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Hanoi Travel Guide
Buy Vietnamese DongHanoi at a glance
Hanoi is Vietnam's capital and its most historic city, a thousand-year-old Old Quarter still laid out street by trade, motorbikes everywhere, and some of the best street food in Southeast Asia. Most of the best Hanoi things to do cost next to nothing, walking the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, and a bowl of pho rarely runs past a dollar or two. It's compact enough to see on foot and by Grab in two to three days, and it's the standard northern anchor for a wider Vietnam trip down to Da Nang, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Noi Bai International Airport sits about 27 to 30km north of the Old Quarter, and the taxi fare spread is genuinely wide depending on which option is chosen. Bus 86 is the clear budget anchor: air-conditioned, running roughly every 20 to 30 minutes, direct to the Old Quarter and Hanoi Railway Station for about ₫45,000. Grab or Be, Vietnam's standard ride-hailing apps, offer the most transparent private option at roughly ₫200,000-300,000, with the fare shown before booking. Airport taxis booked at the fixed-rate counter outside arrivals run somewhat higher, roughly ₫250,000-500,000 depending on the company, and drivers customarily add a small airport exit toll (around ₫20,000) on top.
Day 1: Old Quarter on foot in the morning, Hoan Kiem Lake at midday, Temple of Literature in the afternoon, evening in the Old Quarter for street food and a bia hoi corner.
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Hoa Lo Prison in the morning (check mausoleum hours in advance), Train Street in the late afternoon or early evening, a water puppet show to close the day if the timing works.
Where to stay
Where you base yourself in Hanoi shapes the trip more than almost anything else.
Old Quarter
The classic base, walkable to Hoan Kiem Lake, the best street food, and most of what this guide covers. Noisy, especially near the beer-corner streets at night, and genuinely atmospheric rather than polished.
French Quarter
Just south and east of the Old Quarter, colonial-era architecture, a calmer, more spacious feel, still an easy walk or short Grab ride to everything. Suits a traveller who wants a quieter night's sleep without losing central access.
West Lake (Tay Ho)
Further out, a genuinely local, expat-heavy neighbourhood around Hanoi's largest lake, better value and a different pace, worth a short Grab ride into the centre rather than walking distance. Suits a longer stay or a traveller who's done the Old Quarter before.
Paying in Hanoi
For the dong itself, how much cash to carry, the ATM situation and the LRS and TCS numbers, see the Vietnam travel guide.
Before you fly it is worth reading what an ATM withdrawal in Vietnam actually costs.
What Hanoi actually costs
Set the length and style of your trip to see what to budget, in dong and rupees.
Indicative, excluding international flights and accommodation, per person per day. Converted at the verified mid-market rate on 17 September 2026, VND 100,000 ≈ ₹370, not a Matrix board rate.
Budget roughly ₹2,200 to ₹4,400 per person per day on the ground for a mid-range trip, two sharing a room, excluding flights.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ₫30,000-40,000 |
| Pho bowl | ₫25,000-50,000 |
| Grab ride (short) | ₫30,000-50,000 |
| Hotel (mid-range, per night) | ₫700,000-1,200,000 |
Getting around
Hanoi's Old Quarter is compact and walkable, though crossing the street takes some nerve, the local method is to walk slowly and predictably and let the motorbikes flow around you rather than stopping or running. For anything beyond walking distance, Grab (and its local rival Be) is the default, cheap, metered transparently in the app, and available as both a car and a motorbike-taxi option. Download the app before arriving.
Public buses cover the wider city cheaply but are a genuinely different experience, crowded, minimal English signage, useful mainly for the airport route or a specific budget need rather than everyday sightseeing.
Common mistakes in Hanoi
Assuming Train Street charges a fixed entrance fee
Assuming Train Street has a fixed entrance fee, it doesn't, only a cafe drink purchase, and anyone demanding a separate payment at the barrier isn't official
Booking Train Street as part of a group tour
Booking a Train Street visit as part of a group tour, these have been banned since March 2025, an individual or small-group visit arranged directly with a cafe is the current way in
Crossing the street by stopping or running
Crossing the street by stopping or running, walk slowly and predictably instead and let the motorbikes flow around
Eating on the main Old Quarter tourist streets
Ordering pho and coffee on the main Old Quarter tourist streets without checking a block or two over, prices there commonly run 20 to 30 percent higher for identical food.
Hanoi FAQs
Yes, but access is café-mediated rather than a simple walk-in, buy a drink at a licensed cafe along the track and the owner will seat you safely for the train's passing. Group tours are banned as of March 2025.
Two to three days covers the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, and Train Street comfortably. Longer suits a traveller adding a Ha Long Bay cruise, which typically departs from Hanoi.
Yes, Hanoi is the most cash-dependent of Vietnam's major cities in this guide series. Street food, local transport, and markets are almost entirely cash, cards are limited to hotels and larger restaurants.
Genuinely, yes, once the local method is understood. Walk at a steady, predictable pace and let motorbikes navigate around you rather than stopping suddenly or trying to run across.
Bus 86 is the cheapest at around ₫45,000. Grab or Be offer the best transparent private option, download the app before landing using the free airport Wi-Fi.
Neither is strictly better, they're genuinely different cities. Hanoi leans historic and traditional, Ho Chi Minh City leans commercial and fast-paced. Most itineraries in this guide series visit both.
Buy vietnamese dong before you fly
See your Matrix rate and the applicable charges before you confirm. Order online for doorstep delivery or collect from your nearest branch.
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