Gathering the gems worth your time…
Destination guide
Hanoi
Vietnam
Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội), the capital of Vietnam and its second-largest city, is a fascinating blend of East and West, with Chinese influence from centuries of dominance, and French je ne sais quoi from its colonial past.
Introduction quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
At a glance
- Best time to go
- November–March
- Getting around
- Train · Bus · Taxi
- Vetted picks
- 26 places to see, do, eat, and stay
- Real coverage
- 16 vetted creator sources
AI insights
AI-written from the Wikivoyage listings, transport section and the video stats on this page
When visiting the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, plan your schedule for the morning; the site closes in the afternoons for maintenance and is unavailable for a couple of months around the end of the year when the body is transported abroad.
Dress modestly for the mausoleum by wearing knee-length bottoms and covering your shoulders, and be prepared for a multi-step luggage check process where items like cameras and large bags are handled at separate, specific windows.
For the most reliable and scam-free transport, use the Grab app to book your rides; if you choose to negotiate with motorbike taxis on the street, always agree on a firm price before you start the journey.
Explore the city's food scene by looking for local favourites that stay busy at all hours, such as Bánh Mì Dân Tổ, which remains a popular stop even in the middle of the night.
If you stay at the Hotel du Centre Ville, ask for the manager named Tuan; he is a knowledgeable concierge who can specifically assist with local negotiations and travel planning.
How these 26 picks are sourced
3 of 26 are named by a second, independent source — Michelin Guide — and each card names its own. The remaining 23 rest on the reference article alone: we list them because Wikivoyage or Wikipedia documents them, not because anyone else vouched for them. We also watched 16 creator videos, 6 of them from local channels rather than visiting ones. 24 of the 26 descriptions are quoted word for word from Wikivoyage under CC BY-SA rather than written by us, as is the introduction above — each of those cards says so. What we add is the checking, the corroboration above, and the choice of which places are worth your time at all.What we can't promise is that it's still true. Venues close, hours and prices change, and we don't re-check them — a place here closed for good and sat on this page for a year before anyone noticed. The insights are AI-written from these sources and can be wrong too. Confirm anything you'd be sorry to be wrong about before you set out. Terms.
Watch first
Ranked by views and how well each landed with the people who watched it, judged against the other coverage of this place — plus a local creator where we found one.
Bún Riêu Hàng Cót Cho Mùa Đông | Ăn Sập Hà Nội | #Shorts
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Best time to go
Best window: November–March
June, July, August and September are the months to avoid — punishing heat and very heavy rain. The window below is when it is genuinely pleasant.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
IdealGoodOkayOff-season
Rated from ten years of daily temperature and rainfall recorded at this destination, via Open-Meteo's ERA5 reanalysis. Hover a month for its real numbers.
Getting around
By train
Tickets are distance-based, ranging from 8,000 to 15,000 VND. You can pay by tapping a contactless Mastercard or Visa on the fare gates, including those linked to Apple Pay and Google Pay.
By bus
Scam-free, cheap but a bit difficult to comprehend at first, the buses in Hanoi are relatively fast, air-conditioned and surprisingly comfortable.
By taxi
The easiest way to get around is by using the Grab app (Android, iOS). The English user interface makes navigation a cinch, fares are fixed and typically cheaper, and you can pay by cash or credit card.
By metered taxi
Taxis proper are small cars seating 4 or larger cars seating 7. Within the city, three companies are generally reliable: CP Taxi and Hanoi Taxi are two brands of Taxi Group, in white cars, and Mai Linh are in green cars.
By motorbike taxi
Motorbike taxis can be found on virtually every corner, especially in the Old Quarter: don't look for them, they'll accost you, so show only faint interest at first. You must haggle and firmly fix a fare in advance.
Transport notes from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to see
Vietnamese Women's Museum
Single sourceCentral Hanoi, 1 km S of Hoan Kiem Lake
This often overlooked museum has benefited from an extensive renovation of its permanent exhibitions.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
National Museum of Vietnamese History
Single sourceNo 1 Trang Tien Street and 216 Tran Quang Khai Street
Actually two museums: one covers Vietnam from prehistoric times to 1945 and the other covers 1945 to present.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Fine Arts Museum
Single sourceopposite Temple of Literature
Only party-approved art is shown here with information in English and Vietnamese. On three floors of a colonial building, with another three galleries in the west wing.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Hồ Chí Minh Museum
Single source19 Ngoc Ha St, Ba Dinh
This gleaming white museum and its gloriously ham-handed iconography is the perfect chaser to the solemnity of the mausoleum. The building, completed in 1990, is intended to evoke a white lotus.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum
Single source· Free
The city down south may have his name, but only Hanoi has the man himself, entombed in distinctly Lenin-esque fashion. Against his wishes, but that's how it goes.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Hồ Chí Minh's Vestige in the Presidential Palace Area
Single source1 Bach Thao, Ba Dinh
The exit from the mausoleum takes you right into the grounds of the, uh, vestige, where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked from 1954 until his death in 1969.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
What to do
Hidden Hanoi
Single sourceon the bund road in the Tay Ho District
Hidden Hanoi runs walking tours and cooking classes. There are many options including the 1-hr walking tour of the local market, followed by the 3-hr cooking class.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
CGV Cinemas (formerly Megastar)
Single sourceon the 6th floor of the Vincom City Towers
The movies are relatively new, perhaps one or two months later than in the US. The movies are not dubbed although there are subtitles so both non-Vietnamese speakers and locals can enjoy them.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Hanoi Cooking Centre
Single sourceclose to Truc Bac lake
Cooking school, retail outlet and beautiful courtyard cafe with an excellent menu of Asian and Western favourites. Hands-on cooking classes and short courses in a relaxed atmosphere.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
VietClimb
Single sourceSo 40 Ngo 76 An Duong
200-m² climbing surface, a 50-m² café & terrace to chill out, and a climbing pro-shop. Also a great place for finding out where to climb immediately outside of Hanoi.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Vietnam Culinary School
Single sourceFully equipped facilities to learn Vietnamese cooking. A typical day will commence with a visit to the morning market accompanied by an instructor to select ingredients for your cooking lesson.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
SF Salon and Spa
Single source30 Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem
Nice, not too expensive spa with a range of services, including massages, manicures/pedicures, facials. They will pay for your one-way taxi fare to the spa. Friendly staff.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
What to eat
Places are listed from Wikivoyage and our own sourced research. Worth it means a second, independent source names the place too; “3 sources agree” means three or more do — and each card names them, so you can check. Single source means the opposite, said plainly: the reference article lists it and nothing else we checked does.
Bun Cha Ta Hanoi
Worth itAlso recommended by Michelin Guide
21 Nguyễn Hữu Huân
Highly recommended if you are looking for authentic North Vietnamese Bun Cha. The food is great, bursting with flavour. Very cosy place.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Bun Cha Chan
Worth itAlso recommended by Michelin Guide
A decade-old bun cha shop serving caramelized pork meatballs in tangy broth, plus grilled pork belly in betel leaf.
Vetted sources
Pho Khoi Hoi
Worth itAlso recommended by Michelin Guide
A street-food pho stall offering rare beef cuts like heel muscle in its broth.
Vetted sources
Snake Restaurants
Single sourceabout ten minutes across the river from the city centre, take Bus 10, 15 or 17 and get off at the large mall" just beyond Gia Lâm station, and walk 500 m down the road at the right of the mall
The suburb of Le Mat (aka Snake Village) has numerous restaurants specializing in cobra foodstuffs.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Little Hanoi Restaurant
Single source16 P. Hàng Bè
Simple Vietnamese home-cooked food. Also amazing vegan food. The fried tofu in tomato sauce and grilled eggplant are delicious. Also a cute date spot.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Bánh Mì 25
Single source25 P. Hàng Cá
Vietnamese Sandwiches. This is a good restaurant for a quick bite to eat near Dong Xuan Market. Lovely place and mouth watering food.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Banh Mi Hoi An
Single source98 P. Hàng Bạc
Vietnamese Sandwiches. This place is open from early morning and serves great bahn mi. Nice staff with good English skills.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Bánh Mì Dân Tổ
Single source32 Đ. Trần Nhật Duật
The sandwich is very delicious and crispy. Pretty crowded. You can also eat there at 3am and it will feel delicious.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Where to stay
Hanoi Rendezvous Hotel
Single source200 m NW of lake
Run by an Australian couple. Private en suite rooms and shared rooms. Air-con, cable TV. Fully informed and equipped travel service for all destinations in Vietnam. Friendly English speaking staff.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Little Hanoi DX2 Hostel
Single source46 Hang Ga St, Hoan Kiem
Rooms are clean and furnished with air conditioning, TV, sofa chairs, a minibar, a dresser, and a bathroom with hot and cold taps and a bath tub. High-speed Wi-Fi is available as well.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Hotel du Centre Ville
Single source20 m from the corner of Bia Hoi
Central 3-star. The rooms are spacious, safe, and renovated. Some rooms have wardrobes. The floors are hard tiled and very clean. LCD TV and refrigerator.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
My Youth Hostel
Single source5 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem
17 rooms and dormitory with city view, air-con, satellite TV, telephone, minibar, en suite bath with tub and shower.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Kangaroo Hotel
Single source600 m north of Hoan Kiem Lake
Basic 2-star in tall, ramshackle building with no lift.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Sweet Family Guesthouse
Single source14 Bat Su St
A small hotel very popular with backpackers. Friendly and reliable staff. All rooms air-con with en suite toilet and shower. Has a sister establishment, Hanoi Guesthouse 2.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Build your day
Pick the places you want in Hanoi, Vietnam and we will put them on a map in an order that does not cross the city twice.
Where to next
Nearby cities in Vietnam we’ve vetted too.
- Ninh BinhKarst valleys and rice paddies traversed by sampan boat through Tam Coc, dubbed 'Ha Long Bay on land'.
- Ha Long BayNearly 2,000 limestone karsts rise from emerald water, best seen from an overnight cruise junk boat.
- Ha GiangVietnam's wildest motorbike loop, switchbacking through the Dong Van karst plateau near the Chinese border.
- SapaTerraced rice paddies climb the slopes below Fansipan, Indochina's highest peak, through Hmong and Dao villages.
Travel content from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Encyclopedic context from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Videos via the YouTube Data API.