Things to do in Hanoi

Things to do

1. The 36 streets of the Old Quarter

   Each street was named for a trade; many still practice it, and the traffic flows around you. On Wikipedia (in French)

   Culture and historyMarket3 hrFreebest in the morning

2. Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple

   A red bridge, a legendary turtle, and the city doing its exercises at 6 a.m. On Wikipedia (in French)

   Culture and historyMonument2 hr≈ €2best in the morning

3. The Temple of Literature

   The country’s first university, founded in 1070, and the graduates’ stelae resting on turtles. On Wikipedia (in French)

   Culture and historyMonument2 hr≈ €2best in the morning

4. Train Street

   A train passing thirty centimeters from the tables, twice a day, between two rows of houses. On Wikipedia

   Off the beaten trackViewpoint1 hr≈ €3best in the afternoon

5. Water puppets

   An 11th-century rice-paddy art: the puppeteers stand in the water behind a bamboo screen. On Wikipedia (in French)

   Culture and historyShow1 hr 30 min≈ €8best in the evening

6. Bun cha and pho, at the source

   Plastic stools, a broth simmering since dawn, and nothing else on the menu. On Wikipedia

   FoodMarket3 hr≈ €8takes the whole day

When to go

The most pleasant months in Hanoi: in March, April, October and November, taking weather and crowds into account.

More ideas for those months: where to go in March, where to go in April, where to go in October, where to go in November.

Averages measured over recent years: mean temperatures and number of rainy days, month by month.

What budget on the ground?

Per person and per day, including accommodation, meals, local transport and visits — excluding the round trip. An estimate calculated the same way as in the app, from the local cost of living.

Budget

€20

Mid-range

€35

Comfort

€65

Getting there from Paris: the carbon footprint

Per person, round trip, in kilograms of CO₂ equivalent — manufacturing, energy and, for flights, contrails included.

Plane

3.3 t

Factors from ADEME (Impact CO₂); outside France, rail uses the European average published by the European Environment Agency.

Book on the ground

Tours and tickets

• Go City Multi-attraction passes for big cities
• KKday Activities and tours, especially in Asia
• Klook Tours, tickets and excursions
• Tiqets Museums and monuments, skip-the-line tickets
• WeGoTrip Self-paced audio tours

Internet on site (eSIM)

• Airalo Data eSIM, by country or region
• Drimsim SIM card that works in almost every country
• Saily Data eSIM
• Yesim Data eSIM

From the airport

• GetTransfer Drivers make an offer for your ride
• Intui Private transfers at a fixed price
• Kiwitaxi Booked transfers, from taxi to minibus
• Welcome Pickups Driver waiting on arrival, price fixed in advance

Rent a car

• Auto Europe Rental comparison
• EconomyBookings Rental comparison
• GetRentacar Cars from rental companies and private owners
• Localrent Local rental companies, often no credit card needed

Partner links: if you book through them, Tripora may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you and without changing the order of these lists, which is alphabetical.

Good to know: Vietnam

Plugs

Type A, C, D, 220 V

Emergencies

113 (police), 115 (ambulance), 114 (fire)

Driving

On the right

Near Hanoi

• Ha Long Bay Vietnam, 140 km
• Luang Prabang Laos, 410 km
• Hue Vietnam, 540 km
• Hoi An and Da Nang Vietnam, 630 km
• Guilin and Yangshuo China, 660 km
• Chiang Mai Thailand, 760 km

Elsewhere in Vietnam

• Da Lat
• Ha Long Bay
• Ho Chi Minh City
• Hoi An and Da Nang
• Hue
• Nha Trang
• Phu Quoc