This post is about what to do in Hanoi.
I will give you a full list of the best activities and places to visit. Plus some additional information you’ll find useful as well.
Things To Do
1 Visit Halong Bay
This is by far, the number one thing you can not miss while being in Hanoi.
It’s without a doubt one of the most beautiful places you’ll see in Asia
Halong means descending dragon. According to a Vietnamese Legend, the emperor Jade sent a mother dragon and its children down to earth to battle some invaders that were making their way into the Vietnamese Sea.
In order to stop the enemy ships, the dragons spat fire and jade at them.
The jade then turned into the many towering limestone islands covered by rainforests that now form Halong Bay.
After defeating the enemies, the mother dragon fell in love with the bay and decided to descend and make it its home.
Activities in Halong Bay
What makes this place even more beautiful than it already is, is the way how you can enjoy it.
You can spend 1, 2 or even 3 days in Halong Bay on board of a Cruise.
Once you’re in Hanoi, you’ll see tons of tour operators offering cruise tours to Halong bay, and in any hotel you stay, you’ll equally find information about these cruise tours.
Please note that not all cruise ships look like the one in the picture.
There will be plenty of options to choose from, the nicer the ship the more expensive the price will be.
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The tour companies will pick you up at your hotel, take you to the port and onto your cruise. Once it’s done they’ll take you back to your hotel.
2 Kayaking in Halong Bay
Well, in order to do this you must first join a cruise ship on Halong Bay, and make sure their itinerary includes Kayaking activities.
The cruise will park near a floating village. There they’ll give you your lifeguard vest, your paddles, and kayak of course.
Each kayak is for 2 people, don’t worry if you’ve never done it before, is super easy.
There is no better way to explore Halong Bay than by doing a bit of Kayaking and getting super close to those beautiful limestone mountains.
3 Visiting floating villages and a Pearl farm.
Again, to do this you must join a Halong Bay cruise. Make sure the activity is included in their itinerary.
Here you’ll see how a group of people makes a living out of culturing pearls for commercial purposes.
They’ll take you through their process from beginning to end.
4 Visit some Caves
This is another activity you can do by simply joining a Halong Bay cruise. The caves are UNESCO declared world heritage areas.
The cruise ship will park near one of the limestone mountains and you’ll make your way up to the entrance of the cave.
Going up you’ll see a lot of foliage and trees. Once inside the cave, you’ll see beautiful stalactites all around you.
Walking inside the cave is not difficult at all as there is a paved path.
5 Have a beer on the deck of your cruise ship
This is very simple, yet so relaxing, just take an hour or 2 to hang out on the deck of your cruise ship, have a beer, read a book or just chill.
Something that is very particular in Halong bay and adds to the whole experience, is the way how the local sellers try to make you buy whatever they’re selling
Just because you’re on a cruise ship it doesn’t mean you’ll get away from them.
Expect them to approach the windows of your room in the cruise ship and offer their merchandise.
So remember, you can either book the cruise ship once you’re in Hanoi or do it online. I recommend you to do it once you get to your hotel in Hanoi.
When I went on one of these cruise tours, it turned out that out of the 10 passengers on board I was the only one who had booked online, and the one who paid the highest price.
Everyone else got a better deal by booking through their hotels or with tour operators in Hanoi.
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6 Visit the Old Quarter
This is also, in my opinion, the best place to stay.
Here you’ll find many economical hotels, tons of restaurants, cafes, bars, and local shops.
In this part of town, you’ll be able to experience the everyday life of the average Vietnamese. Be prepared for a sea of motorcycles all around you. Here are some common scenes you’ll see in the Old Quarter.
Just walking around this area of Hanoi is a whole experience in and of itself.
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8 Visit Hoan Kiem Lake
This is a fresh water lake located right in the middle of Hanoi’s historical center (Old Quarter).
This is a place to sit, relax, have a drink and read a book or just see people walk by.
The best time to visit this place is from Friday to Sunday when the nearby traffic is closed. After 7 pm and until midnight, a cool local fair vibe takes over, you’ll find a lot of street vendors trying to make business selling food, souvenir, and other curiosities.
The lake is lit up during night time, making it a nice place to take some nice pictures to keep as memories.
9 Hit the Night Markets for Some Food
One of the most popular street foods in Hanoi is located within walkable distance from the Old Quarter, there you’ll have the chance to eat a lot of different local food.
The amount of choices is endless.
Going from small dishes to full set meals, soup, rice, meat, seafood, you name it and they have it.
They also have vegetarian and vegan-friendly options like salad wraps, mushrooms kebabs and more WAY more.
Here is a gallery of Night Market food in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.
In case you’re trying to lose weight or you’re on a vegan or vegetarian diet, be sure you’ll find diet, vegan and vegetarian-friendly dishes that are very tasty.
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I still have one more item for this list
10 Eat some Phở
Even though this is yet more food, I decided to set it apart from the rest because it’s, without a doubt, one of the most iconic dishes of the Vietnamese Cuisine.
What is Pho exactly?
It’s a combination of broth, rice noodles, a few herbs, and some meat, the traditional one is made with beef, but you can also find some made with chicken.
Here is a list of 3 restaurants in Hanoi where you can find some of the best Pho in town.
Pho Thin
- Address: 13 Lò Đúc, Ngô Thì Nhậm, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội, Vietnam
- Hours: Every day, from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm
Pho Vui
- Address: 25 Hàng Giầy, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
- Hours: Every day from 7 am to 10 am and then from 6 pm to 12 am
Cafe Pho Nho (They have vegetarian Pho)
- Address: 7 Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Khu tập thể Nam Thành Công, Ba Đình, Hà Nội, Vietnam
- Hours: Every day from 7 am to 10 pm
From Hanoi International Airport to the City Center
There are 3 ways to get from Hanoi International Airport to the City center.
By Bus
City buses number 7 and 17 connect the airport with the center of the city, the bus stop is on the right side of the terminal exit of the airport, the fare is 5000 VND (0.3 USD)
The buses run from 5 am to 10 pm, every 15 to 20 minutes there will be a bus arriving and departing from the station.
Bus number 7 will drop you off at Kim Ma Bus station, from there you’ll most likely have to take a taxi to your hotel.
Bus number 17 will drop you off at Long Bien Bus Station.
From there you’ll have to take a walk for around 15 minutes to get to the Old Quarter (In case you’re staying there)
Airlines Shuttle Bus
Some Airlines like Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet might have shuttle buses from the airport to the city center, so consult with your Airline.
By Taxi
A taxi ride from Noi Bai International Airport to let’s say the Old Quarter will take around 45 minutes depending on traffic.
The fare will be charged based on a taximeter. A ride from the airport to the city center will be around 320,000 VND (14USD)
When in the airport, make sure you follow the signs leading to the taxi area, and make sure is a taxi metered taxi.
Do not listen to any random guy in the airport offering you a taxi, as they most likely want to charge you a fixed higher than the usual rate to take you to the city center.
Where To Stay in Hanoi?
My choice is and will always be the Old Quarter, this is definitely the most popular place to stay for tourists, which means its gonna be very crowded but I personally don’t mind that.
If you’re the kind of tourist who wants to wander through more quiet neighborhoods and stay away from other tourists as much as possible, then I would recommend the following
Tay Ho, this is mostly an ex-pat neighborhood, the cultural shock is not as strong here as it’s full of modern stores that have a western feeling, there are many choices for dining and nightlife.
It’s close to the flower market.
Ba Dinh District, this is a district with a lot of history, some of the most visited spots in Hanoi are located here but it’s definitely not as crowded as the Old Quarter.
The war museum, the old citadel and Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum are nearby.
Hai Ba Trung, this is the most modern district in Hanoi, you’ll find nice restaurants, cafes, movie theaters, and malls.
For a more traditional feeling, you can head over to Pho Hue street.
Avoid a Scam I Fell for
See the ladies in the picture below, well this is what happened.
My first couple of hours in Hanoi, I was just walking around when all of a sudden one of those ladies approached me and offered some bread to me.
I took it, and as soon as I took it she started filling a plastic bag with pieces of bread and she said 350 thousand.
And I was like, OK….. sure why not, so I gave her the money and she disappeared.
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Then, I kept on walking and then entered a coffee store, I ordered a beverage and they charged me like 90 thousand VND.
So there I thought: Shit how much did I give that woman for the bread?????
It turns out I paid like 14 USD for 4 pieces of bread.
Now, is also my fault, because I just didn’t take time to do the conversion in my head.
I just assumed it was a cheap price, but for sure these women target tourists who they know might just be getting to town and are still getting familiar with their currency.
After asking around, some other tourists told me the same thing happened to them, so be careful if someone offers you bread on the streets.
But that was nothing compared to all the good things Hanoi has to offer. I LOVE Hanoi.
So there you have it, fun activities, things to eat, where to shop and where to stay.
Vietnam Visa
There are only a few countries that can enter Vietnam visa free, the rest of us need to apply for an authorization letter.
Once they send it to your email you print it out and take it with you on the trip. Once you arrive to the airport you use the letter to get the tourist visa
For more details please click here
Expenses in Hanoi
This is a very important part of traveling, how much money do I need?
Well, the average cost of living in Hanoi is cheap in comparison to developed western nations.
However, if you want to stay in 4 or 5 stars hotels, eat at nice restaurants and take luxury cruises, then that’ll cost you some money.
Let me give you some average quotes and then I’ll show you more specific information.
As of 2019
- The average daily cost for traveling in Hanoi is 41 USD
- The average daily cost for food in Hanoi is 11 USD
- The Average price for a hotel for a couple in Hanoi is 43 USD a night
Now here’s more information in the following tables, the source is Budgetyourtrip.com
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