11 ESSENTIAL THINGS TO DO IN HANOI
18 Nov 2022 || SOUTHEAST ASIA
◊
Hanoi: chaotic, exciting, challenging, tiring, exquisite. This city is often the first glimpse that people get of Vietnam – an incredible introduction to one of the most exciting countries in southeast Asia. Although this city is the capital of Vietnam, when you arrive at your accommodation in the Old Quarter, you might be fooled into thinking that it is a compact, little city with a lot of motorbikes. This would be very wrong!
The city spreads far beyond the boundaries of the Old Quarter, which is the tourist hub and where most Vietnam backpackers and travellers stay. Across the city, there is incredible food, vistas, shopping, architecture, museums and more. Best part is if you are backpacking Hanoi on a budget, all these things are very affordable.
So, after several lengthy stays in the city, here are our top 11 unmissable things to in Hanoi!
◊
1. Explore the Shops, Food and Architecture of Hanoi’s Old Quarter
Our first ever introduction to southeast Asia was at 11pm, straight off a 17-hour flight from Europe. The taxi driver dropped us in the centre of the Old Quarter in Hanoi on a crazy Saturday night and from that moment onwards, I’ve loved this city with all my heart. The extreme heat, noise, smells, lights and most importantly, throngs of people; it all fulfilled some vision of Vietnam that I’d held in my imagination for the longest time.
This Old Quarter (and neighbouring French Quarter) is a great place to get acquainted with the city – walking around the architecture alone could take you days. There is so much to do, so if you’re inclined to – grab a walking tour of the area. This area is where you can first have some fun with the famous road-crossing in Hanoi – just walk slowly and don’t stop. Otherwise, you will be waiting forever – the motorbikes will avoid you!
2. CHECK OUT BEER STREET HANOI AND BIA HOI
Looking for a bar in Hanoi? Well, you’re in luck! Beer in Hanoi is famously cheap. Incredibly cheap in fact, especially if you get the local, daily brewed stuff called Bia Hoi (meaning fresh beer). It’s known as the cheapest beer in the world! This isn’t your typical, mass produced, bottled versions of Carlsberg or Budweiser though. It’s chilled glasses of moderately decent beer straight from a fresh barrel on the city street. The beer must be sold same day as it contains no preservatives – it doesn’t last long!
We managed to find a glass of this on our first trip to Hanoi for 15p – obscenely good value for a quality beer (this was in a random garage forecourt not far from the train street though). The Old Quarter has many places selling the local beer, most open from 4pm. Beer Street/Corner is one of the more famous locations (although it also sells the ubiquitous mainstream bottled beers at most of the larger bars there. Look for signs that say Bia Hoi and normally a price.). The Hanoi Beer Street can be found at the Nha Hoa and Duong Thanh intersection.
On the subject of beer, craft beer in Hanoi is just coming into fashion. There are a few decent breweries that are really rather superb. Check out FurBrew (my favourite), Pasteur Street and Turtle Lake Brewing Company.
3. CATCH AN EPIC HANOI SUNSET
Without a doubt, the best location for sunset in Hanoi is along the east side of Westlake, or Ho Tay. The colours are just magical reflected in the calm lake with the Hanoi skyline on the other side.
Our favourite place is AQUA Café, which is the perfect spot to hang out and get an iced coconut coffee before sunset (although any café along this little outcrop of land is perfect for views).
West Lake is also home to several Buddhist temples including Chua Tran Quoc (one of the oldest in Hanoi) which you will walk past if you take a wander up from the Old Quarter (recommended). It has free entry but ensure you dress conservatively as the temple is active place of worship. On the same route, you can check out the Hanoi Ceramic Mosaic Mural – the largest in the world at four kilometres long!
This area on the shore of West Lake is a slither of calm in the otherwise frenzied city of Hanoi. We thoroughly recommend a walk around the area, even if you do not stay for sunset.
Another option for sunset is to head up to a rooftop in the Old Quarter, ideally near Hoan Kiem Lake, adjacent to the Old Quarter. There are numerous rooftop bars, offering overpriced drinks, however sometimes the best bet is just to see if your hotel has rooftop access. We regularly do this and almost always there is unobstructed access where you can get views without the price tag!
4. Café Culture in Hanoi
If you are looking for a café in Hanoi, then you’ll be epically spoilt for choice, especially around the Old Quarter, French Quarter, West Lake and adjacent to Hoan Kiem Lake.
They are commonplace absolutely everywhere and you can often find them on corners where streets intersect. Some of our favourites are:
♦ Kalina Café
♦ Fifi Art and Craft Coffee
♦ AHA Cafe
A special comment for Note Coffee – Hanoi’s most Instagrammable Café
The Note Coffee Café in Hanoi is all the rage nowadays! It’s a coffee shop where you get a cute note with each drink and you can leave your own comments anywhere in the building. With an enviable location right on the edge of Hoan Kiem Lake, you’ll almost certainly pass it during any walk through the Old Quarter.
We visited as we were passing (also anywhere that does an explicitly vegetarian Banh Mi is a winner in our book). It’s cute, no doubt, and the prices are reasonable considering its newfound popularity. They do the obligatory egg coffee that everyone should try once when in Vietnam too.
Truthfully, there are a few negatives though – the place is full of ants and it is impossible to clean the sides really when they are coated with post-it notes! You 100% will also end up in some person’s Instagram reel whilst having your quiet coffee. Plus, when we were there, the entire place was filled with douchebags – full-on unfriendly, rude Europeans and Americans. Just a heads up!
5. Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
One of the easiest things to do in Hanoi is to take a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake, just south of the Old Quarter. Along the north-eastern edge is Ngoc Son Temple, reached by a beautiful red bridge. It looks particularly beautiful at night all lit up and costs 30k dong entrance fee.
It’s a lovely place to spend an hour just people watching. We were in Hanoi for Vietnamese Women’s Day and it was an incredible display of beautiful clothing and festivities as lots of women were there on photoshoots to celebrate!
6. Take a Trip to Halong Bay
Ok, so this one is a bit outside Hanoi (by a few hours!). We’ve only included it because a lot of people actually visit Hanoi *because of* Halong Bay. The world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site is at the top of most people’s Vietnam lists, for very good reason. The thousands of towering limestone karsts dotted throughout the ocean are a spectacular sight and worthy of at least a day of your time.
There are many options for organising a trip, so enquire with your hotel in Hanoi. If you are looking for a way to visit Halong Bay on a budget, we’ve covered that in a separate post (Halong Bay is especially expensive if you are a solo traveller or backpacker!).
7. EXPERIENCE HANOI TRAIN STREET
This is another site that has gotten popular in recent years, particularly with people backpacking Hanoi, so much so that the police have restricted access to the train line after an accident in September 2022. It’s kind of embarrassing that so many tourists have caused problems here. One report mentioned a driver explaining that a woman just stood on the tracks filming and even after he sounded the horn, she still didn’t move, and the train had to be brought to an emergency stop.
It is a popular location to watch trains pass by within inches of the local shops and cafes. However, it’s become a bit of thing now – you’ll struggle to see the train through the sea of GoPros and mobile phones filming!
We actually visited the tracks in 2019 and it was kind of cool seeing the little businesses but didn’t hang around to watch the train. Honestly, it’s just not our cup of tea. However, as the entry restrictions have now changed, we thought we’d mention it here. Currently, walking down the tracks is not allowed (police are present) and you now have one of the café owners take you to a seat in their café to watch the train pass.
8. Shopping at the Hanoi Night Market
On the centre/west side of the Old Quarter, along Hang Dao Street to Dong Xuan Market you’ll find some seriously chaotic Hanoi shopping and festivities. The Hanoi night market is loud, busy, bright and incredibly good value, especially if you are looking for something specific. This is the perfect place to buy your fruit-adorned shirts and brightly coloured elasticated trousers. You can also get plug adapters, shoes, bags and a myriad of other useful (and sometimes far less useful!) stuff. Be prepared for a bunch of knock-off designer stuff and a lot of clothes.
It’s open from Friday to Sunday and is cordoned off for foot traffic (and motorbikes of course). There are lots of food stalls and people watching – just keep walking – it goes on forever!
This is one place I haggle (and we rarely haggle for anything).
9. VISIT SOME OF THE MANY MUSEUMS IN HANOI
Hanoi has loads of museums, some related to the Vietnam/American War, others about the culture, history and heritage of Vietnam. All have very reasonable entrance fees (some charge a media fee for photography though – check when you pay). Students and seniors get discounts. Here are a few museums in Hanoi to choose from:
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF VIETNAMESE HISTORY
Split into two with the larger site located behind the opulent Hanoi Opera House, the National Museum of Vietnamese History displays exhibits going back through thousands of years of Vietnamese history.
Ticket price: 40k dong
Open 8-12pm and 1:30-5pm. Closed Mondays.
Access to both sections of the museum is included in the ticket price. The first building is at No 1 Trang Tien Street (Vietnamese History from Prehistoric period to Nguyen dynasty, 1945) and the second is at 216 Tran Quang Khai Street (Vietnamese History from the mid-19th century to present).
THE HOA LO PRISON MUSEUM
Also famously known as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’, the Hoa Lo Prison Museum originally housed prisoners of war during the Vietnam/American war, including the late John McCain.
Ticket price: 30k dong
Opening times: 8am to 5pm daily
VIETNAMESE WOMEN'S MUSEUM
The Vietnamese Women’s Museum is dedicated to Vietnamese women, with topics including family, history and fashion. It details information on rituals, customs, traditions and the role of women in war time and beyond.
Ticket price: 40k dong
Opening times: 8am to 5pm daily
HO CHI MINH MUSEUM
The Ho Chi Minh Museum contains artifacts dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh and the revolutionary struggle of Vietnam.
Ticket price: 40k dong
Opening times: 8–12pm and 2-4:30pm daily
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
This mausoleum is the final resting place of embalmed President Ho Chi Minh in a glass coffin. Interesting fact – Ho Chi Minh wished to be cremated with his ashes buried in northern, central and southern Vietnam.
Free entry. Be aware that children under 3 years old not allowed in.
Opening hours of 7:30am to 10:30am. Closed Friday and Monday. Open until 11am on Saturday and Sunday.
Military History Museum
A collection of the equipment and weapons used in the Vietnam/American War including planes, tanks and other armoured vehicles.
Ticket price: 40k dong
Opening times 8-11:30am and 1-4:30pm daily
