Hai Phong Day Trip from Hanoi by Train: Markets & Local Food

Ask anyone in Hanoi where to eat well and sooner or later they will say Hai Phong. The port city two and a half hours east by train is where Hanoians go for crab noodle soup thick with paste, banh mi so thin you eat it by the handful, and seafood that came off the boats that morning. Few foreign travellers make the trip, which is exactly why this day trip is worth it.

You ride there on the local train, soft seats and open countryside rolling past the window, then walk into the noise of Sat or Cat Bi market with your guide, past fish baskets, herb sellers and women frying banh beo. Between bowls of banh da cua and spicy bun ca cay, you visit Du Hang Pagoda, one of the oldest in the city, the villa where Vietnam’s last emperor spent his summers, and the yellow French-era Opera House. The afternoon is a slow string of snacks: stir-fried razor clams, sticky sui din in ginger syrup, a cold coconut dessert and a coconut coffee, before the evening train back to Hanoi.

1. Book online – choose your package, date and number of guests (ages 6 and over).
2. Tell us your diet – vegetarian, vegan and halal options are available on request.
3. Start the day – meet us at Hanoi Railway Station at 09:00, or wait in your hotel lobby from 07:30 if you chose hotel pickup. We confirm the details on WhatsApp (+84 936 348 856) the day before.

07:30 – Hotel pickup in the Old Quarter (hotel pickup package)

Our driver and guide collect you from your hotel by air-conditioned car and take you to the train.

09:00 – Meet at Hanoi Railway Station

Board the local train to Hai Phong, soft seats and air-conditioning, with breakfast or a welcome drink.

Late morning – Train ride (about 2.5 hours)

Rice fields, villages and river crossings through the Red River Delta.

Sat or Cat Bi market

Walk through a working market with your guide, meet the vendors and see what Hai Phong cooks with.

Lunch: Hai Phong classics

Banh da cua (crab noodle soup), bun ca cay (spicy fish noodle soup), banh mi cay and banh beo.

Du Hang Pagoda and Bao Dai Villa

One of the oldest pagodas in the city, then the summer villa of Vietnam’s last emperor and the beach beside it.

Afternoon – Opera House and colonial streets

Photo stops at the Opera House, the railway station and the French-era streets, with snacks along the way: razor clams, sui din, dua dam and coconut coffee.

Evening – Train back to Hanoi

Arrive in Hanoi around 21:00. On the hotel pickup package, the car takes you back to central Hanoi.

Included

• Round-trip train Hanoi – Hai Phong (soft seat, air-conditioned)
• Local English-speaking guide
• Breakfast or welcome drink, lunch and all snacks in the itinerary
• Entrance fees
• Mineral water
• Hotel pickup in the Old Quarter by air-conditioned car (hotel pickup package only)

Not included

• Hotel pickup on the station package
• Extra drinks
• Tips and personal expenses