Hanoi

Sights

• Old Quarter – 36 streets, each once devoted to a single trade.
• Hoan Kiem Lake – The lake with the red bridge, pedestrianised at weekends.
• Temple of Literature – Vietnam's first university, set around quiet courtyards.
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – A monumental building on Ba Dinh Square – mind the dress code.
• Train Street – Houses so close to the tracks the train almost brushes the doors.
• Water puppet theatre – An ancient art: puppets dancing on water.

Food & nightlife

• Pho – Noodle soup for breakfast, the way Hanoi invented it.
• Bun Cha – Grilled pork with rice noodles and herbs.
• Egg coffee – Coffee topped with whipped egg yolk – sweet as dessert.
• Bia Hoi – Fresh draught beer on tiny plastic stools at street corners.

Day trips

• Ha Long Bay – Limestone karsts in the sea – best with a night on board.
• Ninh Binh – «Ha Long on land»: boat rides through caves and rice fields.
• Sapa – A mountain town with rice terraces in the north, by night train or bus.

Good to know

When to go

March–April, October–November

Getting around

Walk in the Old Quarter, otherwise use taxi or motorbike apps; cross the street slowly and steadily.

Tipping

Service is usually included – rounding up is a nice gesture.

Power

Plug type A/C, 220 V – pack an adapter for Swiss plugs.

Currency

Vietnamese Dong (VND)

Plan your trip to Hanoi together

Create a trip plan and the Travel Guide comes with it – with a map, ideas to suggest and saved for offline use.

Plan with Pickeed

More in Vietnam

• Ho Chi Minh City
• Hoi An