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Travel guide
Hanoi
3 days · 5 things to do
Best time to go: October to April
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Welcome
Hanoi, in a few days
The scooter traffic of the Old Quarter, an egg coffee by Hoan Kiem Lake and a train squeezing between the houses of Train Street. A dense, lively capital that still shows its colonial past.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Old Quarter free · about 2 hA tangle of narrow streets long named after the trades once practised in them, packed with shophouses, street stalls and scooters.
- Afternoon · Hoan Kiem Lake free · about 1 hThe lake at the heart of the city: the red Huc Bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple, and people exercise on the shore at dawn.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Silk Path Hotel Hanoi ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€85 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Temple of Literature · about 1 hA Confucian temple founded in 1070 that became Vietnam's first national university, with courtyards and stone steles naming its graduates.
- Afternoon · Street food free · about 1 h 30Pho, bun cha, banh mi and egg coffee, eaten on low plastic stools on the pavement, in the Old Quarter and beyond.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Silk Path Hotel Hanoi ↗€85 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Train Street free · about 30 minA narrow lane where the train passes within touching distance of the houses and café terraces; access has been restricted by the authorities at times.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Pho: noodle soup with beef or chicken, eaten at breakfast and not at dinner.
- Banh mi: a baguette filled with pork, pate and pickles, the one thing the French left behind.
- Bun cha: grilled pork, cold noodles and a bowl of herbs. A Hanoi dish.
- Nem and summer rolls: fried or fresh, dipped in fish sauce.
- Coffee beaten with egg yolk, or iced over condensed milk.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Agree the price first, every time: taxi, cyclo, market stall.
- Use Grab, or Mai Linh and Vinasun, rather than an unmarked taxi.
- Cross the road slowly and without stopping. The scooters go around you, and stopping breaks that.
- Do not drink the tap water, and keep small notes: change is often short.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Vietnamese
| English | Vietnamese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Xin chào |
| Thank you | Cảm ơn |
| Please | Làm ơn |
| Yes | Vâng |
| No | Không |
| Excuse me | Xin lỗi |
| Goodbye | Tạm biệt |
| Do you speak English? | Bạn có nói tiếng Anh không? |
| I don't understand | Tôi không hiểu |
| How much is it? | Bao nhiêu tiền? |
| Where are the toilets? | Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? |
| The bill, please | Tính tiền |
| Help! | Cứu với! |
| Cheers! | Dô! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyVietnamese dong (VND, ₫)
BudgetAbout €38 a day, mid-range
Best seasonOctober to April
PlugA/C/F · 220V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingAppreciated, never expected
Emergency113 / 115
EntryUK and several EU nationalities get 45 days visa-free. US, Canadian and Australian passports need an e-visa, applied for online before departure and valid for up to 90 days.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Malaria only in a few rural areas, so ask about your route. Dengue is present in the cities too: use repellent.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/hanoi
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.