HANOI

A Complete Travel Guide

for Visiting the City of
About Hanoi
Where Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is busy with new growth geared toward achieving total relevance in the global
marketplace, Hanoi’s atmosphere speaks more to a reverence for the quiet wisdom that comes with the passage of
time and much experience. Though Hanoi’s population is young and savvy—educated about the world through the
Internet and foreign travel—many visitors to this dynamic and welcoming city remark on the sense of age and solidity
the city exudes.

Hanoi’s modern architecture and conveniences are built around a core of ancient streets, foods, culture, and habits of
living in a harmonious blend that reveres the old while welcoming the new. Hanoi may just be your favorite destination
in the vibrant tapestry that is Vietnam.

A Brief History of Hanoi

The truly ancient city of Hanoi has gone by dozens of different names over the centuries. The city’s current name
was bestowed in 1831 by Nguyen emporer, Minh Mang, to denote its position nestled into a curve of the long and
mighty Red River’s right bank, with the large West Lake bordering the city’s northern boundary. A capital city for
nearly a millennium in the kingdoms that encompassed North Vietnam, Hanoi is now capital of a reunified Vietnam.

When the French invaded and colonized Vietnam in the 1830s, Hanoi became part of the Tonkin region of Indochina,
and you can still find a strong French influence in the city’s French Quarter, with it’s stately French architecture,
preponderance of cafes, and availability of Hanoi’s incredibly popular coffee and crusty baguettes.

When the French were forced to leave Vietnam during World War II, the Japanese occupied Indochina from
December 1941 to 1942, until they were expelled by General Ho Chi Minh’s communist army, the Viet Minh. The
French moved into the vacuum that retreating Japanese forces created until they were again forced to leave, with
North Vietnam declaring its independence in 1945.

In 1946, friction between the Viet Minh and French occupiers sparked the Battle of Hanoi, which became the first
of many battles in the First Indochina War that ended in 1952. When North Vietnam won the Vietnam War in 1975
(called the American War in Vietnam), Hanoi became the capital of the reunified northern and southern parts of
Best Time to Visit
Because it is located in the northern part of Vietnam, Hanoi gets four distinct seasons, with winters getting quite
chilly (temps can fall below 10 deg. C., or 50 deg. F.) and summers bringing in plenty of heat (average temp of 28 –
35 deg. C., or 82 – 95 deg. F.). Expect high humidity all year round.

For most visitors, the most pleasant time to visit Hanoi is during the more mild seasons of the year: spring, in March
and April; early summer; and autumn, from September to November.
Attractions in Hanoi
Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem District)
The Old Quarter is the city’s main tourist hub as well as
its main commercial district. Distinct from the French
Quarter (Ba Dinh District), the Old Quarter houses
plenty of wonderful Hanoi attractions, such as colonial
architecture, Buddhist temples and pagodas, and lots of
places to shop and eat.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Ho Chi Minh Museum lies close to other major Hanoi
attractions, such as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One-
Pillar Pagoda, Ba Dinh Square, and the War Memorial. It
is also across the street from a lovely local market.

The museum itself celebrates and recounts the life of

national hero Ho Chi Minh, who dedicated his life to
helping Vietnam gain its independence from foreign
occupiers. The museum is packed with artifacts and
objects from General Ho’s possessions, with Ho Chi Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Minh’s life portrayed in eight distinct time periods. Signs
are written in Vietnamese, English, and French, and This award-winning museum honors the diverse cultures Find the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology on Nguyen Van
guided tours are available. and ethnicities of Southeast Asia, many of which are Huyen Road in Cau Giay district.
represented within Vietnam’s Hanoi population and
Find Ho Chi Minh Museum at 19 Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh, in in the surrounding area. Local communities assist Opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday, from 8:30am –
the Ho Chi Minh complex. museum staff in collecting artifacts for display, building 5:30pm. Closed Mondays and New Year’s Holiday.
and maintaining architectural display structures, and
Opening hours: Monday and Friday, from 8am – 12pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 8am – 11:30am, providing exhibitions and performances. Entrance fee: 40,000 VND (about USD 1.76), with free
and from 2pm – 4:30pm. admission for children under six.
For visitors, the chance to learn about the exciting
Entrance fee: around 10,000 VND (about USD 0.50). Click here to visit the Ho Chi Minh Museum website. diversity within Vietnam’s population is an excellent way Visit the museum’s website to learn more about special
to spend an afternoon or a day. While some displays events, to rent locations, and for information on tour
change regularly, permanent displays—including a guide fees.
collection of beautifully colored Indonesian glass
paintings—delight repeat patrons every time they go.
Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Water Puppet Theater
Temple in Hanoi Located in the Old Quarter, the world-renowned Water puppet shows are accompanied by an orchestra
Thang Long Water Puppet Theater continues a North playing traditional instruments and incorporate
Nearby in the Old Quarter is Hoan Kiem Lake, a quiet and “Hoan Kiem Lake” means “lake of the returned sword.” Vietnamese tradition. Water puppetry began as a authentic operatic songs into the breathtaking
peaceful place to get away from the noise and bustle of The legend has it that an emperor was given a magical way for villagers to entertain each other after the rice productions. Book early to get a seat at the front (tickets
the city, the Ngoc Son temple standing guard on a small sword in his efforts to defeat the Chinese Ming Dynasty, paddies were planted and flooded. Puppeteers use long sell out quickly!), and enjoy a truly authentic Vietnamese
island in the middle of the lake. The temple, built to and by his use of the sword, the Golden Turtle God rods to manipulate the puppets over waist-deep water, experience.
commemorate Tran Hung Dao, a 13th century military returned to the lake. providing a spectacle that originates in North Vietnam
leader who fought bravely against the Mongolian Yuan and has become popular throughout Vietnam and Show times: 2pm and 8pm
Dynasty, is located on Jade Island. Visitors can access Visit Hoan Kiem Lake to sit and people watch in the Southeast Asia.
the island on the Rising Sun Bridge, a brightly painted shade, visit the island and the temple, and try to spot Address: 57b Dinh Tien Hoang Street on the northeast
bridge built in the classical Vietnamese design. The one of the endangered soft-shell turtles that inhabit the shore of Hoan Kiem Lake
temple is open daily from 8am – 5:30pm. lake. Come early in the morning to see locals practice
their Tai Chi and yoga. and the other gods represented Ticket prices start at 247,830 VND (USD 11), with extra
by the towers. fees to film the show.
POPULAR TOURS
Guided tours allow you to see parts of a city that you
might not normally uncover. If you are unfamiliar with
Tam Coc Easy Cycling Tour
Hanoi, we recommend booking one of these quality
Cycling through Vietnamese countryside is a wonderful
tours as a way to see the sights and get interesting
way to get fresh air while seeing the landscape up close
information from knowledgeable tour guides. For a list
and personal. This day trip lets you go back to the 10th
of tours beyond the ones listed below, click here.
century in the Ninh Binh Province at Hoa Lu, the former
citadel of Dai Viet City, a visit to the site known as “Halong
Bay Inland” (Tam Coc), and more.

Hanoi City Tour The tour includes pickup from your hotel at 8am,
transport to Hoa Lu, bicycles for the trip to picturesque
This day tour is the perfect way to spend your time Tam Coc, a boat tour through caves in limestone karsts,
hitting all the most popular sights in the city, including and the trip back to your hotel. Lunch in Tam Coc and all
lunch at a local restaurant featuring Vietnamese cuisine. entrance fees are included in the tour price.
With stops at the Ho Chi Minh Complex and all the sites
located there, Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Old Quarter, the For tour prices and dates, click here.
Temple of Literature and more, you’ll get your money’s
worth and get the feel of Hanoi’s lengthy history and
deep culture.

Tour operators pick you up from and drop you back off
at your hotel. Tours start at 8:30am and end at 3pm.

For pricing and booking, click here.

Halong Bay
Hanoi is a popular base for visits to Halong Bay, of the
UNESCO World Heritage sites. Halong Bay in the Tonkin
Gulf is a magical wonderland of foliage-topped limestone
karsts jutting from the blue-green waters of the bay. A

Perfum Pagoda (Huong Pagoda) one-day cruise will get you out on the water amongst
the karsts, with an onboard lunch of local seafood, and
a visit to one of the unique caves located in one of the
Huong Pagoda is a cluster of temples and shrines located
largest of the karsts. The tour also includes all service
near Huong Son Mountain (Perfume Mountain) about 70
charges and government fees as well as transportation
km (43 miles) from Hanoi. Built in the late 1600s, Perfum
to and from your hotel in Hanoi to Halong Bay City and
Pagoda has long been a place of reflection, worship, and
the docks.
beauty for Buddhist monks and civilians alike.

To find pricing information and to book a one-day tour,

The day trip includes pickup from your hotel, a two-hour
click here.
bus ride to Ben Duc harbor, and a one-hour boat ride
over crystal waters before reaching the pagoda. You’ll
For additional information about the Halong Bay, travel
spend your time exploring the main pagoda via a cable
tips, and cruises, read our travel guide on Halong Bay.
car to the top of the mountain, enjoying lunch, and
visiting another large pagoda nearby. After traveling
back to Hanoi, you will be dropped back at your hotel.
English-speaking tour guides are available, as are guides
who speak in other languages. To get more information
about tour prices and to book a tour, click here.
TRADITIONAL HANOI FOOD Pho (Noodle Soup)
Every region of Vietnam produces exquisite dishes, but Hanoi stands apart for both the variety and deliciousness of Pho, pronounced “fuh,” is a dish found all over Vietnam with different variations, but it is in Hanoi where pho was
its most beloved foods. North Vietnam cuisine tends toward the simple and pure, with a preference for clean flavors. first invented. Hanoi-style pho is kept much more simple compared to southern pho, with fewer spices used in
When it comes to eating out, people from all walks of life happily mingle together at streetside restaurants, sitting order to maintain a pure and clean flavor in this rich rice noodle soup. Often served with savory fried dough that
on small stools and leaning over short tables to slurp pho or dig their chopsticks into something delectable. You’ll is dipped into the broth to soak up the flavors, Hanoi pho generally contains either beef or chicken in a lovingly
be overwhelmed with the sheer volume of tempting dishes offered in restaurants and from food carts wherever cooked broth to which charred and roasted onions and ginger have been added. It is flavored with star anise,
you go in Hanoi, but there are a few dishes that no visitor should miss. cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, and cloves. The aromatic broth is poured over wide rice noodles.

Some restaurants serve pho along with a plate of torn lettuce leaves, mint, cilantro, and slices of hot chili, but a
purist version of Hanoi pho will have the herbs already added to the soup.

The Old Quarter of Hanoi is one of the best places to find pho. Feel free to try several restaurants in order to
comparison taste, or ask a local or your tour guide where he or she prefers to buy their pho.
 Banh Cuon
Another popular breakfast food, you don’t have to wait
Xoi Xeo for morning to sample this Hanoian specialty. This
crepe dish is influenced by the French, but instead of
This is a beloved breakfast dish in Hanoi. It’s inexpensive using a wheat-based crepe, the banh cuon is made with
and filling, which is why it’s so popular with students and a rice-based crepe that is steamed. The crepe is then
day laborers. The sticky rice, shavings of cooked and filled with meat and mushrooms and served with a
compressed mung beans, and fried shallots are simple sauce that includes fish sauce, lime juice, Vietnamese
ingredients that combine into something truly magical. pork sausage, and fried onions. You’ll find banh cuon at
When you buy it wrapped in a banana leaf, you’re truly both food carts and sit-down restaurants, where it’s a
getting a taste of a Hanoian favorite. delicious and inexpensive snack or meal. You can also
get a vegetarian version by asking for plain banh cuon.
Banh cuon is very popular with locals, but not many
tourists get to hear about it, so be sure to ask a Hanoian
local where to get good banh cuon.

Banh Mi
This very popular street food is a French-Vietnamese Bun Thang
fusion food that has existed since the colonial days and
has since spread throughout the world. If pho is your grandmother’s special chicken noodle
soup, bun thang is your gourmet chef brother’s fussy
From the French come of the crusty sandwich rolls and and precise noodle soup that must be made just so, with
pate (traditionally a duck pate), the staples of a good ingredients cut to exactly the same size and placed in to
banh mi. Throw in some meat, cucumbers, fresh herbs, the bowl in the correct order (which size and which order
pepper, chili sauce, mayonnaise, daikon-and-carrot is up to the cook, whose bun thang recipe has probably
pickle (do chua), and maybe a couple fried eggs, and been handed down from previous generations). It’s
you’ve got the world’s best sandwich. adult and sophisticated, and the people of Hanoi love
their bun thang.

Cha Ca La Vong
Vietnamese Egg Coffee Because Hanoi is landlocked, freshwater fish such as
Vietnam is the second highest exporter of coffee after snakehead or catfish is used in this delicate and flavorful
Brazil, and the Hanoians love a good coffee smothered dish that is a Hanoi specialty. Cha ca is so beloved in
in a frothy concoction of honey, sweetened condensed Hanoi that an entire street is named after it.
milk, and egg yolk.
When you order cha ca, you’ll get a sizzling pan full of
The yolks and honey are whipped until they are frothy seasoned grilled fish filets to which you will add the
and thick before being poured into the coffee cup. After additional ingredients: fresh dill, cilantro, and other
the coffee is carefully poured in, a bit of sweetened herbs. Once the greens have cooked down in the pan
condensed milk adds further creaminess and flavor. a bit, you’ll ladle the fish and greens into your bowl
of noodles, top with shrimp paste to your taste, and
sprinkle with peanuts. Grab your chopsticks and try
to capture a bit of everything in the bowl so that your
mouth explodes with the symphony of taste and texture
that is cha ca La Vong.
Vegetarian Restaurants Bo De Quan
For non-meat eaters, Hanoi has plenty to offer. Here are three vegetarian restaurant suggestions, Located at 164 Au Co in Tay Ho district, this small family-run vegan restaurant serves up
though with a little research and by asking locals or a tour guide, you’ll easily get even more extremely fresh and tasty dishes daily. The emphasis is on southern Vietnamese cooking
excellent recommendations. traditions, so you’ll get that robust southern flavor in these truly authentic Vietnamese dishes.
With the menu emphasis on traditional classics—including spring rolls and soup to die for—you
know you’re getting something special. Locals and visitors rave about the banana soup.

Daluva Zenith Yoga

While Daluva isn’t a strictly vegetarian restaurant, the Fancy a little yoga instruction before lunch? Zenith Yoga
Middle Eastern menu clearly labels the vegetarian contains both a yoga studio and a vegetarian fusion
offerings. Israeli-American executive chef Shahar S. food café, so you can drop by to do your sun salutations
Lubin creates a gastropub menu for those who want a before diving into a scrumptious mushroom sandwich
little taste of home (Philly cheesesteaks, burgers, fries) or ultra-fresh salad. Top off your meal with a cool and
or who are seeking something outside the traditional refreshing fresh smoothie, and order another one to go.
Vietnamese cuisine. Select your favorites from an all-
day menu or drop in for comforting breakfast or lunch Zenith Yoga is located at 247 Au Co in Tay Ho district.
food. Add a cold microbrew or cocktail to your meal. Visit Zenith Yoga’s ZCafe to see what’s on the menu.

Find Daluva at 33 To Ngoc Van. Visit Daluva’s website to

explore the menu or order takeout.
Conclusion Distance from Hanoi to Lao Cai: 252 km (157 miles)
By car: about 2 hours, 34 minutes
Ancient Hanoi is the perfect blend of old and new. Each district has something distinct to offer, and visitors will By train: click here
enjoy exploring the city’s most important museums, pagodas, and cultural sites. The remarkable array of street
food and restaurants offering up everything from traditional North Vietnamese dishes to comfort foods from home Distance from Hanoi to Halong Bay City: 164 km (102 miles)
mean that your taste buds will always be tickled. For many, Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi is the perfect place to By car or bus: about 3 to 3.5 hours
vacation—there’s plenty to see, the food is delicious, and the people are friendly.
Distance from Hanoi to Da Nang: 627 km (390 miles)
Distance from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): 1,619 km (1006 miles) By air: 1 hour, 18 minutes
By air: about 2 hours By car: about 5.5 hours
By train: about 34 hours By train: about 14 hours, 12 minutes

Distance from Hanoi to Hai Phong: 121 km (75 miles) Distance from Hanoi to Nha Trang: 1,292 km (803 miles)
By train: about 2 hours and 15 minutes By air: 1 hour, 45 minutes
By train: about 23 hours