Hanoi – the best things not to miss

Hanoi – the best things not to miss

Hanoi is the capital, the political, historical, cultural and tourist center of Vietnam. This thousand-year-old capital seduces tourists with its natural beauty, fascinating history, rich culture and typical gastronomy in the world. The French colonial monuments, the street restaurants, the traffic in the busy streets,… are the first impressions of Hanoi tourists. For the most part, Hanoi consists of all the interesting things to discover this city in your own way

When, What to do, What to eat, How to get around in Hanoi?

Tradition Viet Travel invites you to read this article:

1.When is the best time to visit Hanoi? 

The best time to visit Hanoi is autumn, from September to November because by this time the rainy season has normally ended. The weather is nice and not too hot, it is cool in the morning and evening, especially it is less humid. It helps tourists to easily discover the capital.

If you like cooler temperature all day, come to Hanoi in the months of November and December. Visit the capital during this period, besides visiting the famous sites, you could taste winter specialties in Hanoi

2. Activities to do in Hanoi? 

Walking around Hanoi's Old Quarter 

Hanoi is known as the Old Quarter or 36 Guild Streets. Going on foot to look at the French architecture mixed with the Vietnamese one, watching the traffic and the typical products of each district is a good experience for tourists 

The pedestrian districts are open from 2016, they become a rendezvous every evening of the weekend for citizens. Spread over these neighborhoods, there are folk games like jumping rope, tug of war, game of squares (o an quan),... Alongside this exciting atmosphere, there is music from groups of various arts such as violin, saxophone, …

Timetable: 7:00 p.m. Friday - 12:00 a.m. Sunday

Participating in Water Puppet Shows 

Water puppetry is a special traditional theatrical art, based on flooded rice cultivation. Under the creation of Vietnamese people, the water puppets vividly illustrate Vietnamese agricultural activities, dances and legends Tradition Viet Travel thinks it is worth taking part in these extraordinary shows to better understand the culture and art. Vietnamese 

Address: The Thang Long Theater (57B, Dinh Tien Hoang Street) or The Bong Sen Theater (16, Le Thai To Street)

Price: from 100,0000 vnd to 200,000 vnd

Tasting good local beer 

A stroll through the old quarter and ending on Ta Hien Street are great experiences. Ta Hien Street is known as the first street that foreign tourists visit when traveling to Hanoi. They come there to taste good beer and street food, they sit on the small plastic stool with glasses of the fresh beer put on the table

It is also a destination to discover the nightlife of young Hamoïens, come to this street to drink good beer. Every evening, young Vietnamese and foreigners meet there to chat, drink good beer, it creates a lively atmosphere. This street is also typical for its architecture, the French one on the right and the Vietnamese one on the left. Everything creates a picture-perfect

Address: Hanoi Old Quarter

Enjoying street food 

Street food is very well known and it exists everywhere in this city. It is really varied. But how can tourists choose a good restaurant?

Choose the stalls where there are a lot of locals coming, normally the food is good here, cheap and safe. Tasting street food is also a method of experiencing local culture

See the Flag Lowering Ceremony in Ba Dinh Square 

For two decades, the raising and lowering of the national flag has been held at 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. every day in Ba Dinh Square. The ceremony is performed by 34 soldiers representing the first 34 members of the Armed Propaganda Brigade, which later became the Vietnamese People's Army. In the middle of the square there is a 29-meter flag tower. Every day, many Vietnamese come to this place to walk around and participate in this wonderful ceremony. It is an unforgettable experience for everyone. To see this ceremony, you have to be at Ba Dinh Square 10 or 15 minutes in advance

Visiting Quang Ba Flower Night Market Quang Ba Flower

Night Market is another beauty of Hanoi. It runs from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day so after seeing the flag lowering ceremony, it is a good idea to visit this market. You can take a tour of the market and buy seasonal flower bouquets. That's great

Drinking egg coffee

"Is it the coffee and we add egg?" This is the question I hear very often when I talk about this drink. Yes, the main ingredients are coffee, egg and condensed milk. Known as "cà phê trứng", egg coffee is a must-have not to be missed during your visit to the capital. You can taste it in almost all cafes

Recommended cafes: Café Giảng (39 Nguyen Huu Huan Street), Café Lam (60 Nguyen Huu Huan Street), Café Dinh (13 Dinh Tien Hoang Street),….

3. What to visit?

Hoan Kiem Lake

Located in the center of the capital, Hoan Kiem Lake is associated with an important history. Around Hoan Kiem Lake, there is a diverse historical architectural complex, becoming a must-see place for anyone traveling to Hanoi Monuments in the lake area: Turtle Tower, Ngoc Son Temple, The Huc Bridge , Brush Tower, Hoa Phong Tower,…

Address: in the middle of the old quarter. In front of the water puppet theate

Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh

The Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh is surely a site that you cannot ignore. Located at Hung Vuong - Dien Bien Phu street, it is also a place to keep the body of President Ho Chi Minh. In addition, there is a very beautiful and large square of Ba Dinh where President Ho Chi Minh declared the birth of the country, the botanical garden and the house on stilts where Uncle Ho lived for eleven years before his death and the Ho Chi Minh Museum is next door, preserves many of its memorabilia

Address: 17 Ngoc Ha St.

Hours: 7:30-11:30 a.m., except Monday morning and Friday morning

Entrance fee: 40,000 vnđ / person

The One Pillar Pagoda 

Being the largest Buddhist center in Vietnam. Hanoi has many ancient pagodas but the best known is the One Pillar Pagoda. It has special architecture like lotus flower

Address: Next to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Botanical Garden

Timing: 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. daily

Entrance fee: Free

Tran Quoc Pagoda

This is the oldest pagoda in Hanoi, it was built in the middle of West Lake. It is very well known with the Boudha tower. It really is a site not to be missed when you visit the capital. From the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, you can walk there (10 mins walk) through the Quan Thanh Temple.

Address: 46 Thanh Nien St., Truc Bach, Tay Ho, Hanoi

Hours: 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Entrance Fee: Free

Temple of Literature.

Built in the 11th century, the Temple of Literature consists of 2 main parts: one is the Temple of Literature, a place of worship for sages and saints of Confucianism, the other is Quoc Tu Giam which is considered as the first university in Vietnam, dedicated to the children of kings and aristocrats, then extended to the most intelligent commoners Currently, the Temple of Literature is a place where students come to pray for luck in their studies, their work, especially before exams in the hope of a good grade

Address : 58 Quoc Tu Giam St.

Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Monday to Friday), 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday)

Entrance fee: 30,000 dong / person

Vietnam Museum of Ethnography

Vietnam Museum of Ethnography is one of the most interesting museums in Hanoi. It consists of 3 parts on 13,200 m2 indoors and outdoors you will discover the 54 ethnic groups officially recognized in Vietnam + other ethnic groups from Southeast Asian countries. It offers you a general view of ethnicities in Vietnam through clothes, traditional houses, objects and landscapes

Address: Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Quan Hoa, Cau Giay, Hanoi

Timing: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm

Entrance fee: 40,000 vnđ / person

The Vietnam Women's Museum

Not far from Hoan Kiem Lake, the Vietnam Women's Museum is devoted to the history of Vietnamese women on 5 floors delivered in 3 sections: women in the family, women in war and women's fashion Inside the museum, there is a lot of narrative that women from the paddy fields, service workers, hawkers, female entrepreneurs, scholars and mothers are well represented. Plus, there's plenty of information about everyday life, including marriage, family life, fashion, and life-changing rituals. Interestingly, there are also exhibits on women played in the Vietnam Wars plays.

Address: 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street

Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Entrance fee: 40,000 vnđ

The Old Quarter of Hanoi

It can be said that 36 streets of corporations created the reputation of Hanoi. Started with a neighborhood outside the Imperial Citadel, the area has been bustling for hundreds of years with craft and commercial activities

Dong Xuan market

If the Ben Thanh market is the symbol of Saigon, that of Dong Xuan becomes the symbol of Hanoi. It was built in the 19th century, till now it is still the biggest wholesale market in North Vietnam. It is very colorful and lively all year round

Address: in the old quarter

Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Entrance fees: free

4. What to eat?

Hanoi is considered the paradise of gastronomy. Each dish has its own flavor and is a perfect blend of traditional spices and ingredients, Vietnamese food is healthy and balanced between vegetables and meats. Tradition Viet Travel offers you some of the following specialties:

Noodle Soup (Phở)

Pho is the first dish you must try in Hanoi. There are many different kinds of noodle soup like Beef Pho, Chicken Pho,…Famous restaurants like Pho Thin (13 Lo Duc Street), Pho Bat Dan (49 Bat Dan Street), Pho Suong (24B, Trung Yen Street).

In Vietnam especially in Hanoi, we take Pho all year round, breakfast, lunch and dinner as the pride of the Vietnamese

Bún chả Hà Nội - Grilled pork rice vermicelli

This dish is served everywhere in Hanoi, from the luxury restaurant to the small street restaurant. Cha, on the other hand, is made based on grilled pork in two styles: Cha Vien or minced pork dumpling and Cha Miếng or thinly sliced ​​grilled pork. The soup is mixed between fish sauce, vinegar and sugar, which give the sweet and sour taste and seduce everyone

Good addresses to advise: Bún chả Hương Liên: 24 Lê Văn Hưu, Hai Bà Trưng, ​​Hà Nội .

Bún chả Đắc Kim: số 1 Hàng Mành, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội.

Bún chả kẹp que tre: crossroads between Nguyễn Du street and Bà Triệu street.

Fried Fish (Cha Ca)

Fried fish is a specialty of Hanoi which is considered the soul of Hanoi gastronomy. This dish is served at the table. Lang fish (hemibagrus) is fried in a pan with chives and dill, eat with noodles and peanuts and fish sauce or shrimp sauce

Good addresses to advise you

- Cha Ca La Vong, 14 rue Cha Ca

- Cha Ca La Vong, 6B Duong Thanh Street

Vietnamese dumplings

Vietnamese pork dumplings (Banh cuon) are a thin pancake made from rice flour and tapioca stuffed with meat and black mushrooms without fried onions. They are very well served with "chả quế" - Vietnamese pork patties accompanied by bean sprouts and fresh aromatic herbs, especially coriander. The Vietnamese eat them more like breakfast. A simple but divinely delicious dish just so much that you eat without getting tired at any time of the day

Good addresses to recommend:

- Bánh cuốn Thanh Vân, 14 rue de Hang Ga

- Bánh cuốn Bà Hạnh, at 16B, Tho Xuong Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

- Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân, at 16 Hoe Nhai Street

The Banh Mi – the Vietnamese sandwich

Like the Pho or the Bun Cha, you can taste it in almost all the districts of the capital. It's fast food and cheap A baguette is mixed between French and Indochinese cuisine. The crispy baguette has been adapted to local tastes to become the king of street food in recent years

Good address to recommend:

- Banh Mi Pho Co, 38 Dinh Liet Street

- Banh Mi Ba Dan, 34 Lo Su - Banh Mi Bami Bread , 98 Hang Bac Street

- Duc Long Doner Kebab, 5H Luong Ngoc Quyen Street

5. How to get around in Hanoi?

Traffic in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi is always complicated for foreigners at first but they adapt very quickly. To get around Hanoi, you can take

On foot: For short and easy walks, it is better to walk on foot to take advantage of the atmosphere, see the architecture of the houses, the street restaurants and communicate with the locals. It is a pleasant and unforgettable experience

By two wheels: You can use the bicycle or scooter to get around Hanoi. There are always people on the street so be careful, if you usually drive, a bike or scooter is a better choice

By taxi / motorbike taxi: If you are not used to driving, it is better to take a taxi, there are several taxi companies in Hanoi, you can take them at any corner, each taxi is equipped with a meter but you can negotiate the price of the race before. Otherwise, you can book the taxi or moto-taxi on the Grab or Gojek app. The price, the route and the coordinates of the driver are displayed there so there is no price risk

By private car: If you are going to the suburbs of Hanoi where there are no taxis or motorcycle taxis. The private car is the best choice in this case. The professional and experienced driver gives you a pleasant experience, however, the price of the private car is highe

6. What are the routes around Hanoi?

The discovery of the capital

The discovery of Ninh Binh

The hike in Sapa.

The Great Northern Circuit