Hanoi, Vietnam: A Short Travel Guide

Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam, located in the northern part of the country. It’s a chaotic but fascinating city, with motorcycles weaving through bustling traffic and the constant sound of honking horns. It’s a blend of both old and modern Vietnam, where ancient pagoda’s and well-preserved colonial buildings stand along tall skyscrapers. When you add to that an excellent food scene, vibrant nightlife, and rich cultural heritage, you’ve got a captivating city. In this travel guide, we share our top things to do in Hanoi as well as great places to stay, eat, and drink.

Hanoi Train Street

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Check out our video about Hanoi to see the best things to do through our camera!

Best Things To Do In Hanoi

• Explore The Old Quarter (Join a Free Walking Tour)

• Experience the nightlife (Ta Hien Beer Street Hanoi)

• Hoan Kiem Lake Walk & Ngoc Son Temple

• See Hanoi’s Train Street (Intersecting train street: P. Trần Phú or Điện Biên Phủ)

• See the Phung Hung Street Art

• Visit Hồ Chí Minh’s Mausoleum & Monuments

• Shop At Dong Xuan Market & the Weekend Night Market

• Take a Stroll At West Lake & Tran Quoc Pagoda

• Get A View Of The City (Lotte Observation Deck has the best view)

• Go On A Street Food Tour

• Watch The Water Puppet Show (Buy tickets in advance)

• Learn About Vietnam’s Past At The Hỏa Lò Prison Museum

Download our Google Map with all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay here.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Places To Stay In Hanoi

• Hanoi Traveller House ($): Both dorm rooms and private rooms in the heart of the Old Quarter

• Golden Sun Hotel Trendy ($$ - where we stayed): Small hotel with comfortable spacious rooms, great price-quality

• Peridot Grand Luxury Boutique Hotel ($$$): Luxury hotel with rooftop pool and very comfortable rooms

Old Quarter Hanoi

Places To Eat And Drink In Hanoi

• 1977 STATION - 06 TRAINSTREET: coffee shop with view of Train Street - prices are higher

• A New Day Restaurant: local Vietnamese dishes

• Au Lac Family Restaurant: for Western comfort food as well as local dishes

• Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền Thanh Vân: local place to try "Bánh Cuốn - rolled cakes with a traditional filling made of pork, onion, and mushrooms

• Banh Mi 25: famous place to try the Banh Mi sandwich - it's not easy to find a table here so expect to queue!

• Bún Chả Đắc Kim: great local eatery to try Bún Chả - local dish of grilled pork and noodles

• Bun Cha Ta: another famous eatery renowned for its Bún Chả

• Café Giảng: café where the original egg coffee was invented

• Cha Ca Thang Long: historic eatery that specializes in the iconic Vietnamese dish called Cha Ca, which consists of grilled fish served with noodles, herbs, and dipping sauce.

• Chè Hương Hải 93 Hàng Bạc- Đặc sản chè ngon nhất tại Hà Nội: great place to try local desserts

• Chillhood - Rooftop Cafe & Bistro: nice rooftop bar at West Lake

• Hanoi Coffee Station: good coffee

• Highlands Coffee: Vientamese coffee chain with good wifi and coffee

• Hương Việt: cozy restaurant with local dishes - also lots of vegan options

• KingRoti - 34 Hàng Gai: delicous bakery that serves four different kinds of roti (we loved the Matcha Roti!)

• MẸT Vietnamese restaurant & Vegetarian Food: nice restaurant that caters to tourists - with a variety of (non-)vegetarian dishes

• Nem Nướng Nha Trang Quế Hoa: best place to try summer rolls

• Pasteur Street Craft Beer - Hoan Kiem Taproom & Restaurant: brewpub with lots of local craft beers on tap

• Phở bò gia truyền: authentic and mouthwatering pho

• Pizza 4P’s Bao Khanh: popular pizza place - a bit pricy

• Quan An Ngon: upscale restaurant serving a wide range of local Vietnamese food

• SOL Sky Bar: rooftop bar with scenic view of Hoan Kiem Lake

• Terraço Sky Bar: another rooftop bar with view of Hoan Kiem Lake (best to reserve a table)

• The Eat List Indian Restaurant: great Indian food (though a bit pricy)

• Xôi Yến: traditional sticky rice dishes for breakfast

Sticky rice breakfast at Xôi Yến

Map Hanoi

Find all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay in Hanoi on Google Maps. To follow and save the list, do the following:

1. Tap on the link to open it (click button below)

2. Tap Follow. This list will now be added to the group of lists you follow.

3. Optional: To unfollow a list someone shared with you, tap the list Saved.

If you follow the list we made, all our saved places of Luang Prabang will show up in Your Places. The places will also appear as suggested locations in Google Maps.

Save Google Maps Places

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Use These Websites To Save Money On Your Trip To Hanoi

• Booking.com for places to stay

• Skyscanner for cheap flights

• GetYourGuide for local tours

• Rentalcars.com for affordable car rentals

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Are you having a hard time planning your trip to Hanoi? Get our Interactive Travel Planner to keep it all organized.

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Need more travel inspiration? Check out our other destinations and articles about Vietnam:

• Northern Vietnam: Beautiful places to visit

• Ha Giang Loop: How to do the Ha Giang Loop

• Cat Ba Island: A Short Travel Guide