Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the best place to experience the country’s layers of history and culture. You’ll see timeless temples standing next to French colonial buildings while modern motorbikes zoom by. Besides Hanoi’s impressive landmarks, the city has an amazing food scene, not to mention some of the best coffee you’ll find anywhere. Here are all my recommendations of the best things to do in Hanoi!
Walk Around Hoan Kiem Lake
At the center of Hanoi’s Old Quarter is the tranquil Hoan Kiem Lake (Hồ Hoàn Kiếm), a picturesque place to walk around and get a feel for the city. It’s a multi-purpose public space where you can spend hours just people watching.
As you circle Hoan Kiem Lake, you’ll see a whole list of important landmarks. The most obvious is Ngoc Son Temple, which sits on a small island connected by a beautiful red bridge. (More on the temple below.) You’ll also pass a giant bronze statue of Ly Thai To, the ancient emperor who moved his capital to Hanoi in the year 1010. And you’ll see an old stone tower that’s the last remnant of the huge Bao An Pagoda that once stood next to the lake (Hoa Phong Tower).
Hoan Kiem Lake is surrounded by an excellent selection of places to shop or grab a bite to eat. At the southern end of the lake is Trang Tien Plaza shopping mall, Hanoi’s top spot for luxury shopping. For something on the lower end of the budget, you can visit the flagship location of Trang Tien Ice Cream (Kem Tràng Tiền). It’s been a tasty Hanoi institution since 1958.
There are also many places for one of my favorite activities in Vietnam, drinking a cup of coffee. In the historic Hanoi Post Office building, you can find a convenient branch of Highlands Coffee. It’s sort of Vietnam’s answer to Starbucks, but better!
Visit Temples and Pagodas
The temples in Hanoi offer visitors a chance to appreciate beautiful spaces while gaining insight to the spiritual life of Vietnam. Many Vietnamese people hold religious beliefs from a mix of backgrounds including ancestor worship, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. A temple (đền) may honor deities from one or more of these religious traditions. However, in Vietnam a pagoda (chùa) always refers to a Buddhist sacred building.
Ngoc Son Temple
I loved visiting Ngoc Son Temple (Đền Ngọc Sơn), the small but elegant complex that sits on an island in Hoan Kiem Lake. The first thing you’ll notice about Ngoc Son Temple is a beautiful red bridge that connects it to the shore. As you walk to the island, you’ll pass through a series of traditional gates before you reach a courtyard where you can enter the main temple. Inside the temple are shrines dedicated to Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist deities.
There’s also a small exhibit with a big turtle. Why is there a taxidermied turtle at the temple? It’s part of the legend of Hoan Kiem Lake, whose name means “lake of the returned sword.” According to legend, the emperor Lê Lợi was given a magical sword to help him lead Vietnam to independence from the Chinese. Not long after Le Loi won the war, he was approached by a huge turtle that asked him to return the sword.
Giant soft-shell turtles like the one on display once lived in Hoan Kiem Lake, but they are believed to be extinct as of 2016.
Visiting Temples in Hanoi
When you’re visiting a temple, it’s important to be respectful and follow the rules. The dress code is clothing that covers your shoulders and knees. Always avoid talking loudly. Often, you’ll be asked to refrain from taking pictures or videos in the main sacred areas. In some places you might be asked to take off your shoes too. Many temples are free, but the major ones ask visitors to pay a small fee (about $1 USD).
Other temples and pagodas you might consider visiting in Hanoi:
- Ba Da Pagoda – tucked into an inconspicuous alleyway, Ba Da Pagoda is an active center for Hanoi’s Buddhist community.
- Tran Quoc Pagoda – this eleven-tiered pagoda is the oldest and most iconic in Hanoi, located on a tiny island in the West Lake.
- Temple of Literature – a temple to Confucius that once housed the Imperial Academy that helped educate Hanoi’s elites.
- One Pillar Pagoda – an iconic Buddhist temple located next to the Ho Chi Minh Museum.
Go on a Food Tour
Hanoi is truly one of the world’s great food cities. You can feast on an array of local specialties and enjoy dishes from across Vietnam (and beyond). But it can be a bit intimidating navigating the tiny restaurants hidden in alleyways and multilevel buildings.
Enter the food tour. With a guided food tour, you’ll get a quick overview of Hanoi’s food culture and get to try many different dishes. I joined a street food tour with Insight Hanoi Travel and highly recommend it. Allow me to share few highlights from our tour:
We started off trying phở gà trộn, a variation on the classic chicken-based soup except that there’s no broth. The result is something akin to a pasta salad, but with the wonderful fresh flavors of herbs, citrus, and spices. (By the way, this shop was hidden behind a paint store.) Later, we stopped at little restaurant that specializes in bánh xèo, super-crispy rice pancakes. Our guide showed us the proper way to eat them, adding herbs to rice paper before rolling the whole thing up and dipping in fish sauce (nước chấm). For dessert we had ice cream with sticky rice (kem xôi). It may not sound good at first, but I loved the combination of textures and flavors. Chewy rice, rich ice cream, all topped with coconut flakes! I think there were 3 other stops, which made for a delicious 3 hours in all.
Drink Coffee in a Cafe
Hanoi’s food culture is fantastic, but the one thing they do even better—possibly better than anywhere else—is coffee. Even if you’re not a degenerate coffee drink like me, a stop in one of Hanoi’s many cafes is essential. Don’t worry, they have tea and stuff as well.
Each cafe in Hanoi has it’s own vibe, from simple street stands to hipster hangouts. Your best plan here is to search for a cafe that suits your style, because the coffee will almost certainly be good. If you’re stumped you can always stop by a location of Highlands Coffee, Vietnam’s’ ubiquitous Starbucks-like chain. There’s also Cong Caphe, a slightly more stylish chain that started in Hanoi and features vintage/communist decor.
As for what to order, I recommend trying one of Vietnam’s specialty coffees.
- Egg coffee (cà phê trứng) – A super rich coffee perfect for dessert! This coffee was invented in Hanoi and involves combining egg yolk, sweetened condensed milk, and a bit of vanilla extract to form a topping. This is layered on top of the coffee with a dash of cocoa on top. So tasty!
- Salt coffee (cà phê muối) – Available hot or iced, this is a strong coffee topped with sweet and lightly salted cream whipped into a foam. It tastes a bit like salted caramel.
- Coconut coffee (cà phê cốt dừa) – If it’s hot outside, there’s nothing better than a refreshing iced coffee with coconut. Many places blend these into a slushy Frappuccino-like concoction.
Visit Hanoi’s Famous Train Street
Would you like to drink your coffee while a moving train zooms by just a few feet from your face? Stop by Hanoi’s famous Train Street! The cramped colonial-era buildings buildings along the railroad tracks were once a just residential neighborhood, but they became famous in the social media era. Nowadays, you’ll find two stories of tiny cafes that offer a tourist-friendly good time.
To me, the appeal of Hanoi’s train street is mostly visual. It’s worth stopping by, but I would only stay for one drink and to take a few pictures. If you want to actually see a train come by, it’s best to check locally for an updated schedule. Cafes on the street have the times posted, or you can try checking with your hotel. Go early to beat the crowds.
See a Traditional Water Puppet Performance
Water puppets (múa rối nước) offer a unique and surprisingly fun way to see Vietnamese traditional culture. The show takes place in a waist-deep pool of water where puppeteers work wooden puppets from behind a screen. They tell stories from folklore and legend, often with a sense of humor. In its modern form, the puppetry performance is accompanied by an ensemble of traditional musicians.
I highly recommend seeing a show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, probably the most famous theater in the country. I loved seeing the range of different scenes, from tales of funny fisherman to sequences of gracefully dancing dragons. And of course, they presented the legend of Le Loi and Hoan Kiem Lake. Though the dialogue is in Vietnamese, the simple stories are told mostly through visuals. You can also rent an audio guide that translates what’s going on.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre has multiple shows every day, but shows can sell out. Get a ticket online or stop by the box office to buy one ($4-8 USD). Get there a few minutes early if you want to get an audio guide ($2 USD).
Drink Beer on the Street
People in Hanoi love to drink beer on the street. In fact, there’s a whole street dedicated to it! The center of the action is at “Bia Hoi Corner” where Ta Hien Street meets Luog Ngoc Quyen in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
The beverage of choice is bia hơi, a fresh lager beer that’s served on draft. It’s light and relatively low in alcohol, around 4% ABV, so the focus is on socializing and snacking more than hard drinking. Best of all, a glass costs less than a dollar!
You’ll see lots of low tables and plastic stools where folk gather to drink bia hơi. Surprisingly, setting up on the sidewalk or street like this is technically illegal in Hanoi. The police occasionally come by and force everyone to clear out.
Visit Hoa Lo Prison Museum
Though it’s not the most cheerful of sights, Hoa Lo Prison (Nhà tù Hỏa Lò) holds an important place in Hanoi history. The French colonial government constructed the prison around 1900, and it continued to be used during the Vietnam War. During this time, US prisoners of war were detained in infamously cruel conditions. Hoa Lo Prison remained in use all the way up until 1993, but, thankfully, the remaining structures are now a museum.
Most of the museum focuses on the French colonial era, when Vietnamese political prisoners were imprisoned and subjected to torture. Exhibits show how hundreds of prisoners were housed in group cell blocks under truly abhorrent conditions.
The museum also covers the Vietnam War era, when American POW’s sarcastically nicknamed it the “Hanoi Hilton.” The information presented paints a strikingly positive version of how prisoners were treated. You’ll need to consult non-propaganda sources to get the full story of what happened there.
More Things to Do in Hanoi
I definitely ran out of time trying to see the sights in Hanoi. Here are a few additional things I had on my list but didn’t actually visit.
- Ho Chi Minh sights – One of the most popular sights in Hanoi is the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the founding father of modern Vietnam. The tomb containing his embalmed body sits solemnly inside a Soviet-style building. It’s open for limited morning hours Tue-Thu and Sat-Sun (best to check updated sources for hours). You can also visit the nearby Ho Chi Minh Museum to learn about his life and work. Round out your Ho Chi Minh tour with a stop at the stilt house where he lived in his later years.
- Temple of Literature – an important temple to Confucius that dates from 1070. Until the 1800s, it was the home of the Imperial Academy where nobles learned literature and poetry. The architecture looks amazing, so I really wish I could have made it to this one. Sad face.
- St. Joseph’s Cathedral – A gothic cathedral built in 1886 during the French Colonial era. It’s an impressive facade, but I didn’t get to see inside since I visited on a Sunday. I recommend choosing a different day.
Tips for Visiting Hanoi
- Hanoi Airport Transportation – There are three good options to get from Hanoi’s No Bai International Airport to the city center: bus, taxi, or private transfer. The cheapest option is the bus. The #86 Bus departs every half hour and makes the trip into the city in a little less than an hour ($2 USD). For a faster and comfier ride, hop into a licensed airport taxi (~$20 USD). When you walk out of the terminal, head straight for the marked taxi stand (don’t pay attention to any of the unlicensed drivers who may try to get your attention). You can also arrange a private transfer through your hotel. This is unlikely to save money unless you’re traveling with a group. But you’ll get to see your name on a sign, which is always fun.
- Getting Around Hanoi – In spite of the traffic, central Hanoi is very walkable. If you need to connect to sights farther away, my recommendation is to take a taxi or a rideshare. If you’re going with a taxi, be sure to pick one of the licensed taxi companies like Mai Linh or G7. Ask at your hotel if you need help, and be prepared to pay cash. For convenience, I liked using the rideshare app Grab. You can easily select the type of vehicle you prefer, whether a car or a motorbike. Drivers are usually readily available, and most rides cost only a few dollars.
- Pedestrian Safety – Hanoi’s Old Quarter is a chaotic scramble of motorbikes, cars, buses, and pedestrians. It can be overwhelming! The first thing to know is that Hanoi drivers are used to sharing the road. Don’t be surprised if motorbikes drive very close to you. When it’s time to cross a street, you’ll need to take some initiative. Try to walk confidently in a straight line across the street. If you’re nervous, find someone else waiting to cross the street and go with them!
