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Hanoi

Best season Mar–Apr & Oct–Nov · 23 tips · 14 checked by a local · counted from 7,781 traveller posts & comments

What to eat

Eat
Egg coffee
Hanoi invention — coffee under whipped egg yolk
101 travellers mentioned local-checked
Eat
Pho
The Hanoi original — beef or chicken, eaten for breakfast
79 travellers mentioned local-checked
Eat
Bun cha
Grilled pork with noodles — the classic Hanoi lunch
43 travellers mentioned local-checked
Eat
Bia hoi on Ta Hien
Fresh draft beer on plastic stools, cents a glass
15 travellers mentioned local-checked

Where to stay

Stay
Old Quarter
Central — you can walk to almost everything.
556 travellers mentioned
Stay
West Lake (Tay Ho)
Quieter, greener — suits a longer stay.
44 travellers mentioned

What to do · more

Do
Old Quarter & Hoan Kiem Lake
The centre — streets go car-free at weekends
647 travellers mentioned local-checked
Do
Train Street
Trains pass inches from the cafes — often closed, check first
204 travellers mentioned local-checked
Do
Temple of Literature
Vietnam's first university, 11th century
86 travellers mentioned local-checked
Do
Water puppet show
Traditional performance, about an hour
62 travellers mentioned local-checked
Do
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Strict dress code, closes early
50 travellers mentioned local-checked
Do
West Lake
Quieter side of the city, good cafes
44 travellers mentioned local-checked

Shopping

Shop
Dong Xuan Market
Biggest wholesale market in the Old Quarter
20 travellers mentioned local-checked
Shop
Handicrafts & prints
The usual thing people take home
10 travellers mentioned local-checked
Shop
The Hang streets
Silk, lacquer, handicrafts — each street its own trade
5 travellers mentioned local-checked

Day trips

Day trip
Hoan Kiem Lake
Central lake for walks; locals do tai chi early morning.
209 travellers mentioned local-checked
Day trip
Mai Chau
Quiet valley with Thai stilt-house homestays, three hours out
80 travellers mentioned

After dark

Night
Tinder date bar-bill scam in the Old Quarter
Matches lead men to bars, then hand them a huge bill.

Worth knowing

Worth knowing
Hanoi air pollution, worst in winter dry season
Travellers bring masks; winter and dry season trap the worst air.
Worth knowing
Renting a motorbike in Hanoi
Check the bike, photograph damage, agree fuel policy before renting.
Worth knowing
Hotel listings that do not match on arrival
Guests report misleading listings and being moved to another hotel.

Traps to avoid

Careful
Unmetered taxis and cyclos
Use Grab; agree the cyclo price before you sit down.
Heads-up
Careful
Train Street cafe pricing
Ask the price before you take a seat.
Heads-up

Nearby — often compared

Deciding where to go? Travellers often weigh Hanoi against nearby: Ninh Binh · Ha Long & Cat Ba · Sapa · Ha Giang · Cao Bang