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Hanoi in brief
Hanoi sits on the Red River and has been a capital, on and off, for nearly a thousand years. Visitors come for the Old Quarter’s narrow trading streets, the lakes in the middle of the city, the colonial architecture and a food scene that is among the best in Vietnam. The weather and the pace are different from Saigon: cooler in winter, quieter at night, more formal in manner.
Hanoi is the city of lakes. Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre and West Lake (Ho Tay) to the north are the two big ones, and you will find yourself walking around one or other of them most days. The twentieth century’s concrete boxes mostly skipped the old centre, so what you see is a mix of French villas and opera houses, Vietnamese tube houses and, increasingly, glass towers on the edges.
What to do in Hanoi
The Old Quarter
The Old Quarter is a grid of narrow streets north of Hoan Kiem Lake, historically one trade per street: silk, tin, paper, bamboo. The names still say so (Hang means “goods”), though many shops now sell the same souvenirs. Walk it early, before nine, when it is mostly locals shopping and eating. Pavements double as parking and kitchens, so you will spend a lot of time walking in the road. Look both ways and move at a steady pace; motorbikes steer around you.
Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
Hoan Kiem Lake is the middle of the city and the best place to watch it wake up: tai chi and badminton at dawn, couples at dusk. A red bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple on an island, and the small Turtle Tower stands in the water. The legend is of an emperor who returned a magic sword to a golden turtle. The streets around the lake are closed to traffic on weekend evenings, usually from Friday evening to Sunday night, and fill with families and street performers.
Temple of Literature (Van Mieu)
The Temple of Literature was founded in 1070 and was Vietnam’s first national university, and its five courtyards of trees, ponds and stone stelae on turtle backs are the calmest place in the centre. Entry has been reported at about 70,000 dong, open daily from about 7:30 or 8:00 to 17:00 (summer and winter hours differ). Go in the first hour to avoid tour groups.
Hoa Lo Prison
Built by the French as a colonial prison, Hoa Lo later held American airmen during the war, who nicknamed it the Hanoi Hilton. Most of the site was demolished for a tower block; the surviving gatehouse and cells are a museum. Entry was reported at 30,000 dong in 2026, open 8:00 to 17:00 daily. The exhibition is strongest on the colonial period, which is worth knowing before you go.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Ba Dinh complex
The mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house and the museum sit together in Ba Dinh. Dress covers shoulders and knees, and bags and cameras go in a cloakroom. The mausoleum closes for about two months every year; in 2026 that is from early September until 3 November, so check before you plan around it. It is open mornings only, never Monday or Friday.
Train Street
The railway line that runs between houses off Le Duan Street became famous for cafes where a train passes inches away. Authorities have repeatedly closed or restricted access for safety, and cafes have repeatedly reopened. If you go, buy a drink, sit where staff tell you and move when they do.
Museums and other stops
The Vietnam Women’s Museum is small, well organised and a good wet-weather choice. The National Museum of Vietnamese History covers the thousand years from the tenth to the twentieth centuries. The Grand Opera House, St Joseph’s Cathedral and the Presidential Palace are the main French-era buildings. Long Bien Bridge, a French-built iron bridge over the Red River, is best crossed on foot or by bike at sunrise. West Lake is a wide, slow loop with temples on its banks, such as Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in the city (see Hanoi’s lakes).
What to eat
The food is the reason to stay a third day. Order pho bo (beef noodle soup) for breakfast, bun cha (grilled pork with rice noodles and herbs) for lunch, and egg coffee in the afternoon: whisked yolk and sugar over strong coffee, served warm. Cha ca, fried turmeric fish with dill, is a dinner dish. In the north diners are somewhat more adventurous than in the south, so ask what an unfamiliar word on the menu means before you order it. Eat where the queue is Vietnamese and the plastic stools are full.
Getting to and around Hanoi
Noi Bai International Airport is about 25 to 30 km north of the centre. Bus 86 runs to the Old Quarter area for around 45,000 dong in about an hour. A taxi or app car takes 40 to 50 minutes and costs about 250,000 dong in 2026 reports, longer in rush hour. No metro line serves the airport yet.
Inside the city, the Old Quarter and lakes are walkable, and short rides by app-booked car or motorbike taxi cover the rest. The Cat Linh to Ha Dong metro line (2A) runs across the south-west of the city but does not pass the main sights; more lines are still being built.
Flying on to the south? Saigon is about two hours by plane. Domestic flights from Hanoi are listed in flights within Vietnam and the budget airlines guide; when you land at Tan Son Nhat, private cars from Saigon airport can be booked ahead if you want a driver waiting.
When to go
October to early December and March to April are the best months: dry, mild and clear. Hanoi has four seasons. December to February is cool and often overcast, sometimes cold enough that you will want a jacket in the evening. June to August is hot, humid and stormy. Tet, the lunar new year in late January or February, shuts many restaurants and shops for days and fills the city with flowers.
Where to stay in Hanoi
The area matters more than the hotel. Old hotel listings for Hanoi lead here, so here are the areas.
- Old Quarter: the most atmospheric and the most convenient on foot; loud at night, with the widest range from hostels to boutique hotels.
- French Quarter: south of Hoan Kiem Lake, with wider streets, the Opera House and larger international hotels. Quieter, a short walk to the lake.
- Tay Ho (West Lake): calmer, with lakeside cafes and restaurants, popular with long-stay visitors. Plan on a 15 to 25 minute ride to the Old Quarter.
- Ba Dinh: near the mausoleum complex and embassies; fewer places to eat late.
Book ahead in October, November, March and over the Tet holiday.
Beyond Hanoi
Ninh Binh’s limestone karsts are a half-day trip or an overnight stop, and are covered in the Ninh Binh guide. Ha Long Bay, Sapa and the Perfume Pagoda are the other usual excursions. For the rest of the country, see the Vietnam destinations index.