Hanoi – quick travel guide

Vietnam’s main northern city…different and contrasting against Saigon (Vietnam’s main southern city).

Totally different culture from the South. As the saying goes, they don’t like each other. Different vibe, different accent, different food, and small cultural differences. Unlike Saigon’s busy, chaotic, fast-paced lifestyle…Hanoi is slightly more relaxed, chill…but still busy in its own way.

2 days is enough to feel like you saw Hanoi, but a couple extra days would be easily filled with activities. I spent a week and could still have been here longer. It’s a popular expat place for a reason.

Where to stay:

• Old Quarter – first timers should most definitely stay here, right in the middle of the action. Next to Hoan Kiem Lake.
• French Quarter – if you want to get out of the noise of the Old Quarter, the French Quarter is more chill but also has lots of culture and stuff to do. Also right next to Hoan Kiem Lake. And still just 5-10 mins walk from busy Old Quarter area.
• Tay Ho – lots of fancy buildings and expats. Also situated by a lake, West Lake.

Hostels:

• Hanoi Backpackers Hostel & Rooftop Bar – easily my favorite. Everyone loves the nice rooftop (looks nice), free breakfast till 10am (good for socializing) and social atmosphere (many party events on rooftop), nice rooftop/bar which is actually used, nice staff. The good points make up for the (sometimes) cramped or dark rooms, and slow wifi. The WIFI does work fast at times, but it seems like somebody is always hogging the bandwidth. This hostel has many people here.
• Hanoi Buffalo Hostel – party hostel with a pool (clean enough water). Most social and has beer/pub crawls, more for young people and in loud part of town. Great location. Also a big hostel with many people. Not the cleanest and smells sometime.
• Nexy Hostel – not a party hostel but still very social vibe and you’ll still meet people. Higher ratings overall than Hanoi Buffalo. Some complaints about cramped space and little noise (depending what room you have) but the rooms are nice, weak WIFI. But great location. The common rooms (rooftop, game room, bar in the back) suck in that they aren’t near the entrance so everyone mostly just goes past and never hangs out in them.
• Little Charm Hanoi Hostel – feels like hotel niceness (comfort, cleanliness, amenities), not so social (no real common space) but really highly rated. Strangely, some people say they COULD socialize. But generally, this is a hostel for people wanting some rest and then planning for their next location. Very in and out type of hub-space.
• Central Backpackers Hostel – party hostel, with not-so-nice staff and many complaints about the rooms (non-functioning AC and windows), noisy, etc. Go here if you wanna party and don’t care about sleep or comfort.
• Hanoi House Hostel & Travel – highly rating, but not social.
• Luxury Backpackers – also rated well but not social (no common space) and also a bit far location. Some people also argued it’s a high-pressure travel agency in disguise as a hostel, hahaha.
• Hanoi Airport Suites Hostel & Travel – quiet (not so social) but highly rated.

Neighborhoods & Walking areas:

• Hanoi Old Quarter – busy and lively. Many things to do and see at day or night. The nightlife is also here.
• Hoan Kiem Lake – if you wanna make it easier…just set yourself anywhere around the Hoan Kiem Lake (preferably close to Old Quarter). Here you have the Old Quarter and French Quarters just nearby. Both are great places to explore Hanoi. The historic thing to see is the Ly Thai To statue. There’s also the Puppet Show here.
• West Lake – you can walk over to here from the Old Quarter (takes 25mins), and then also walk around the lake. From here, you can also check out the Tran Quoc Pagoda (free to enter).
• Train street –

Activities to do:

• Old Quarter & French Quarter – these are the 2 main areas to explore Hanoi life and culture.
• Walk around lakes – I always love hanging out by the Hoan Kiem Lake (already next to the Old Quarter & French Quarter). An easy walk around with many places to relax, sit (eat, drink or smoke), and watch the street life go by. It’s always a good time to chill by the lake. For a bigger lake area, you can check out West Lake during the day. I never go there at night since I don’t stay close to there.
• Train street – a MUST for anybody visiting Hanoi. It’s a cute touristy area right on the train tracks with actual trains passing through. Look up the train schedule online and go there about 60-90 minutes before the next train. Take photos on the tracks, then go upstairs at a cafe and look down. Then get a seat downstairs (45 mins before the next train) next to the track so you can see the train close up as it passes by. I like the 5pm train the best because the sun is coming down so it’s still daylight, but it’s dark enough that all the lights come on. It makes for nice photos. But the 3pm and 7pm trains would also make for nice pictures as well.
• People watching from cafes – Coffee A is my favorite place for this, but you can try others as well. I usually prefer the terrace above as it gives a unique view compared to just sitting down outside. I also feel more relaxed that I don’t have to keep such a close watch on my items in case of drive-by motorbike thieves.
• Arts & museums – the Women’s Museum is the common favorite one here. Covers women’s involvement throughout Vietnam’s history…duties from household tasks, to out-of-house farming and selling, to political and military to fight off French and American colonization. 1.5 to 2 hours should be enough time.
• Sunset views – usually a rooftop terrace is your best bet.
• Puppet show – people recommend this as fun little thing if you don’t have anything else to do. The show is like 45 mins and cheap. Many people say it’s totally skippable if you don’t have time for it.
• Massages – because they’re so cheap in Vietnam! I tried 3…Kadupul ($20/hr, very high-end professional), Midori Spa ($10/hr, good quality), forgot the other one…was Yoshino/Yoshimo or something.
• Film Cafes – it’s the karaoke room version of a movie theater. You go to a film cafe (called “Phim Cafe” in Vietnamese). It’s similar concept to a karaoke place where you rent the room for an hour for your group of friends, and order food/drinks. Except instead of karaoke, they have a computer with bootleg movies (from new to old). The room setups are arranged either for groups (lots of chairs and lounging) or couples (bed with flowers and candles/lights).
• Shopping Mall – Vincom Mega Mall Royal City is the most recommended, huge but not many interesting shops for Westerners IMO, nice food court though. The tip is to go underground on any escalator. Trang Tien Plaza is the fancy luxury mall for only highend brands. I hear it’s overpriced and kinda dead since it only caters to highend clients with money.

Restaurants & Cafes:

• MET – good food! They have 2 locations in Hanoi.
• Tung’s Kitchen – great food and service.
• Countryside restaurant – nice local food.
• Banh Mi Pho – popular banh mi sandwich shop right by the lake. Really good and nice size/portions.
• THE ROTI – best steamed bun bakery and super addictive! They have savory ones with meat, and sweet ones with chocolate and salted egg, etc. Try them all. They are awesome! SOOOOOOO GOOOOD!
• Coffee A – my favorite one to people watch the busy intersections from. Go upstairs and sit in the outside corner.
• Coffee Club – crappy overpriced food. Coffee’s ok, too. But it’s a nice terrace that overlooks the busy roundabout and also the Hoan Kiem Lake. 4th floor.
• Timeline Coffee (Quan Hoan Kiem) – beautiful shop, nice terrace with view of the busy street below.
• Ann Coffee & Drink – keep an eye out for tiny cafes in between big buildings. Many (like this one) have a nice cute space inside and terrace. Great food and coffee. There are so many nice ones like this to discover.
• Hanoi Social Club – hip coffee/bar spot that gets busy and filled with life around the evenings. Many foreigners here.

Bars & Clubs:

• Beer street – first and easiest option for foreigners/travelers. Go here if you wanna hop around drunk. Still fun to bounce around dancing and meeting people.
• Doozy – great bar, posh but chill, nice POP/EDM music. Mostly locals, almost zero foreigners except for a few dudes who were brought here by a local.
• Binh Minh Jazz Club – awesome spot for live jazz music and drinks. Great vibe! Highly recommended for when you want to have a drink on a chill night and not do one of those rowdy party nights.
• Hanoi Backpackers Hostel & Rooftop Bar – nice place to drink, chill, enjoy the city skyline at night as you chat with other foreigners.

Miscellaneous tips:

• Apple repair shops – I liked “Dien Thoai Vui”. It’s a chain and they seem top notch. Professional service, friendly English-speaking staff.

Nearby towns:

Unfiltered notes: