15 Best things to do in Hanoi
In April 2023, we travelled 3 weeks in Vietnam. Our original plan was to visit all of Vietnam but as we were planning it, we decided to focus on the north and center of Vietnam. Therefor allowing more time in both those regions.
Our trip started and ended in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. And we also spent an overnight in Hanoi as we travelled back from Sapa to Halong Bay.
Our complete trip included in this order: Hanoi, Sapa, Hanoi, Halong Bay/LanHa Bay, Tam Coc (Ninh Binh), Hue, HoiAn, Hanoi. And as always, we will make a complete itinerary of the trip.
One particular thing is that we travelled Vietnam while Tina was 9 to 12-week Pregnant. So, it wasn’t always easy yet we enjoyed it!
Hanoi is the capital and the second largest city in Vietnam. Hanoi’s history goes back to the third century BCE, when a portion of the modern-day city served as the capital of the historic Vietnamese nation of Âu Lạc. But today Hanoi has changed a lot from this time.
Today, Hanoi offers well-preserved French colonial architecture, religious sites dedicated to Buddhism, Catholicism, Confucianism and Taoism, several historical landmarks of Vietnamese imperial periods, and a large number of museums. The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long in Ba Dinh District was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.
In this article, we will tell our story going around all the best things to do in Hanoi. So, if you too are planning a trip to Vietnam and to Hanoi, then let ‘s dive in these best things to do in Hanoi.
Table of Contents
Video
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Getting there
Getting to Hanoi is quite easy, you can fly directly to its international import. Most of the major cities have direct flight to Hanoi. We personally arrived from Frankfurt directly to Hanoi using Bamboo Airways.
If you are coming from the Americas, you may have to first land in Ho Chi Minh City and then take a national flight to Hanoi.
From the airport, the best way to get to the city center is by either taxi, grab (the local uber) or transfer.
We actually tried them all, on our first transfer, we opted for a metered taxi. Little did we know that the rates are not the same and that you must ask the final price in advance. Otherwise, you will end up with a 600 000 Dong bill.
Our second transfer was with a Grab (the local uber APP). This time it cost 300 000 Dong plus 40 000 for the toll gate at the airport.
And finally, we negotiated a transfer with our final accommodation for 300 000 Dong. But yes, negotiated as the first time their offered it to us it was around 420 000 Dong.
Moving Around
Once you are in the old city quarter, most of the attraction can be reached walking. But in some case grabbing a “GRAB” is the best option as it is not expensive at all.
We strongly recommend downloading GRAB App as it is easy to use, is fully in English, you don’t need credit card information, pay in cash and know how much you will have to pay.
When to Visit
Let’s start by saying that Vietnam is a really long country and as such have 3 very distinct type of weather (North/central/South).
The best time to visit Hanoi is Autumn (from September to November) if you want less rain and cool temperatures. The raining season being Summer (June to August). However, Spring (from March and April/Mai) is the second-best time to visit especially if you plan on visiting more than only the north of Vietnam. We visited Vietnam as this time and during our stay in Hanoi, we had mostly rain but yet it was warm.
Where to Stay
It is definitely important to have a good accommodation in Hanoi as the weather can be a bit tricky and wet. That’s why we handpicked those ones:
- (€): Emerald Waters Hotel
- (€€): San Grand Hotel
- (€€€): Peridot Grand Luxury
What to Eat
The best things to eat in Vietnam are:
- Pho: A Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat or tofu.
- Banh mi: A French-Vietnamese baguette sandwich filled with vegetables, meat/tofu/tempeh, and sauce…
- Banh Xeo: A rice flour pancake filled with various toppings and herbs.
Plus, lots of many other dishes made of spring rolls, fried noodle, or rice. We personally always found vegetarian or vegan option in Vietnam but also noticed that their kitchen is quite heavy and used lots of fried and deep-fried ingredients.
They are also lots of drinks to try:
- Egg coffee: Hot or cold coffee prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and strong coffee.
- Iced coffee: Made using Medium/Dark coffee passing through hot water into a cup that already contains condensed milk.
- Coconut Coffee: Where coconut milk is added.
Plus, they are also lots of fresh juices, fresh coconuts and beers to try.
Our favourite coffee shops are:
- The Note Coffee
- Café Giang
- Hidden Gem Coffee
- Loading T Coffee
- The Hanoi Social club
- Cong café
- Railway coffee
Our favourite restaurants are:
- Tung’s Kitchen
- Hoang’s restaurant
- 4P’s Pizza Bao Khanh
- Veggies Castle
Best things to do in Hanoi
St Joseph Cathedral
Our First stop was the St Joseph Cathedral of Hanoi, the oldest church in Vietnam, inspired by Notre Dame de Paris. We also visited inside where a ceremony was taking place.
It is a late 19th-century Gothic Revival (Neo-Gothic style) church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi. The cathedral is named after Joseph, the patron saint of Vietnam.
The cathedral conducts Mass several times during the day. For Sunday evening mass at 6:00 PM, large crowds spill out into the streets. The prayer hymns are broadcast; Catholics who are unable to enter the cathedral congregate in the street and listen to hymns.
Old Quarter
The Old Quarter is the name commonly given to the historical civic urban core of Hanoi. This quarter used to be the residential, manufacturing and commercial center, where each street was specialized in one specific type of manufacturing or commerce.
Street Murals
Located north of the old quarter, Phung Hung street has been revived with beautiful mural paintings recalling Hanoi in the past. Opened to the public in early February 2018, it is now a favorite photo place and cultural space for city dwellers and travelers to Hanoi.
Manicure & Pedicure
After that, Tina wanted to do her nails. We stopped at Chic Nail, next to the Note coffee. It cost 170 000 Dong for a manicre. If you are in Hanoi, you should consider doing a manicure or pedicure at least one. Compared to our French price, it was so cheap.
On our last day in Hanoi, we tried another one for a manicure and pedicure this time at Aurora Nails & Spa Hanoi. This time, the saloon was nicer, the staff spoke good English and gave us lots of delicious tea It also cost 650 000 dong which was much more than the first time. But it was worth it.
Beer Street & Night Market
While strolling around the old quarter we popped by the night market and the beer streets. As it was during the day it wasn’t too lively but at night the beer street is filled with locals, backpackers, flashpackers, and holidaymakers alike.
Buy some fruits from a local vendor
On the way we bought from a little shop dry Mango for 60 000 and from a lady with a bike, some bananas for 60 000.
Temples
We wanted to visit the oldest temple of this area, The Bach Ma temple, but it was closed. So, we visited another one right next to it.
There are a ton of temples in Hanoi and some of them are even among the most sacred or important temples in Vietnam. Besides that, these religious complexes are beautiful and worth making a quick stop.
Hoàn Kiếm lake & Ngoc son temple
We then headed toward the Ngoc son temple located on the Hoàn Kiếm lake. The entrance was 60 000 for two. The temple is quite nice and worth the visit.
Hoàn Kiếm Lake, also known as Sword Lake, is a fresh water lake, measuring some 12 ha in the historical center of Hanoi.
The Ngọc Sơn Temple, meaning Temple of the Jade Mountain, is a shrine located on Hoan Kiem Lake. Built on the Jade Islet, this temple is dedicated to Confucian and Taoist geniuses, as well as to the national hero Trần Hưng Đạo.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
On our way to the lake, we stopped at the water Puppets theatre to buy tickets for the next show which was at 16h10. There are 3 types of tickets depending on the location of seat 100 000, 150 000 and 200 000. We took a 150 000 one for the simple reason that we wanted a seat in the middle.
We arrived 15min prior the show, which was good, but you can easily arrive at the exact time.
The show lasted for 50 min and was amazing. One of the best things we did in Hanoi. You have 17 small performances in the water. Plus, we didn’t have anybody in front of us. What a chance.
In 1969, the theater was established and since 1990; many water puppet shows have been performed by Thang Long theater artists.Every year, about 500 shows are offered to approximately 150,000 audiences. Moreover, the theater has brought water puppetry art to more then 40 foreign countries like Japan, France, America, Australia, Spain… through performance tours, or international cultural exchange program or puppetry festivals.
Train Street
From there we went to the train Street which was closed. All the entrances were locked down by the police.
There is a way to enter though is to go with a local bar owner that will smuggle you in. But walking freely at night is not permitted anymore.
As we wanted to stay at the beginning of the street, we gave it up this time and will be back on our last day in Hanoi to try it out.
On our last day, we walked back to the train Street. There we called the owner of Railway coffee who picked us up and brought us in. Once in the coffee we met a family of 3 living in Singapore made of An Australian father, a German mother and their little girl.
As it was Sunday, there were train during the afternoon. As we waited a good hour for the train, another couple from Seychelles living in Dubai arrived. We really had a good time talking with them. And we got to see 2 trains passing. There we had 2 beers and a mango juice for 110 000
Temple of literature
The temple Literature is a temple dedicated to Confucius and host the Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first national university. While walking through it we discovered a few exhibits and 5 courtyards.
It was built in 1070 and is magnificent. The entrance of the temple was 60 000 for two. Interesting fact is that the temple is featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese đồng banknote
Imperial citadel of Thang Long
We then visited the imperial citadel of Thang Long. A huge historical and UNESCO site. It has a vast history from imperial citadel to military center during the latest war. It also cost 60 000 and features tons of exhibits and various things to see and read.
Tran Quoc Pagoda
Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, is located on a small island near the southeastern shore of Hanoi’s West Lake. Originally constructed in the sixth century during the reign of Emperor Lý Nam Đế (from 544 until 548), thus giving it an age of more than 1,500 years.
Quán Thành Temple
We passed by the Quán Thành Temple visiting it, as it seemed quited small, and we could see most of it from outside.
Quán Thánh Temple is a Taoist temple dating back to the 11th century, the temple was dedicated to Xuan Wu, or Trấn Vũ in Vietnamese, one of the principal deities in Taoism.
Ho Chi Minh mausoleum
To enter the main square, Tina had to cover her legs. We used our jacket for that. After we walked around the main square where we saw the mausoleum, the national assembly, the one Pilar pagoda and the Hô Chi Minh Museum that we didn’t visit.
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a mausoleum which serves as the resting place of Vietnamese revolutionary leader and President Ho Chi Minh. It is a large building located in the center of Ba Dinh Square, where Ho, Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Vietnam from 1951 until his death in 1969, read the Declaration of Independence on 2 September 1945, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. It is open to the public every morning except Monday.
More things to do in Hanoi
If you want more things to do in Hanoi, you can consider:
- Long Bien Bridge
- Vietnam National Museum of History
- Opera House
- Vietnamese Women’s Museum
- Hoa Lo Prison Relic
3-day Hanoi Itinerary
Day 1:
- St Joseph Cathedral
- Old Quarter
- The Note Coffee
- Street Mural
- Beer Street
- Temples
- Lunch – Hoang’s
- Hoàn Kiếm lake & Ngoc son temple
- Café Giang or Hidden Gem Coffee
- Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
- Dinner – Tung’s Kitchen
- Train Street
Day 2:
- Temple of literature
- Cong café
- Imperial citadel of Thang Long
- Veggies Castle
- Tran Quoc Pagoda
- Quán Thành Temple
- Ho Chi Minh mausoleum
- Loading T coffee
- 4P’s Pizza Bao Khanh
Day 3:
- Long Bien Bridge
- Opera House
- Lunch at the Hanoi social club
- Manicure & Pedicure
- Train Street
- Dinner at Pasteur Street Brewing Co
Staying Longer?
Our next stop was SaPa for 4 days, then Ha Long bay for a 3-day Luxury Cruise before heading to Tam Coc for 3 days (Ninh Binh). Altogether taking us around 10 days. If you do not have this kind of time, you should consider:
- This amazing and intense tour: Ninh Binh, Trang An, Bai Dinh, and Mua Cave Trip. In one day you get to see more than us in 3 days in Tam Coc.
- For the cruise in HaLong Bay, you can also do it directly from Hanoi in 1-day: Halong Bay Cruise with Swimming & Kayak Tour. Or in 2 days 2-Day Halong & Lan Ha Bay
- Want both of them together, it also exist: 3-Day Ninh Binh, Ha Long, & Lan Ha Bay 5-Star Cruise
- For SaPa, if you don’t want to organise the transportation and everything, this rates amongst the best tour: 2-Day Sa Pa Ethnic Homestay Tour with Trekking
Thùng rỗng kêu to – Empty barrels make loud noises.
Get our full map
Why pin one by one when you can get them all at once? With this map, you get all our pins, destinations, things to see, where to eat and sleep, and so much more in one time.
