teryx, Patagonia, and The North Face at a fraction of retail prices. There are tons of shops surrounding this store.
Dong xuan market: This is the largest market in Hanoi and is a great place to find cheap clothing, shoes, and accessories. Be prepared to haggle for the best prices.
