Hanoi travel guide: 2026 prices, top sights and airport tips

What is Hanoi known for, and where should you stay?

Hanoi is known for its Old Quarter of 36 trade streets, more than 1,000 years as Vietnam's capital (since 1010), French colonial avenues and northern food such as pho, bun cha and egg coffee. Most visitors stay in the Old Quarter or near Hoan Kiem Lake, where the main sights sit within a 20-minute walk.

The centre has four areas. The Old Quarter, just north of Hoan Kiem Lake, holds the markets and street food. The French Quarter, south of the lake, has the 1911 Opera House and larger hotels. Ba Dinh, about 2 km west, has the Mausoleum and the Citadel, and West Lake (Tay Ho) is the quieter expat district.

The Old Quarter's 36 streets

The Old Quarter grew from craft guilds, and many streets still carry the name of their trade: Hang Bac for silver, Hang Gai for silk, Hang Ma for paper lanterns. Pavements double as motorbike parking and kitchens, so expect to walk along the edge of the road. Our Hanoi team gives friends the same advice every time: walk the Old Quarter before 8 am, when shutters are half up and the pho stalls are already full of office workers.

Train Street in 2026

Train Street, where trains pass a metre from front doors near Tran Phu and Phung Hung, has been officially closed to tourists since October 2019. Cafes along the track still serve customers, but guards turn away people who only want to walk the rails, and access changes week to week. If you go, sit in a cafe and never stand on the track.

Where to stay: Old Quarter, French Quarter or West Lake

For 3 days or fewer, the Old Quarter puts you closest to food and sights, but it stays loud until midnight at weekends. The French Quarter offers bigger rooms and quieter evenings, 5 to 10 minutes on foot from the lake. West Lake suits longer stays and families, about 15 to 20 minutes by Grab from the Old Quarter.

When is the best time to visit Hanoi?

The best time to visit Hanoi is October to November and March to April, when days are mild and the air is drier. June to August is the hottest stretch, with highs around 34°C, and August is the wettest month at about 270 mm. January averages 20°C by day and 14°C at night.

Sources: Hanoi (Lang station) climate normals 1991 to 2020, Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology and WMO.

Tet, the Lunar New Year, falls on 6 February 2027, and many family-run shops close for 3 to 5 days around it. For all three regions month by month, see the best time to visit Vietnam.

What should you eat in Hanoi?

In Hanoi, eat pho bo for breakfast, bun cha for lunch, cha ca for a sit-down dinner, banh mi on the go and egg coffee in the afternoon. Most of the best food comes from one-dish places, and a bowl of pho in the Old Quarter usually costs 50,000 to 80,000 VND (2 to 3 USD).

Hanoi pho is about the clear, beefy broth, served with lime and chilli rather than the herbs and hoisin of the south. Bun cha is grilled pork in a sweet-sour fish sauce dip, and most stalls sell it only at lunch. Cha ca is turmeric fish fried at the table with dill. In the evening, bia hoi (fresh draught beer) is poured on low stools along Ta Hien Street.

Egg coffee (ca phe trung) was created in the 1940s at Cafe Giang, when milk was scarce: egg yolk whipped with condensed milk over strong robusta. Cafe Giang still serves it, and most Old Quarter cafes have a version. To make bun cha and egg coffee yourself, a Vietnamese cooking class with a market visit teaches both in one morning.

What are the top things to do in Hanoi?

The top things to do in Hanoi are walking Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter, visiting Ba Dinh Square and the Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison and a water puppet show. All of them fit into 2 days, and every ticket below costs 120,000 VND (about 5 USD) or less in the daytime.

Sources: Vietnam Airlines travel guides, visitor guides published in 2026, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Command maintenance notice for 2026. Checked 1 October 2026; prices can change without notice.

Ba Dinh, the Citadel and the lake

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum opens only on mornings, 5 days a week. Entry is free, but cover shoulders and knees, walk in silence and hand in cameras at security. In 2026 it reopens on 3 November after maintenance; Ba Dinh Square and the One Pillar Pagoda stay open meanwhile.

Across the road, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long was the seat of power for about 13 centuries and a UNESCO site since 2010. Allow 2 hours for Doan Mon Gate, the excavations at 18 Hoang Dieu and the wartime command bunker under House D67.

At the lake, Ngoc Son Temple sits on an island reached by the red The Huc Bridge; 30 shaded minutes suit the afternoon heat.

Hanoi after dark: night tours and shows

The Temple of Literature runs an evening programme with 3D projection mapping on its stone stelae for 199,000 VND. At Hoa Lo Prison, the Sacred Night shows (Đêm thiêng liêng) use actors, light and sound to retell prisoners' stories. From 19:00 Friday to midnight Sunday, the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake close to traffic and fill with families and folk games.

Water puppetry began in the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta, and the Thang Long theatre runs 50-minute shows with live folk music several times a day. The Opera House, partly modelled on the Palais Garnier in Paris, now offers daytime tours, so you no longer need a concert ticket to see inside. Outside the city, The Quintessence of Tonkin stages hundreds of local performers on a lake, usually on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 19:30.

How do you get from Noi Bai Airport to the Old Quarter?

Noi Bai Airport is about 27 km from the Old Quarter, a 35 to 50 minute drive. A Grab, Be or Xanh SM car costs 280,000 to 400,000 VND (11 to 16 USD), an official airport taxi 350,000 to 450,000 VND, and the bus 86 express 45,000 VND per person.

Sources: Hanoi bus operator timetable for route 86, mid-2026 published fare surveys. Grab fares rise in rain and at peak hours.

International flights land at Terminal 2. Buy a SIM or eSIM in the arrivals hall, since you need data to book a ride, and ignore drivers touting inside the terminal. The immigration queue is the part you cannot plan: it depends on how many long-haul flights land together. Most travellers simply join the regular line with their e-visa ready; if you arrive with children or a tight schedule, a Noi Bai airport fast track walks you to the priority lane.

Book Noi Bai fast track

Getting around the city

Walking and ride-hailing apps cover almost everything in the centre. To cross a busy street, walk at a slow, steady pace and do not stop or run; riders steer around you. A cyclo costs roughly 150,000 to 300,000 VND for an hour; agree one price for the whole ride before you sit down.

What are the best day trips from Hanoi?

The best day trips from Hanoi are Ninh Binh (1.5 to 2 hours by road) and Ha Long Bay (about 2.5 hours), followed by the craft villages close to the city: Bat Trang for pottery, Duong Lam for laterite-brick houses and Quang Phu Cau for incense. A heritage train to Bac Ninh adds a half-day option by rail.

Craft villages: Bat Trang, Duong Lam and Quang Phu Cau

Bat Trang, about 13 km south-east, has made ceramics for centuries; buy from workshops or try the potter's wheel.

About 50 km west, Duong Lam Ancient Village keeps courtyard houses of red laterite, some more than 300 years old.

Quang Phu Cau, about 35 km south, dries thousands of red incense bundles in its yards. Go on a dry morning; the bundles come in when rain threatens.

The Hanoi Train to Bac Ninh

The Hanoi Train (Hà Nội 5 cửa ô) is a double-decker heritage train from Hanoi Railway Station to Tu Son in Bac Ninh and back, with a stop for quan ho folk singing. It leaves at 8:00 and 13:30, takes about 3.5 hours and costs 550,000 to 750,000 VND. Buy at the station counter or through online agents, and bring the passport on your ticket.

How do you get from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, Sapa and Ninh Binh?

Limousine minibuses are the usual choice: about 2.5 hours to Ha Long Bay, 1.5 to 2 hours to Ninh Binh and 5.5 to 6 hours to Sapa. For Sapa there is also the overnight train to Lao Cai, about 8 hours plus a 1-hour road transfer, or a private car in about 5 hours.

Sources: operator fares collected by the Sondax team, mid-2026.

Ha Long Bay works as a day trip now, though one night on a boat gives you the quiet morning. The Sapa train saves a hotel night but stops at Lao Cai, 1 hour below town; our Hanoi to Sapa guide gives the fair price for that last leg.

What mistakes do first-time visitors make in Hanoi?

The 5 mistakes we see most often in Hanoi are planning the Mausoleum for a Monday or Friday, riding with a touting airport driver, agreeing a cyclo price per person, changing money at unlicensed counters and riding a motorbike without a valid licence.

• Mausoleum: closed Monday, Friday, every afternoon and, in 2026, until 2 November.
• Airport: take cars only from the marked rank or an app.
• Cyclo: agree one price for the whole ride and every passenger, not per person.
• Money: use a bank or licensed counter; many gold shops on Ha Trung Street are not licensed for foreign currency, and unlicensed exchange can bring a fine.
• Motorbikes: you need a licence valid in Vietnam, such as a 1968-convention International Driving Permit with your home licence. US permits follow the 1949 convention and are not accepted, and most travel insurers refuse claims without a valid licence.

Is Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City better for a first trip?

Choose Hanoi for history, a walkable old town, northern food and easy trips to Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and Sapa. Choose Ho Chi Minh City for a faster, more modern city, later nights and 32 to 35°C days all year. Ho Chi Minh City opened its first metro line in December 2024. Many travellers fly into one city and out of the other to avoid backtracking over the 1,700 km between them.

Hanoi travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Hanoi?

Three days suits most first-time visitors: one for the Old Quarter, the lake and food, one for Ba Dinh, the Citadel, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison, and one for a day trip to Ninh Binh or Ha Long Bay. Two days is enough for the city alone.

Is Hanoi safe for tourists?

Hanoi is generally safe, and violent crime against visitors is rare. The real risks are traffic and petty theft: keep your phone away from the kerb, since snatching from passing motorbikes happens, and wear your bag across your body. At night, use ride-hailing apps or official taxis.

Do you need cash in Hanoi?

Yes, for small purchases. Street food, bia hoi, cyclos and several ticket counters, including the Temple of Literature, take cash only, while hotels and ride-hailing apps accept cards. Carry notes of 50,000 VND and below, as small stalls often cannot change a 500,000 VND note.

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• Ninh Binh travel guide: beating the crowds and scams
• Sapa travel guide: dodge the scams and find the real Sapa
• Ha Giang Loop: an honest look at the northern frontier
• Hanoi to Ha Giang: the new border permit and which bus wins
• Long Bien Bridge, Hanoi: how to walk it and when