Guides
From a three-day axis and dress code to transit and where to sleep.
Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Hanoi 3-day itinerary
Day 1 Hoan Kiem and French Quarter. Day 2 Ba Dinh morning. Day 3 West Lake or south. Night keeps Beer Street or lake cafés — one.
12 min
Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Hanoi first visit
Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh and West Lake each take more than half a day. Metro and xe ôm are different tempos.
8 min
Grenouille vert · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
How to pace the mausoleum
Open and closed days follow the official schedule (often Tue/Fri closed). Dress respectfully. Close in Ba Dinh — not Beer Street.
8 min
Guide · independent travel
How to walk the Old Quarter
Dong Xuan is daytime. Beer Street and Train Street are night axes with safety rules. West Lake is not an add-on.
8 min
Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
A West Lake day
Thanh Nien separates West Lake from Hoan Kiem. Stay on the lake today.
7 min
Gryffindor · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
The French Quarter
Hoa Lo is indoor history. Enter the Opera for a ticketed show.
7 min
joxeankoret · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
How to eat in Hanoi
Pho, bun cha, egg coffee and bia hơi each stay on their own axis. Do not queue famous tables in a row.
8 min
Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Hanoi transit
Walk the Old Quarter. Cars for farther legs. Be careful with xe ôm.
8 min
Edgardo W. Olivera from Montevideo, Uruguay · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Where to stay in Hanoi
Old Quarter lanes are handy but noisy. French Quarter is quieter. West Lake is another tempo. Ba Dinh helps a mausoleum day.
8 min
Kris Martyn · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Train Street safety
Trains pass the walls. Seating is often closed. Stay off tracks, do not chase the train, keep children back.
6 min
Martin Fisch · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Hanoi shopping corridors
Hang Gai, Dong Xuan, Trang Tien Plaza, Vincom and Lotte are different corridors.
7 min
Grenouille vert · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Hanoi storms
Exposed shores, the bridge and dawn Quang Ba all shorten when storms arrive.
6 min
Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Hanoi with children
Hoan Kiem, Literature temple and Ethnology outdoor houses beat Beer Street. Do not risk Train Street with children.
7 min
Guide · independent travel
Halong day trip (guide)
Day tour or overnight boat from Hanoi. City place pins do not hold island coordinates. Do not force Beer Street the same night you return.
8 min
Guide · independent travel
Ninh Binh day trip (guide)
Long-distance bus or car. Not poured into Hanoi permanent sights.
8 min
Edgardo W. Olivera from Montevideo, Uruguay · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Sapa (guide)
Night train or flight transfer. This station only notes the decision — Sapa street sights stay off the Hanoi graph.
8 min
Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Hanoi coffee
Old Quarter egg coffee is a short stop. West Lake night cafés are another axis.
6 min
Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
One Hanoi dusk
Hoan Kiem, West Lake shore, Flag Tower, Opera square. Keep one.
6 min
Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
A museum day
Do not chain four museums. Ethnology is west — a half-day alone is saner.
7 min
Kris Martyn · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Hanoi now
Old Quarter still walks. West Lake dining stretches longer. Train Street opens and closes under management.
6 min
Jorge Láscar from Australia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Long Bien Bridge
Mind trains and deck gaps when walking. Shorten in high wind.
6 min
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Guide · independent travel
Ba Dinh etiquette
Shorts and tank tops may be refused. Loud behaviour does not fit.
5 min
