Goodmorning Vietnam! After my days of Zen in Luang Prabang, I am trying to prepare myself mentally for my arrival in busy Hanoi. After a relaxed flight, that literally flew by, I find myself in a taxi on my way to my hotel in the heart of the old quarter. Within minutes I see thousands of motorbikes coming from every possible direction and I notice that traffic rules don’t really exist here: you can take over on the right side, keep driving when the lights turn red and sticking to the bumper in front of you as close as possible, is absolutely no problem, as long as you first honk your horn…at home this would be considered impolite, here it is just a way of saying ‘I’m coming’. Kind of like: ‘you may be dead within the next minute, but at least I warned you…’.

These are my Hanoi highlights and favourite things to do in Hanoi! The city is also the launchpad for Northern Vietnam, including my Halong Bay cruise. Travelling solo? Hanoi makes it easy, and a food tour hands you a table full of fellow travellers and delicious food.

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Hanoi highlights | Old quarter | things to do

Things to do in Hanoi: getting to know the Old Quarter

The Old Quarter is a good place to start exploring Hanoi. Just north of Hoan Kiem Lake, you’ll find a maze of narrow streets, each with its own history, little shops, street food stalls and cafés. It’s busy, noisy and there’s always something happening.

The Old Quarter was historically divided by trades, and the street names still give it away: Hang Gai was silk street, Hang Bac sold silver and Hang Ma still sells paper lanterns. Look up and you see the traditional houses: narrow tube houses with a shop downstairs and local life upstairs. Everything is within walking distance.

At the northern end, Dong Xuan Market is Hanoi’s largest indoor market and my pick for a local market morning. Hang Da Market, on the western edge, is known for imported wines and secondhand clothing. Bach Ma Temple on Hang Buom is the oldest temple in the Old Quarter; legend says a white horse showed Emperor Ly Thai To where to build the city walls.

Hanoi highlights & tips | hotels

My first impression of Hanoi was complete chaos. Motorbikes everywhere, people crossing the streets in every direction and a constant soundtrack of honking horns. Quite a shock after my peaceful, almost meditative bike rides through laid-back Luang Prabang! At first, I had no idea how anyone managed to cross the road without getting run over. But somehow, the chaos started making sense. And what I hadn’t expected was how quickly Hanoi would begin to feel like home.

Best hotels in the Old Quarter

The Old Quarter is my favourite area to stay in Hanoi, with great restaurants, little cafés and plenty to explore right on your doorstep. I’ll start with the hotel where I stayed myself, followed by 5 more places I’d happily book for my next visit.

Hanoi hotels n the heart of the Old Quarter

My hotel, the Hanoi Center Silk Hotel & Travel, is an oasis in the bustling heart of the city. For around 55 euros a night, you can book a luxury room, that has the same standards a 5-star hotel would have back home. The breakfast is a FEAST! There are so many options! One morning I decide to go for the Vietnamese breakfast with pho & dumplings. Absolutely delicious! I stayed in a room on the 5th floor and in a Junior Suite on the 3rd floor. I preferred the Superior Room on the 5th floor. It was more quiet and my bed was more comfortable than the Junior Suite on the 3rd floor.

It sits on Ta Hien, better known as Beer Street.

Eliana Robusta Hotel opened in 2026 on Nguyen Huu Huan and is a love letter to Vietnamese coffee: the rooms are named after beans like Peaberry and Robusta. The rooftop pool is your reward after a morning of Hanoi traffic.

Near Hoan Kiem Lake

Le Premier Hotel & Rooftop Bar on Hang Hanh is 1 minute from Hoan Kiem Lake. Breakfast comes with pho cooked to order and the rooftop bar is right upstairs: handy when you travel solo.

L’Signature Hotel & Spa on Bao Khanh has heated floors and fireplaces, which sounds odd for Vietnam until you remember my winter coat. Add an art gallery, a spa and a rooftop bar, 2 minutes from the lake.

Close to Train Street

HOTEL du LAC SIGNATURE on Cua Dong is the luxury pick: rare books and art everywhere, an indoor pool, a Japanese style onsen and a sky lounge on the roof. Ask for the La Gare Terrace Suite, overlooking the railway.

H Hôtel L’Art Hanoi is a small hotel with 38 rooms on Hang Ga, with bun cha and egg coffee on the doorstep. The room to ask for: L’art Signature, 42 m²!

Hanoi sights & highlights | things to do

Best things to do in Hanoi

Hanoi has so much more to offer than its famous Old Quarter. Think centuries of history, temples, chaotic streets filled with motorbikes, tiny cafés serving Vietnamese egg coffee and some of the best street food you’ll ever eat. A food tour is a great way to discover the local cuisine, and if you have an extra day, I highly recommend a day trip to Ninh Binh. These are my favourite things to do in Hanoi!

Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. This is a unique experience…You can feel communism with every breath you take. Before our visit, we need to leave all our belongings at the entrance, we have to keep our hands out of our pockets, walk side by side like soldiers & smiling/ laughing is not allowed. When I accidentally walk on the wrong side of the road, a very intense looking 1.55 meter tall soldier, with a huge weapon, orders me to get back in line…oops. The mausoleum is a pilgrim place for a lot of Vietnamese. Ho Chi Minh is a hero, almost like a god, to a lot of them. Therefore it is worth the visit!

The mausoleum only opens in the morning: 7:30 to 10:30 between April and October, 8:00 to 11:00 the rest of the year. It is closed on Mondays and Fridays and shuts for maintenance for about 2 months a year, usually in autumn.

Right next to it stands the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the shape of a lotus flower. A short walk away, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the best place to get a feel for 1,000 years of Vietnamese history.

Hanoi highlights | sights & things to do

Rainy day things to do in Hanoi: 2 museums

The Museum of Fine Arts is a great place to learn more about Vietnam’s history and artworks. You’ll see a lot of interesting, archeological finds and beautiful sculptures from ancient times.
The Women’s Museum is an inspiring museum, that shows the customs & habits of women in different tribes in Vietnam, throughout the years. A visit will take you an hour, including a free audio tour.

More Hanoi museums? At the Vietnam Museum of Ethnography you walk through full size traditional houses in the garden, a crash course in traditional Vietnamese architecture.

Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature, close to the Museum of Fine Arts, is one of the biggest tourist spots in Hanoi, so make sure to be here on time to avoid the busloads of Chinese tourists…’Goodmorning Vietnam!’. The temple was built in 1070 and was the first university of Vietnam. It was used as a university from 1076 until 1779 and a lot of leading Vietnamese studied here, like the crown prince.

Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison is the most sobering stop on this list. The French built it in the 1890s for Vietnamese political prisoners; during the Vietnam War it held American pilots, who nicknamed it the Hanoi Hilton. Only a small part of the original complex is left, about 15 minutes on foot from the lake.

Hoan Kiem Lake and other free things to do in Hanoi

Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and go shopping south of the lake. This is a lovely walk. Most of the streets in Hanoi have a speciality. There are streets where they sell soap, a street where they sell coffee etc.. This is the area where you can find big shopping malls with luxury brands too.

Hoan Kiem Lake is only 12 hectares, so a lap takes about 20 minutes. Come early for the tai chi groups. The red The Huc Bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple, on a small island in the lake. A few minutes west stands St. Joseph’s Cathedral, a neo-Gothic church from 1886, and south of the lake the French Quarter starts, with the Hanoi Opera House.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings the roads around the lake become a walking street. From around 6 pm, the Hanoi Night Market runs from Hang Dao all the way up to Dong Xuan Market. On the north shore, the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre tells stories from Vietnamese folklore on water: a slice of local culture.

For sunset, walk onto Long Bien Bridge: 1,680 meters of French steel over the Red River, with scooters on one side and the occasional passing train in the middle.

West Lake: early morning things to do in Hanoi

West Lake is a short Grab ride north of the Old Quarter, with cute cafes along the water and Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hanoi, on a small island. Night owls and early birds go to Quang Ba Midnight Flower Market in the Tay Ho district, a wholesale market that is busiest between midnight and dawn.

Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi | things to do | sights

Things to do in Hanoi at night: Train Street and a food tour

Hanoi Train Street is the stretch where the passing train squeezes past the cafes, inches from your coffee. It still runs, but in 2026 Hanoi cut the number of trains, so check the train schedule or go with a guide.

Try a street food tour. This will take you to local places that you would never find by yourself, or wouldn’t trust at first hand….The food is fabulous and I met a lot of other fellow travelers. Such a fun night out!

Delicious street food in Hanoi | tours and things to do

Best restaurants and street food

The best restaurants in Hanoi are often tiny, and the city is one of the best street food spots in Southeast Asia. A bowl of bun cha costs around 60,000 dong, about 2 euros.

The Vietnamese food to try: pho for breakfast, bun cha for lunch, banh mi from a street cart and crispy spring rolls, called nem. Cha ca, fried fish with turmeric and dill, comes from the Old Quarter; there is even a street named after it.

My favourite restaurants

Restaurant Red Bean! The prices are a little higher here, still not expensive for western standards, but the food is absolutely worth the money! I had a memorable dinner here! Try the pan-seared tuna, with sunshine tomatoes, asparagus, mango chutney, cheese and passion fruit sauce. Need I say more?

Have lunch at The Hanoi Social Club. This is a great spot for a Latte & Laptop session and there are a lot of tasty veggie options on the menu. The place looks so pretty, the staff is super friendly and they serve the addictive ‘egg coffee’ too….more about that later.

Restaurant Red Bean | best restaurants Hanoi

Cheap bites, courtyards and lake views

Restaurant New Day is good for a cheap, traditional Vietnamese bite. You can sit outside on small seats, very basic! But it is a really cheap bite.
Green Mango has a quiet courtyard, where you can relax and take a break from the busy Hanoi traffic. The prices are a little higher here and the WIFI is fast. The food is just OK, so I would recommend sitting down for a cold drink or a coffee.
Restaurant Cau Go has a gorgeous view over Hoan Kiem Lake. I loved the Banana Blossom & Chicken Salad here! Try the homemade ginger tea, with lemon and honey too! Cau Go is now listed in the Michelin Guide.

Koto is a training restaurant, close to the Temple of Literature & The Museum of Fine Arts and the perfect spot for lunch after all the sightseeing.
Bun Cha Ta! This is one of my favorites in the list. This small restaurant serves only 4 dishes, but they are all very tasty and cheap! Try the Bun Cha, it is my favorite! This restaurant is also part of the Street Food Tour.
The restaurant in my hotel: The Essence Restaurant, is soooo good! Try the Ban Xeo and have the Nem for dessert….They have really high ratings on Tripadvisor and I understand why. Loved it!

Hanoi sights & highlights

Cocktails and drinks

For a cocktail with a view, head to the rooftop bar of Le Premier Hotel, 1 minute from the lake.
The Hanoi Social Club is also a nice place for a drink. They have an upstairs terrace and a good list of cocktails.

Ta Hien, better known as Beer Street, is where the Old Quarter goes out at night. A glass of bia hoi, fresh draft beer, costs well under 1 euro.
If you want to drink cheap beers, you just grab a plastic small seat in the old quarter and blend with the locals. My friend Lisi decided to order some chicken feet…Bon appétit!

Coconut coffee and egg coffee

The ultimate highlight of Hanoi for me is the coffee! I am not a huge coffee drinker at home, but damn, this coffee is GOOD! Somehow I ended up at Cong Caphe every day for a Côt Dùa Cà Phê: coffee with coconut ice cream, that they make with ice, coconut cream and condensed milk. Yummmmmmmm! You think you know what it will taste like, but wait until you actually take your first sip… Addiction alert!

Don’t leave town without trying the famous Caphe Trung, aka egg coffee, at Giang Café! This basic cafe is very popular with the locals and it is not hard to understand why. This is the best egg coffee I had in Vietnam. Egg coffee is creamy, thick and sweet. Why don’t we have this at home?!

Mr Giang invented it in 1946, when milk was scarce. More coffee on my Instagram.

Caphe Trung, aka egg coffee, so addictive | Hanoi highlights | Vietnam

The Hanoi Social Club has a really good egg coffee too! There are a lot of great coffee spots in this city.

And then there is traditional Vietnamese coffee: strong, dripped slowly through a little metal phin filter onto condensed milk. Order it iced as ca phe sua da in any of the coffee shops.

Best time to visit Hanoi

The best time to visit Hanoi is October to December: dry, warm and clear. March and April come second.

Hanoi can be a bit chilly, I wore my WINTER coat (!), so be prepared! The northern part of Vietnam has a different climate than the south.

Hanoi weather follows 4 seasons: winter is chilly and grey, summer is hot, humid and wet.

The weather in Hanoi can be a bit chilly, with temperatures much lower than in the south of Vietnam.

How to spend 3 days in Hanoi

What to do in Hanoi for 3 days? Take it slow and add 1 day trip.

Day 1 is for the Old Quarter: coconut coffee at Cong Caphe, the lake and a food tour at night.

On day 2, start early at the mausoleum, then the Temple of Literature and lunch at Koto.

Keep day 3 to visit Ninh Binh: limestone karst peaks, rice paddies, river boat rides through the caves of Trang An and almost 500 steps up to Mua Cave. Your legs will remember it.

Staying longer? Most trips to North Vietnam leave from Hanoi. Ha Long Bay is known for its emerald water and limestone islands, and a 2 day cruise with a balcony cabin takes you through Halong Bay and quieter Lan Ha Bay. Bai Tu Long Bay is another calm alternative.

The Ha Giang Loop is the adventure: 4 days on a motorbike over passes like Ma Pi Leng. For the rice paddies of Sapa, take the overnight sleeper train to Lao Cai and book your train tickets a few days ahead.

Travelling on? Read about my Halong Bay cruise on the Dragon Legend, my 3 days in Hue and my favourite spots in Hoi An, on the way down to Ho Chi Minh City.

Cong Caphe: best spot for coffee in Hanoi | Try the coconut coffee!

Crossing the road

This is a lesson in assertiveness… Just go, smile and wave at the hundreds of motorbikes coming at you. Don’t hesitate, just keep walking in a slow, steady pace and then you will be fine, most of the time… What I discovered to be a golden rule, is that the motorbikes pay attention to you and will go around you, but cars won’t. So just pay attention to the cars! Our Street Food Tour guide made us, a group of 10 people, cross a huge square diagonally….I saw some flashback of my life during this ‘unique’ experience…

Hanoi airport, Noi Bai, is about 30 kilometers from the city centre. Grab gets you to the Old Quarter in 40 to 50 minutes and Bus 86 is the budget option to downtown Hanoi. Landing late? Book a private airport transfer. Taxis and Grab are cheap for short distances. Renting a motorbike is easy too, but in this traffic I would only do it if you are an experienced rider. Most street stalls only take cash. Get an eSIM before you land and sort your travel insurance before the Ha Giang Loop.

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Hanoi Social Club – Hanoi highlights & hotspots

Things to do in Hanoi: Frequently asked questions

What are the best things to do in Hanoi?

The best things to do in Hanoi are the Old Quarter, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, a street food tour and egg coffee at Giang Café.

How many days do you need in Hanoi?

3 days is enough for the highlights of Hanoi, including 1 day trip. Add nights for Halong Bay or Ha Giang.

What is the best area to stay in Hanoi?

The Old Quarter is the best area to stay in Hanoi. My own hotel on Ta Hien starts at around 55 euros a night; Hotel du Lac Signature near Train Street is the luxury pick.

Is Train Street still open?

Yes, but with fewer trains since the 2026 cuts and controlled access, so check the timetable or go with a guide on a food tour.

Where is the Hanoi Night Market?

The Hanoi Night Market starts on Hang Dao, just north of Hoan Kiem Lake, and runs up to Dong Xuan Market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from around 6 pm.