Visiting Vietnam’s bustling capital city? Here are all the best things to do in Hanoi to make the most of your trip!
Like many other countries, Vietnam also has two main cities that are always somewhat competing in tourists’ eyes. In Korea, you have Seoul and Busan; in the US, you have New York City and Los Angeles, and in Vietnam, it’s Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. If you can’t tell by the fact that I’ve found myself living in HCMC for six months, I preferred the south to the north after my initial trip in 2016.
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I couldn’t even tell you why because both times I’ve been here, I’ve had a pleasant time! On my first visit, Hanoi fell at the tail end of my trip and I spent my three days sightseeing, souvenir shopping, and meeting another expat. On this recent trip, I spent a day before and a few days after my trip to Sapa and managed to do a little more sightseeing as well as trying out some more restaurants. Both lovely experiences!
Who knows? Guess I just have to go back and visit for longer ;)
Anyway, if you’d like to see all that I got up to on both trips as well as want a little bucket list for your own, check out my little guide on what to do in Hanoi below! I split it up into two main parts: sightseeing activities and what and where to eat/drink.
Sightseeing Things to Do in Hanoi
Okay, there’s a lot to do in Hanoi as you might expect from a major city! As a visitor, the two main districts you’ll want to keep in mind are Ba Đình and Hoàn Kiếm as they’re where the main attractions are. I’d stay in Hoàn Kiếm and dedicate one day to Ba Đình and nearby and maybe two days to Hoàn Kiếm depending on how much and how quickly you want to do your sightseeing.
What to do in Hoan Kiem
More interesting to me was the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, which Frances recommended I check out! This beautiful museum was opened in 1995 and has quite a number of exhibits all about the incredible female history of this country. Each floor is dedicated to a different theme: Women in Family, Women in History, and Women’s Fashion.
I think one thing I’d like to see more of is the more ancient history as the Women in History section is mostly contemporary. Like have you heard of the Trưng Sisters?
Honestly, one of the best things you can do in Hoan Kiem or really most places in Hanoi is to just walk and get a bit lost. I met up with Frances for coffee before she went back to Saigon, and we straight up just wander down this alley right in front of the shop! All in that alley we saw women with their conical hats and bikes piled with flowers, an open air food market, parked (and moving) motorbikes, and just normal life in one compact area all under the many, many entangled wires Vietnam is known for.
Okay you know what’s kind of crazy? When I was visiting this area in 2016, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long wasn’t even on my guidebook. I was looking for the Flag Tower, saw this ancient-looking yellow building in the distance, and though, surely this place must be interesting?
Turns out it is! And to this day I don’t understand why it was left off my map! The citadel is a UNESCO World Heritage site first built under the Ly dynasty in 1010. For about 700 years until 1810 it served as the capital until the Nguyen dynasty moved things to Hue. Today you can walk around what remains and even see a bunker that was used during the war.
Built in 1070,the Temple of Literature is dedicated to Confucius. If you go in, you can walk around and learn all about the different intellectuals who call Vietname home. It’s a beautiful area made of five different courtyards, so chances are you’re going to find someone or a whole group of students taking fun photos!
It’s technically in a different district but it’s so close to Ba Dinh, you can walk there.
Trấn Quốc Pagoda is where I was dropped off to do my day of sightseeing! It’s the oldest Buddhist temple in the city, having been built in the 500s under Emperor Lý Nam Đế. It really does have to be one of the most beautiful spots in Hanoi!
25. Learn more about Vietnam’s ethnic minorities Museum of EthnologyVietnamese Name: Bảo tàng Dân tộc học Việt Nam
This museum looks at all 54 recognized ethnic groups in Vietnam and celebrates their diversity and contribution to the country’s culture. It’s definitely on my future trip itinerary!
26. Bonus: Meet up with some expats in Hanoi!
Sometimes I’m so sociable, I don’t really know who I am! For whatever reason, though, on m first trip, I reached out to Laura on Instagram for some advice about Hanoi, and we wound up arranging to get coffee and something to eat during one of my days there. It was fun meeting up, and she took me to two eateries I wouldn’t have known to visit on my own! We still on and off keep in touch on Instagram.
Hanoi is a big hub for expats, especially those teaching English, so try meeting up with someone! Look through the Hanoi hashtags on Instagram or, for women, join the Hanoi Beautiful group on Facebook.
Foodie Things to Do in Hanoi
What & Where to Drink
Upgrade your normal ca phe sua with an egg yolk! I’m not kidding, ca phe trung or egg coffee is so delicious! Like a little dessert. The iconic spot to go is Cafe Giang, who is credited with inventing the creation. When I met up with Laura, we also went to Cafe Phố Cổ which has some nice rooftop views.
The Note Coffee is by far one of the cutest spots in Hanoi and all of Vietnam to enjoy a drink. If you can’t tell from the name of photos, the theme of this cafe is all about leaving messages on post-it notes! Obviously, this could just be a gimmicky Instagram thing, but the vibe is so nice and friendly, go even if you don’t believe in cameras!
They have a bunch of drinks, including egg coffee, which is what I got.
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Chả Cá Thăng Long was Sierra’s other suggestion! Chả Cá is a speciality dish of Hanoi and the whole street this restaurant is on is known as “Cha Ca street.” It’s different kinds of fish, seasoned and put over some veggies. Seriously so flavorful!
34. Get BBQ at Xuan Xuan
My friends over at Bobo and Chichi recommend Bò Nướng Xuân Xuân! Here’s what they had to say, “It is similar to Korean bbq but instead served with a tub of butter and french baguettes to dip in the grease & butter! We were regulars at this place during our month stay in Hanoi!” YUM!
Want to dine where Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate at? Then head right over to Bún chả Hương Liên! I mean even if it didn’t see the likes of two icons, Bún chả is definitely a dish you want to try in Hanoi. It’s made with grilled pork, rice noodles, and veggies. Basically you want to add as many noodles and veggies to the pork bowl as you want. Yummmmm.
Go trekking in Sapa! There are so many ethnic minority tribes that call Sapa home and really the only way to learn more about them is trekking! I recently had the chance to visit with Topas Travel and had such a lovely time at their lodges and learning about the Red Dzao tribe as well as the Blue Hmong and Xa Pho tribes.
41. Explore Ninh Binh
If you want a lesser known area to visit besides Halong Bay, check out Ninh Binh. All my friends who have been love it and call it a sort of Halong above ground if that makes sense. Still dying to go!
Where to Stay
If you’re just visiting, you’ll want to stay in Hoàn Kiếm in the Old Quarter to be closest to everything.
For longer term visitors, I know the main expat neighborhood is Tây Hồ, and it has lots of cute restaurants and cafes.
I’ve personally stayed at three different places now: New Vision Palace Hotel, Acoustic Hotel & Spa, and Eco Boutique Hotel. Of the three, I’d say Acoustic was my favorite (pictured above). It felt the most luxurious for its price and the staff was so nice.
I’m not sure about New Vision because I think thy upgraded and rebranded from my stay but it was a really good budget pick at the time. As for Eco, while the staff was super friendly, it was… not remotely eco-friendly and for its price, there are a ton of cuter boutique hotels in the Old Quarter.
Here are some other highly rated picks:
BudgetMid-RangeLuxury
Honestly there are SO many beautiful hotels with 9+ ratings and crazy cheap prices in the Old Quarter. You can compare even more here.
Tours in Hanoi
What to Wear in Hanoi
Don’t be fooled by Vietnam’s southeast Asia location — its northern areas can get quite chilly in the winter! When I went in February, I was sweating in HCMC and Hoi An, but Hanoi was around 60F (16C) in comparison! I had been lugging around a light jacket to get to and from Korea’s winter, and I actually wore it the whole time.
In the summer, it actually felt more stuffy and humid than elsewhere, so as always dress in light fabrics, breathable fabrics. Hanoi is also more conservative than the south. While you can probably where shorts and a crop top around Saigon, you should be a little more covered in Hanoi.
Have you been to Hanoi? What are your picks on what to do? Let me know!
for more vietnam travel
I’ve been able to explore a lot of this country, so here are all my other guides:
General VietnamNorthern VietnamCentral VietnamSouthern Vietnamshare this on pinterest
Originally published in 2016; Updated August, 2020
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