Oh Hanoi, the city that led me to some of the best times in my life:

The focal point of any trip to Vietnam’s North, the hectic yet charming city of Hanoi can be a real assault on the senses, making it a bit of a “love it or hate it” type of city. Regardless of how you enjoy it, the fact of the matter is; you’re most likely going to find yourself there multiple times throughout a trip to Northern Vietnam, as it’s centrally located between many of the areas and towns that bring people to the region in the first place. So, let’s look into how best to enjoy your time in Hanoi.

1. Things to do:
2. Getting around:
3. Hanoi’s best hostels:
4. Where to Eat
5. Where to go next:
6. When to Visit:

Things to do:

Even if you’re only using Hanoi as a base to visit nearby areas, there’s so much to do here, so use any of the time you have to make the most of your visit. Here are some of the best attractions and activities in Hanoi:

Visit the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long: The hub of Vietnamese military power for over 1000 years (yeah, you read that right!), the Citadel is a must-visit attraction just outside of the old town. Cost: 100’000 VND. Open: 8 AM-5 PM

Explore HCM’s Mausoleum and the surrounding park: Some of the most historically significant things to see in Hanoi are located around Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. Besides for the iconic leaders remains, the nearby park also includes the HCM Museum, his stilt house, the presidential palace, and the One Pillar Pagoda. Cost: The park is free, the Mausoleum is 25,000 VND for foreigners ($1), and the museum is 30,000 VND. Open: The Mausoleum and Pagoda are open from 7 AM to 5 PM, and the museum and stilt house are open from 8 AM to 12 PM, then reopen from 2 PM to 4:30 (the museum is closed on Fridays and Mondays).

Visit the Temple of Literature: Nearly a millennia since being built (1070), this temple dedicated to Confucius remains a beautiful architectural landmark. If you’re looking for Instagram worthy temple pics, this is the place to go. Cost: 70,000 VND (about $3). Open: 8 AM-5 PM

Have a drink at Train Street: A touristy, but iconic spot in Hanoi’s old quarter, scrambling to move your chair and table back with the help of the more-than-used-to-it cafe owners help, then watching the train zip by you, close enough that you can feel the rush of air; is a staple to any visit to Hanoi. Cost: You only have to buy a drink/some food, though the prices will be slightly higher here. Open

See a show at the Water Puppet Theatre: One of the more unique shows you’ll watch in your life, the art of water puppetry in Vietnam is a ancient part of the culture of the rice farmers in the north. Watch the unique retelling of Vietnamese cultural stories in the Thang Long Theatre. Cost: 100,000-150,000-200,000 VND depending on your seat. Times: Usually five shows a day. Check the official website here for the current schedule.

See Tran Quoc Pagoda: The oldest pagoda in the city (nearly 1500 years old!!) Tran Quoc Pagoda is definitely worth a short stop if you find yourself near Ho Tay Lake. Cost: Free. Open: 7:30–11 AM, 1:30–5 PM.

Gaze at the imposing St. Josephs Cathedral: A Neo-Gothic Church is not exactly what you’d expect to find in the heart of Hanoi, yet here it is!

Take an audio guided tour through Hoa Lo Prison: Without a doubt one of my favourite things to do in Hanoi was to visit the riveting Hoa Lo Prison. The prison was first used to hold, torture, and even execute Vietnamese revolutionists during the era of French rule. Later it was used to hold American POWs during the Vietnam War, when it earned the nickname “the Hanoi Hilton”. I highly recommend getting yourself one of the engrossing audio guides to help you understand what you’re seeing. Cost: 30,000 VND for entry, 100,000 for an audio-guide. Open: 8-5 PM

Go to a local football match: Something I definitely didn’t expect to do while in Hanoi was cheer on the local football team! The city stadium, Hang Day Stadium, is home to both Cong An Hanoi and Hanoi FC. I went to a Hanoi FC match and the atmosphere was absolutely popping! Unfortunately, said “pop” was mostly from the away fans… I guess next time I’ve got to go to a Cong An match. You can also catch a Cong-Viettel game at the national stadium, which seats 40,000 fans! Cost: Confession, I don’t even know how I got my ticket. I went with someone I met on the Hostelworld chat and he rocked up with two tickets. The cost was 100,000 VND. (I also got a kit for 200,000 VND.) When: Check the V-League Schedule here.

Drink too many coconut coffees and eat too many bhan mhis in the old quarter: No visit to Vietnam would be complete without the constant overeating of bhan mhis and non-stop coffee drinking. The north is famous for its egg coffee but the coconut coffee >>> Check out the best cafes below ⬇️

Getting around:

This is the easiest section for me because there’s such an obvious choice: Grab taxis and taxi bikes.

Grab is a company very much like Uber… if Uber also offered rides on the back of motorcycles for a bargain price. Though the old quarter of Hanoi is walkable, if you ever feel like somewhere is too far to go on your own two feet, order yourself a Grab bike, hop on the back, and be whisked away, evading all traffic, to your destination. If you’re a group or you have large bags, you’ll want to take a regular Grab car. Bare in mind though, that cars are holed up in the horrid Hanoi traffic, and bikes are not. Therefor’ during busy times; It’s often worth to split up a group and each take Grab Bikes to your destination.

To go to further destinations such as Ninh Binh or Sapa, there are many daily buses you can get from the edge of the old town. These can be booked via 12Go:Asia, or at any of the seemingly infinite tour shops and kiosks. My personal rule, is that for journeys over four hours, I only take VIP or cabin buses. These are usually only 10% (VIP) or 20% (Cabin) more than the regular bus, and are infinitely more comfortable. For more advice on buses in Vietnam, check out my post on the good,the bad, and the ugly of Vietnam.

Hanoi’s best hostels:

Little Charm Hanoi: A hostel which undersells itself, there is more than a little charm to be found at this elegant and comfy hostel. Located bang in the centre of the always moving old quarter, you’d be surprised just how calm the hostel feels. There is a cafe/restaurant on the lobby floor, laundry service, a travel desk for any info on tours and travel you might need, a reading room, and an indoor pool. Best of all is the hostels chic aesthetic which is just, *chef’s kiss*.

Hanoi Backpackers and Rooftop Hostel: It’s Central, and it has a great rooftop. I didn’t stay here long, but from my one night stay, this hostel seemed quite good. The reception staff were really helpful in telling me the different ways to get to the airport and planning it with me, and the free breakfast over a rooftop view was exceptional. The rooms were decent but nothing worth writing home about, and thank god there was a lift!

The location was perfect.

Mad Monkey: Hanoi’s offering of the massive SEAsian hostel chain takes the party to the next level with its crazy events and parties. As always with Mad Monkeys, being a party hostel doesn’t take away from the quality of the rooms and facilities. Oh, and there’s a damn arcade in the hostel! Try beat my score of 114 on the basketball game 😉

Where to Eat

Because I keep a Kosher diet, I’ve made this section through a combination of other backpackers recommendations, general word of mouth, and places I stopped for coffee/drinks. The only Kosher restaurant in Hanoi is at Chabad 📌 and I highly recommend it. Especially the schnitzel! Shabbat at Chabad is amazing too, with an insipring friday night dinner, a more relaxed but no less uplifting shabbat day, and a culmination of a great shabbat with a fun (and filling) seudah shlishit. I found myself back at Chabad for no less than four shabbatot!

There are also some great foodie experiences you can have in Hanoi:

The Note Coffee – A cafe famous for being covered in sticky notes that you can add to. Pain Au Chocolate and egg coffee are the classic purchases here.

Take a guided tour with a chef – Take an early morning tour with the chef who showed Gordon Ramsey (hear of him?) around Hanoi. Find out more here.

Take a Street Food Tour – No better way to find the best street food than on this guided tour that will teach you about the food of the north.

Learn to make Vietnamese coffee at a workshop – If, like me, your a unashamed caffeine addict. Or you’re just curious about how the local coffee is made, there’s no better way to learn than by making it yourself!

Join a cooking class – Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, you feed him for life. What better way to enjoy Vietnamese food than to make it yourself!?

Where to go next:

Here are some of the most popular destinations which are easily accessible from the capital:

Ninh Binh/Tam Coc: These neighbouring towns are surrounded by landscapes that look like they came straight out of the Avatar movies! Spend a couple of hours on a boat tour through the dramatic river landscapes where they filmed Kong: Skull Island, climb up to the impressive Mua Cave Viewpoint (which is much higher than the cave), and feel at peace while cycling through reflective rice paddies.

Oh, and be sure to spend a night at the famed Karaoke Buses!

Ninh Binh and Tam Coc can be visited as a day trip form Hanoi, though I recommend spending at least one night there. Banana Tree Hostel is often described as on the best in the entire region and it doesn’t take long to see why. Be sure to book at least a couple days in advance as this hostel tends to sell out.

Ha Long Bay: One of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Ha Long Bay is not to be missed while in Vietnam.

There are many ways to discover the mesmeric bay; You can take a day tour from Hanoi, stay overnight on nearby Cat Ba Island (as I did and really enjoyed), or, for some luxury, you can join one of the myriad of awesome cruises available through the bay.

Staying on Cat Ba would be my recommendation, because as beautiful as Ha Long Bay is, it’s fallen victim of mass tourism in a very visible way, meaning that the cruises quickly lose their charm. If you stay on Cat Ba however, you can get a day cruise which will also take you to the nearby Lan Ha Bay, where the landscapes are nearly as majestic visually, and the tranquillity and cleanliness are tenfold! Plus, Cat Ba Island is amazing in its own right, with great hostels, restaurants, and activities around the island. (It’s also a solid place to practice driving a scooter).

I stayed at a newly opened hostel: Napoli Hostel, and really liked how clean and calm it was. I also had a great time beating the owner and her entire family at pool 😅🎱

Sapa: Vietnam’s hiking capital is “just” a five-hour bus ride from its actual capital. Up here, the sun glints off of tiered rice fields, the reflection only being broken as water buffalo plod through the paddies. Day hikes are plentiful here, and the Indochinese Peninsulas tallest mountain, Fansipan, welcomes visitors to its peak via cable car. Hostels and hotels are good value in the main town, but the best Sapa experiences are had while on overnight tours to local homestays:

Start your stay by walking with your “mama” through the valleys, past old villages and their local craftsmen/women, gentle water buffalo, and a lot of rice. After a few hours you’ll arrive at your homestay, where you’ll have time for a short rest, followed by joining the family for dinner, which usually leads into hours of karaoke, interesting conversations, and card games. If you choose to stay for one night, the next morning you’ll hike back to the city via a different route. If you’re staying multiple nights, each day your host will take you on different trails, always ending up back at the homestay for dinner and, once again, Karaoke 🎤

Ha Giang: The motorcycle loop can’t be done justice with words alone, so here’s a photo gallery which should be enough to convince you to make your way to what is for my money, the most stunning part of South East Asia.

By far the best way to explore Ha Giang is on a motorcycle. You can either book a tour (they’re plenty of options but my choice would always be Bong), or rent your own and find your own places to stay (much more challenging but also more rewarding).

Ha Giang is a bit over six hours from Hanoi by bus.

When to Visit:

I hope this guide, as compact as it is, has given you a solid foundation to plan your time in Hanoi with! Until next time: