Things to do in Hanoi
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hanoi
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring, one of the two best windows, mild 15 to 25C with blossom and low rain after Tet.
Summer, hot humid monsoon and cheapest, with afternoon downpours and typhoon risk in July and August.
Autumn, the best window, cooling and drier with golden light, October is the most pleasant month.
Winter, cold misty and atmospheric at 10 to 20C with drizzle, fog on Ha Long Bay and polluted days.
What's on
- Tet Nguyen Dan late January / February
Family new year with decorated streets and flower markets, but widespread closures for days.
- Perfume Pagoda Festival February to April
Vietnam's largest Buddhist pilgrimage, extraordinary and extremely crowded at peak after Tet.
- Co Loa Citadel Festival February
February festival listed among Hanoi's spring events near the ancient citadel.
- Dong Da Festival February
February festival noted in the spring season alongside Co Loa.
- Reunification Day 30 April
Public holiday that creates a transport crush around the end of April.
- Giong Festival May
May festival listed in Hanoi's summer season events.
- National Day 2 September
National Day celebrations at the start of the autumn window.
- Mid-Autumn Festival September / early October
Hang Ma street explodes with lanterns, Old Quarter parades and mooncakes.
- Hanoi Marathon October
October marathon in the city's most pleasant month.
- Hanoi International Film Festival November
Held in November in its edition years.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Hanoi
Hoàn Kiếm Lake
Start at dawn for tai chi by the lake, the red bridge and Ngoc Son Temple, then wander the Old Quarter guild streets.
Temple of Literature
Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070, with five calm courtyards, pavilion and doctoral stelae.
Hỏa Lò Prison Museum
A confronting museum on French colonial repression and Vietnamese resistance that stays with you longest.
Vietnamese Women's Museum
Three modern floors on women in family life, fashion, street vending and wartime resistance, well translated.
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Galleries on Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups plus an outdoor garden of full scale minority houses to climb into.
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
UNESCO listed layered archaeology of Chinese, French and Vietnamese capitals, plus the D67 war bunker.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
Northern water puppetry performed waist deep behind a screen with live traditional orchestra, unique to this region.
Hanoi street food tour
A small group evening tour teaches you to order pho, bun cha, banh cuon and egg coffee for the rest of the trip.
Where to stay in Hanoi
Old Quarter
first timers, food and short stays
Walk out into street food, markets, tour pickups and nightlife, energetic and noisy so choose your street carefully.
French Quarter
couples, luxury and calmer central stays
Wide boulevards, colonial villas, the Opera House, Metropole and Capella, pricier and quieter but close to the buzz.
Ba Dinh / Truc Bach
history, balance and repeat visitors
Leafy and residential by the Mausoleum, Citadel and Truc Bach Lake, with good local cafes and fewer tourist hotels.
Tay Ho (West Lake)
longer stays, expats and space
Lakeside cafes, larger rooms and serviced apartments and calmer air, but 15 to 20 minutes by Grab to the Old Quarter.
Hai Ba Trung
local, good value stays with a specific hotel in mind
Less touristy and still central by car south of the French Quarter, near the Women's Museum edge.
Think twice about
- Ta Hien Beer Street and Ma May / Dao Duy Tu party lanes
Bia hoi bars, backpacker crowds, touts and music until late make rooms over bars a poor night if you need sleep.
- Cau Giay / My Dinh
Modern office and stadium district 20 to 30 minutes by Grab in traffic to every sight, so every outing becomes a commute.
- Airport fringe and far peripheral listings
Properties near Noi Bai or on highway sprawl lose walkability and tour pickup zones entirely.
Best restaurants in Hanoi
Tam Vi
A starred wooden house serving the northern home cooking canon at mid range prices, book ahead at weekends.
Gia Restaurant
Seasonal tasting menus rooted in northern ingredients and fermentation, Hanoi's most ambitious Vietnamese fine dining.
Hibana by Koki
Fourteen seat teppanyaki counter with abalone, lobster, crab and beef flown in twice weekly, cooked inches away.
Cha Ca Thang Long
Turmeric catfish sizzled at the table with dill and spring onion, eaten with noodles, peanuts and mam tom.
Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan
The benchmark beef pho with clear savoury broth, no hoisin on the table, queue and eat and leave.
Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su
Rich, consistently excellent central pho that is easier to get into than Bat Dan, with quay breadsticks.
Tuyet Bun Cha 34
Family run bun cha with charcoal grilled pork in warm fish sauce broth, cash only and closes early evening.
Bun Cha Dac Kim
The big famous Old Quarter bun cha with grilled patties and belly, noodles and herbs on the side.
Outdoor things to do in Hanoi
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex
Sampan rows through limestone caves and temples, plus Mua Cave steps and Hoa Lu, the best day trip from Hanoi.
Ha Long Bay
Spectacular karst seascape best done overnight to Lan Ha or Bai Tu Long for kayaking, caves and swimming.
BRG Kings Island Golf Resort
Bucket list golf with 54 holes across Lakeside, Mountainview and the Jack Nicklaus II Kings Course.
Sky Lake Resort & Golf Club
Thirty six holes where the Lake Course is rated among Vietnam's toughest and the Sky Course is more forgiving.
Van Tri Golf Club
Closer and a step cheaper golf about 30 minutes out, listed among Vietnam's top ten courses.
Mai Chau
Cycle between White Thai stilt house villages and rice fields, better with a night than as a dash.
Perfume Pagoda
Boat along the Yen River then cable car or hike to a vast cave shrine, peaceful outside festival season.
Bat Trang Pottery Village
A 700 year pottery village where you can throw a pot, walk kiln alleys and buy ceramics at source prices.
Best hotels in Hanoi
Peridot Grand Luxury Boutique Hotel
Old Quarter luxury with large rooms for the Quarter, rooftop pool and bar and a spa on Duong Thanh.
La Siesta Classic Ma May
Benchmark boutique with Indochine styling, famously good service and quiet rooms steps from the lake.
La Siesta Premium Hang Be
Upper mid La Siesta on Hang Be with Indochine styling and quiet rooms steps from the lake.
Old Quarter View Hanoi Hostel
Budget dorms and privates in the Old Quarter for backpackers who want to walk to everything.
Vietnam Backpackers Hostels - The Original
Long listed backpacker hostel with dorms and privates at budget prices in the Old Quarter.
Nexy Hostel
Highly rated budget hostel with dorms from low prices and privates for a little more.
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Since 1901 the grande dame by the Opera House, with restored Heritage Wing and Opera Wing rooms.
Capella Hanoi
Bill Bensley designed 1920s opera themed ultra luxury with 47 suites and the highest guest scores in town.
Is Hanoi expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₫850,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₫1,900,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₫5,500,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre: a few days ahead
- Hanoi Opera House: a few days ahead
- Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex: a few days ahead
- Ha Long Bay: weeks ahead
- BRG Kings Island Golf Resort: weeks ahead
- Sky Lake Resort & Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Van Tri Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Doi Bu Paragliding: a few days ahead
- During Tet many family restaurants close for days and transport sells out, so check exact dates first.
- Reserve Hibana by Koki, Gia, Tam Vi weekends and Pizza 4P's peak hours days to weeks ahead.
- Book Ha Long and Lan Ha overnight cruises two to four weeks ahead in October to April peak.
- The Mausoleum is closed Mondays and Fridays and for autumn maintenance, with dress code enforced.
Is Hanoi safe?
- Real risks are traffic, winter air pollution from December to February, and pickpockets in Dong Xuan and Night Market crowds.
- Drugs are illegal with severe penalties and driver drug offers near hostels can be a scam or setup, so decline and walk away.
- Drink bottled or filtered water and choose busy street food cooked in front of you with local turnover.
- Keep small notes separate because 20,000 and 500,000 VND notes look similar in bad light.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Hanoi travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Agree cyclo total price per ride in writing on your phone before sitting down, or skip cyclos.
- Keep walking from the shoe shine ambush by the lake and never let anyone take a shoe off your foot.
- Avoid cheap Ha Long cruises from street agents for old boats, crowded routes and poor food.
- Enter Train Street only via a cafe's controlled area behind barriers, never the tracks alone.
- Airport SIM and money booths are overpriced, so get an eSIM or buy from an official store in town.
Getting around Hanoi: public transport and more
- Use Grab, Be or Xanh SM apps for fixed price motorbike or car rides, typically 30,000 to 60,000 VND across the centre.
- Walk the centre and cross streets slowly and steadily, making eye contact and never stopping or running.
- Noi Bai airport is about 45 minutes away by hotel car, Grab or the 86 express bus to the Old Quarter.
- Trains to Ninh Binh and overnight trains to Sapa or Hue beat sleeper buses on safety and comfort.
Who Hanoi suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Hanoi your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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