Hanoi

Why go

Hanoi eats breakfast on the pavement. By 6.30am the plastic stools are out along Bat Dan and Hang Ga, cauldrons of beef broth have been simmering since the small hours, and office workers in pressed shirts lean over bowls of pho while motorbikes slide past their elbows. At Hoan Kiem Lake, retirees move through tai chi, couples pose for wedding photos and a badminton game uses the footpath as a court. None of it is staged for visitors. The city lives outdoors, and you are welcome to pull up a stool.

On one short walk you pass the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 and home to Vietnam's first national university; ochre French villas with green shutters; Hoa Lo, the prison the French built for Vietnamese revolutionaries and North Vietnam later used for captured American pilots; and Soviet-era apartment blocks with potted plants caged on every balcony.

The food is northern: less sweet and more herb-driven than the south's, and served in places that have made one dish for decades. Most of the best meals cost less than US$3. Two of Vietnam's great landscapes, the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay and the flooded karst valleys of Ninh Binh, are two to three hours away.

The lay of the land

Hanoi spreads along the west bank of the Red River, but almost everything a visitor wants sits in a compact core you can cross on foot in 40 minutes.

Hoan Kiem Lake is the compass point. North of it, the Old Quarter is a tight grid of streets still named for the goods once traded there: Hang Bac for silver, Hang Gai for silk, Hang Ma for paper offerings. The buildings are tube houses, a few metres wide and very deep, with shops at street level and families above. This is where most hostels, mid-range hotels and street-food stalls are.

South and east of the lake, the French Quarter has wide tree-lined boulevards, the Opera House, the Sofitel Legend Metropole and most of the embassies. West of the Old Quarter, Ba Dinh is the political district, with the mausoleum, the Presidential Palace grounds, the One Pillar Pagoda and the UNESCO-listed Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. To the north-west, Tay Ho (West Lake) is where many expatriates live, with lakeside cafés and a slower pace.

The railway runs along the western edge of the Old Quarter and crosses the Red River on Long Bien Bridge, built by the French at the start of the 20th century. Since Vietnam abolished district-level government in July 2025, many addresses give only a ward and the city, such as "Hoan Kiem Ward, Hanoi". Ride-hail apps handle this well; older printed maps may not.

When to go

Hanoi has real seasons, which surprises people who pack only for the tropics. The figures here are 1991–2020 normals from Vietnam's national meteorological service, published by the World Meteorological Organization.

Autumn is the best time. October averages highs of about 30°C and November about 26°C, rainfall drops from 126 mm to 48 mm, and the light is clear. Spring, in March and April, is warm but often grey, with a fine drizzle that keeps everything damp. Summer, from May to September, is hot and wet, with highs around 33–34°C in June and July and 300 mm or more of rain in July and August. Vietnam's storm season runs from June to November, and storms regularly keep Ha Long Bay boats in port. Winter, from December to February, is cool and mostly dry, with highs of 20–22°C and lows around 15°C. Rooms are rarely heated, so pack a warm layer. Winter is also when Hanoi's air quality is usually at its worst.

Tet, the Lunar New Year, falls on 6 February 2027. The run-up is wonderful, with peach-blossom markets and kumquat trees strapped to the backs of scooters, but for several days around it many family restaurants and shops close, trains and buses sell out and prices rise. The 30 April and 1 May holidays and National Day on 2 September send domestic crowds to Ha Long and Ninh Binh. If you want Ninh Binh's rice paddies gold, aim for late May or early June.

What it costs

Hanoi is one of the cheapest capitals in Asia for food and transport. In mid-October 2026, US$1 bought about VND 25,900, so VND 100,000 is roughly US$3.90.

A bowl of pho or a plate of bun cha at a well-known stall costs VND 50,000–80,000. A glass of bia hoi, the fresh draught beer delivered daily and served from kegs on street corners, costs VND 10,000–15,000. Metro rides are VND 9,000–19,000, and the 86 airport bus is VND 45,000. Big sights are cheap: the Temple of Literature is VND 70,000 and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology VND 40,000.

Money goes on rooms and excursions. Booking.com's weekend average for a three-star room was about US$90 a night in October 2026, although plenty of clean Old Quarter rooms cost half that midweek. An overnight Ha Long Bay cruise typically costs VND 2–4 million per person per night, and the Trang An boat trip in Ninh Binh is VND 300,000. Imported wine and rooftop cocktails are where a cheap trip quietly gets expensive. Locals save by eating com binh dan, rice with point-at dishes, at lunchtime, and by drinking bia hoi instead of bottled beer.

Getting there and around

Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) is about 30 km north of the centre, and international flights use Terminal 2. Before you fly, file the free pre-arrival form at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn within three days of landing; Vietnam's immigration department recommends it, and the US government describes it as required for air arrivals. The orange express bus 86 runs to the edge of the Old Quarter and on to Hanoi Railway Station for VND 45,000. A Grab car costs around VND 250,000–350,000 including the toll and takes 40–60 minutes outside rush hour. If you take a taxi, use the official rank: Canada's travel advice warns that criminals posing as taxi drivers at Noi Bai have forced visitors to withdraw cash.

In the centre, walk. Distances are short, but pavements are used for parking and cooking, so you will spend time in the road. For longer hops, Grab and the electric Xanh SM fleet offer cars and motorbikes at fixed in-app prices, and metered taxis from established companies are fine too. Metro Lines 2A and 3 serve the west of the city. Rides cost VND 9,000–19,000, a day pass is VND 40,000, and since March 2026 you can tap a contactless Visa card at the gates. The underground section of Line 3 into the centre is still being built.

For Ninh Binh, trains from Hanoi Station take two to two and a half hours. For Ha Long Bay, most people ride a cruise company's shuttle or a limousine van along the expressway, about two and a half hours each way. Do not rent a motorbike unless you hold a Vietnamese licence: riding without one is illegal, and your insurer may refuse to pay after a crash.

Where to stay

First-timers should stay in or near the Old Quarter. You are steps from the best breakfast stalls and the lake, and rooms are cheap. The trade-off is noise: scooters from dawn, karaoke and bars late, and in narrow tube-house hotels many cheaper rooms have no window. Ask for a room at the back, away from the junction of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen, the beer street that stays loud past midnight.

The French Quarter, south of the lake, suits couples and anyone who wants calm and comfort. The grand hotels are here, including the Sofitel Legend Metropole and Capella Hanoi, on quieter streets that are still a 10-minute walk from the Old Quarter. Tay Ho works for longer stays and families, with serviced apartments and lakeside cafés, but you will take a Grab into the centre most days. Ba Dinh puts you near the mausoleum and museums, with fewer restaurants after dark.

What to do

Start at Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, when the city exercises in public, and cross the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple on its islet. From 7pm on Friday until midnight on Sunday, the streets around the lake close to traffic and fill with families, buskers and children in rented electric cars.

The Temple of Literature (VND 70,000) is Hanoi's most beautiful complex: five walled courtyards, a lotus pond and stone steles on turtles' backs recording the names of doctoral graduates. Go at opening. In Ba Dinh, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum receives visitors only on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Cover your shoulders and knees. The surrounding complex, with the stilt house where Ho Chi Minh lived and the One Pillar Pagoda, pairs well with the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (VND 100,000).

For history with an edge, Hoa Lo Prison (VND 50,000) tells the story of French colonial imprisonment in detail and the story of the American pilots held there selectively. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (VND 40,000, closed Mondays) is the best museum in the city, with full-size traditional houses from Vietnam's ethnic groups in its garden. Book a show at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (VND 100,000–200,000), where a northern folk art is performed in a pool with live musicians. At sunset, walk out along Long Bien Bridge for the river and the skyline.

Day trip to Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay's roughly 1,600 limestone islands and islets are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and they are as dramatic as the photographs. The problem is distance. A day trip means about five hours on the road for four to six hours on the water, plus boat traffic at the most visited caves. If you can, take an overnight cruise and wake up on the bay. The standard day-route sightseeing fee was VND 290,000 in mid-2026 and is usually included in cruise prices, so check that yours includes it.

Day trip to Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh is the easier day trip and, for many travellers, the better one. At Trang An (VND 300,000 including the boat), a rower takes you along a river through caves and between sheer karst walls. At Hang Mua (VND 100,000), about 500 steps lead to a viewpoint over the Tam Coc valley. Trains take about two hours each way, but stay a night if you can: the day-trippers leave by late afternoon and the valley goes quiet.

Eat and drink

Pho is breakfast, bun cha is lunch, and bia hoi with grilled snacks fills the evening. The most famous places sell one dish and close when it runs out.

For pho bo, queue at Pho Gia Truyen, 49 Bat Dan, where you order, pay and carry your own bowl to a table. Bun cha, grilled pork in a sweet-sour broth with rice noodles and herbs, is the speciality of Bun Cha Huong Lien at 24 Le Van Huu, where Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate in 2016. Cha ca, turmeric-marinated fish fried at the table with dill and spring onion, is a Hanoi original, and Cha Ca Thang Long at 6B Duong Thanh holds a 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand. For banh cuon, steamed rice rolls filled with pork and wood-ear mushroom, go to Banh Cuon Gia Truyen Thanh Van at 14 Hang Ga in the morning. Cafe Giang at 39 Nguyen Huu Huan has served egg coffee since 1946. Round out the Old Quarter with bun bo Nam Bo at 67 Hang Dieu, sticky rice at Xoi Yen at 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, and a banh mi at Banh Mi 25 on Hang Ca.

Etiquette is relaxed. Sit where there is space, even with strangers, and pay at the end. Where there is no menu, ask the price first. Bia hoi corners fill after work; the junction of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen is the loudest, and the side streets are cheaper and calmer.

Practicalities

Money. The currency is the Vietnamese dong (VND). Hotels, upmarket restaurants and chains take cards; street food and small shops do not. Use ATMs inside banks or shopping centres, as Australia's government advises, and keep your card in sight when you pay.

Data. Tourist SIMs and eSIMs from Viettel and other carriers are sold in the arrivals hall at Noi Bai. A 30-day plan costs around VND 150,000–250,000, and you need your passport to register it.

Water and power. Drink bottled or filtered water. The supply is 220 V, 50 Hz, and sockets take A, C and F plugs.

Safety and the law. Bag snatching from passing motorbikes is common in tourist areas, so carry bags on the side away from traffic. Drink spiking and methanol poisoning have been reported, so avoid unbranded spirits. It is illegal to buy, use, possess or bring in e-cigarettes and vapes, drug penalties are severe, and police sometimes test for drugs. Carry your passport: hotels register guests with the police, and airlines check ID on domestic flights.

Etiquette. Cover your shoulders and knees in temples and at the mausoleum, take your shoes off where others do, and keep your voice down in pagodas.

LGBTQ+. Same-sex relationships are not criminalised, but same-sex marriages are not legally recognised. Hanoi's gay scene is small and discreet, and public displays of affection of any kind are uncommon.

Accessibility. Hanoi is hard going with limited mobility. Pavements are broken, crowded with motorbikes and full of steps, and few older buildings have lifts. Metro stations do have lifts, and Grab will drop you at the door.

Phrases. Xin chào (hello), cảm ơn (thank you), bao nhiêu tiền? (how much?), không cay (not spicy), and the drinking toast một, hai, ba, dô! (one, two, three, cheers). For emergencies, dial 113 for police, 114 for fire and 115 for an ambulance.

What nobody tells you

The air is the first thing. From late autumn to early spring, still, cool weather traps smoke and traffic fumes, and Hanoi's air quality is often poor. If you have asthma, check an air-quality app each morning and save indoor sights for the worst days.

Train Street is a real hazard. In August 2026 trains were still passing the cafés squeezed against the tracks between Le Duan, Tran Phu and Phung Hung, and a passing train struck the phone a tourist was filming with. Police have warned visitors off the rails, penalised a café owner for trading in the railway safety corridor and posted officers along the line, and the city has proposed rerouting passenger trains away from the stretch. If you go, stay off the tracks.

Ha Long Bay can disappoint as a day trip: five hours of driving, a tightly timed boat and crowds at the main caves make for a tiring 12-hour day. An overnight cruise, or the quieter Lan Ha Bay off Cat Ba Island, fixes most of that.

Watch the visa websites. Lookalike sites charge several times the government fee, so use evisa.gov.vn and nothing else, and check every letter of your name before you pay.

The noise never stops: horns, construction and karaoke from early morning to late night. Bring earplugs.

If your dates overlap Tet, book transport early, expect closures, and enjoy the strangely empty streets once half the city has gone home to the countryside.