The 18 best things do in Hanoi, according to a local expert

Born in a small village near the capital, I moved to Hanoi nearly 20 years ago.

So the city is simultaneously deeply familiar and curiously foreign to me. It feels like a big village that grew into a sprawling metropolis, yet never lost its soul. 

Hanoi can be chaotic, messy and charming – and it’s never boring. Ancient pagodas and temples share space with new shiny buildings. And since urban life is lived largely on the sidewalks, visitors can get a real-time showcase of the habits and people that define the city.

These experiences will help you discover the Hanoi I know so well.  

1. Eat street food and drink bia hoi

If, like me, you like to get to know a new city by finding its best local food spots, you’re in for quite the adventure in Hanoi. This city lives and breathes street food, with incredible smells tempting you around every corner.

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You’ve probably heard of pho, the bowl of fragrant broth and rice noodles that first put Vietnamese cuisine on the world map. And if you ask 10 locals where to find Hanoi’s best pho, you’ll surely get 10 different answers. Everyone has their favorite address, usually a tiny street-side joint where the same family has been perfecting its recipe for generations.

I recommend Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan for standout soup and quality beef, Pho Thin Lo Duc for creative stir-fried beef and Pho Ga Nguyet for a chicken version. If you’re looking for an exciting local experience, try to get into the quirky Pho Bung Hang Trong, where you can enjoy a lovely bowl of beef pho in someone’s bedroom.

Street food in Hanoi extends well beyond pho. At Bach Phuong, the bun bo nam bo (beef noodle salad) has sweet flavor influences from the South. Banh Cuon Gia Truyen Thanh Van serves traditional steamed rice-paper rolls with different fillings. You can find bun cha, a popular dish including char-grilled sliced pork belly and meat patties served with herbs and thin rice noodles, basically everywhere in Hanoi; Bun Cha Que Tre and Bun Cha Huong Lien are two of my favorites.

Light and cheap fresh beer normally served right on streets, bia hoi is one of the best things to try in Hanoi. Hanoians drink bia hoi in the afternoon, right after a football match or in a meet-up with friends after work. P Ta Hien in Hanoi’s Old Quarter is also known as “Beer Street”; you can always find a lively place here. If you want to add snacks and other food, stop in at Nha Hang Lan Chin (3 P Hang Thung).

Local tip: Always have cash with you to pay at street-food spots. If the food somewhere catches your eye, walk right in, or grab a table on the sidewalk. You may discover an exciting new place for yourself.

2. Hop among coffee shops

Hanoi’s coffee scene is vibrant and diverse, and one of my favorite weekend hobbies is visiting different coffee shops in one morning or afternoon. While trendy cafes serving espresso-based drinks are on the rise, traditional coffee shops offering local brews like nau đa (iced coffee with condensed milk), ca phe trung (egg coffee) and ca phe cot dua (coconut coffee) still have a loyal following.

Begin your coffee-shop hop in the Old Quarter, where you can easily walk between cafes. Don’t miss Café Giang, where the eponymous Mr Giang created Hanoi’s famous egg coffee in 1946 during a milk shortage. Topped with a thick layer of golden egg foam and condensed milk, the hot robusta coffee tastes like a delightful dessert, and has a strong caffeine kick.

Cong Caphe, a communist-themed chain, serves lovely coconut coffee and iced coffee with condensed milk. Both located in charming French villas, Bancông and Loading T give you a glimpse of Hanoi’s colonial-era architecture as you enjoy a cup of coffee on their balconies. Cafe Pho Co offers decent coffee with a bird’s-eye view of Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter.

If you prefer espresso-based drinks, stop by hipster mainstays Blackbird, Gau or Habakuk.

Detour: Want to make a cup of Vietnamese coffee yourself? Join a coffee workshop at the Hanoi Cafe to learn how to brew traditional ca phe phin (filtered coffee) and that famous egg coffee.

3.  Learn about Vietnam’s diverse cultures at the Museum of Ethnology

I often suggest to friends visiting Vietnam that before heading to the mountainous regions like Sapa or Ha Giang they stop by the Museum of Ethnology for an overview of the ethnic groups and cultures they may encounter on their journey.

The museum showcases an extraordinary collection from Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups, including tribal art, artifacts and everyday objects. Spread over two floors, the exhibits are organized by geography and ethnicity, highlighting clothing, architecture and customs. The best part is the museum’s garden, where different ethnic groups have constructed traditional homes just as you’d find them in their villages. My favorite is the towering Bahnar communal house (nha rong), accessed by a log ladder. It’s next to a fascinating longhouse of the Ede people, a rare matriarchal society.

Local tip: Displays across the museum are well labeled in Vietnamese, French and English, so a guide isn’t essential. As soon as you arrive at the museum, check the times for the water puppet shows.

4. Get good and lost in the Old Quarter

Forget about your maps or any walking routes: in Hanoi’s Old Quarter – a maze-like district with hundreds of interconnected alleys and lanes – you can create your own adventure. I love getting lost in its tiny streets, capturing moments of people’s daily life playing out on every corner. 

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Even after countless walks through these same alleys, I still discover hidden temples I’ve never noticed, or catch the lovely smell of a street-food stall that makes me stop. There’s something about these centuries-old lanes that keeps enchanting anyone who walks them – whether you’re a wide-eyed visitor or, like me, someone who’s called Hanoi home for years.

Local tip: Don’t be afraid to enter even the tiniest, most shadowy alley. Hanoi is a safe place and local people will tell you if they feel bothered. Take a rest at temples or pagodas and have some drinks at a local cafe.

5. Join locals in Hoan Kiem for “laughing yoga” and other morning exercise

Fancy a chuckle at dawn? Around 6am in front of King Le Thai To Temple or the People’s Committee Building, you can join in “laughing yoga” sessions, which are open to all. If you don’t want to join the group, feel free to just watch the giggling grannies and grandads.

You may catch a group of women in colorful dresses dancing with hand fans, or sweaty people doing aerobics and Latin dance on the northwest and southeast corner of Hoan Kiem Lake. Feel free to ask to join in. (Spoiler: you’ll always get a yes.)

There’s also a small outdoor gym on the northeast side of the lake on P Le Thai To. You may be asked to make a small donation for the equipment’s upkeep if you want to use it.

6. Take in a water puppet show

The traditional art of water puppetry – featuring such folk-music styles as cheo, quan ho and chau van, with performances taking place in a waist-deep pool – feature familiar folk stories that always entertain me and make me giggle. The cute and funny puppets themselves, the dialogue and the music bring a lot of joy to the audience. And while it’s hard to fully appreciate the show without understanding the Vietnamese language, visitors can get the gist just by watching the puppets move around the water stage.

Popular presenters in Hanoi are Thang Long Water Puppet Theater and Lotus Water Puppet Theater. Both troupes present similar stories; Lotus includes human actors in its performances.

7. Wander around Banana Island

I sometimes go for a run on Banana Island, a vast green area by the Red River where local farmers have cultivated a banana plantation for decades. Since Hanoi’s urban development has by and large neglected green spaces and public parks, this riverbank area has become a vital green space for the city. The island is home to a community of migrants from neighboring provinces, who live on floating houses and have until recently lived apart from other Hanoians.  

Local people come here more often now to breathe the fresh air, to walk, swim and camp. In the afternoon, you may come across the nude beach where mostly men hang around and swim.

Local tip: Walk on Long Bien Bridge and look for a staircase on the left-hand side that leads down to the area with the large banana plantation. Be prepared to get lost; have your phone with data to find your way out. Just watch out for barking dogs.

8. Visit Thang Long Imperial Citadel

To truly understand Hanoi’s founding and development across various periods, visit the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. With a UNESCO World Heritage designation, this extraordinary site with its ancient buildings, statues and impressive collection of artifacts dates to the Dinh and Early Le dynasties – some 1200 years ago. In the centuries since, it’s been a center of power, and today is a key repository of Vietnamese history.

Local tip: At the archaeological site at 18 P Hoang Dieu, you can see relics covering some 1300 years of royal dynasties. Many tourists miss this site, as it’s located across the road from the citadel.

9. Scoot around like a local on a Vespa or Minsk

Hanoi is a city dominated by scooters. To take in the city as locals do, don’t be afraid to hop on a Vespa or Minsk (of course with a tour guide – aka your driver) and navigate the narrow alleys of the Old Quarter or explore rural roads just beyond the city limits. Motorcycle tours offer a unique way to visit both popular landmarks and lesser-known spots, while also enjoying (of course) delicious local food.

Local tip: Several companies offer motorcycle tours, with Hanoi Backstreet Tours a popular choice. Prices range from US$35 to $50.

10. Hoan Kiem Lake

Legend claims that, in the mid-15th century, heaven sent Emperor Le Loi a magical sword, which he used to drive the Chinese from Vietnam. After the war a giant golden turtle grabbed the sword and disappeared into the depths of this lake to restore the sword to its divine owners, inspiring the name Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of the Restored Sword).

The ramshackle Thap Rua, on an islet near the southern end, is often used as an emblem of Hanoi. A number of elegant pagoda-like stone gateways can be found around the lake, inscribed with chu nho Chinese characters, including Hoa Phong Pagoda (Thap Hoa Phong) near the southeast of the lake shore.

You may often bump into small groups of Hanoi university and high-school students out interviewing foreigners to practise their English. They are invariably polite, often very interesting to talk to and provide an opportunity to interact with local youngsters, while they get the chance to improve their language skills (which the Vietnamese are highly ambitious about)!

12. National Museum of Vietnamese History

Built between 1925 and 1932, this architecturally impressive museum was formerly home to the École Française d’Extrême-Orient. Its architect, Ernest Hebrard, was among the first in Vietnam to incorporate a blend of Chinese and French design elements. Exhibit highlights include bronzes from the Dong Son culture (3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE), Hindu statuary from the Khmer and Champa kingdoms, jewelry from imperial Vietnam, and displays relating to the French occupation and the Communist Party. 

The former Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution across the road at 216 Ð Tran Quang Khai is now part of the National Museum of Vietnamese History. The 40,000 exhibits enthusiastically present the histories of conflict and revolution within Vietnam, from the liberation movements against the French occupation to the establishment of the Communist Party and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

13. Heritage House

One of the Old Quarter’s best-restored properties, this traditional merchants’ house is sparsely but beautifully decorated, with rooms filled with fine furniture set around two courtyards. Note the high steps between rooms, a traditional design incorporated to stop the flow of bad energy around the property. There are crafts and trinkets for sale here, including silver jewellery, basketwork and Vietnamese tea sets, and there’s usually a calligrapher or another craftsperson at work too.

14. Temple of Literature

Set amidst landscaped grounds near the center of Hanoi, the Temple of Literature honors Vietnam's finest scholars and offers visitors a chance to see a rare example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture.

Founded in 1070 by Emperor Le Thanh Tong, the attractive complex is dedicated to the Qufu-born philosopher Confucius (Khong Tu) and was the site of Vietnam’s first university, Quoc Tu Giam (1076). The altars are popular with students praying for good grades, while the halls, ponds and gardens of the five courtyards make picturesque backdrops for student graduation photos. 

Originally university admission was exclusively for those born of noble families, but after 1442 it became more egalitarian. Gifted students from all over the nation headed to Hanoi to study the principles of Confucianism, literature and poetry. In 1484 Emperor Ly Thanh Tong ordered that stelae (large slabs) be erected to record the names, places of birth and achievements of exceptional scholars: 82 of 116 stelae remain standing, mostly atop turtle statues. Paths lead from the imposing tiered gateway on P Quoc Tu Giam through formal gardens to the Khue Van pavilion, constructed in 1802.

15. Hoa Lo Prison Museum

This thought-provoking site is all that remains of the former Hoa Lo Prison, ironically nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by US prisoners of war (POWs) during the American War. Most exhibits relate to the prison’s use up to the mid-1950s, focusing on the Vietnamese struggle for independence from France. A gruesome relic is the ominous French guillotine, used to behead Vietnamese revolutionaries. There are also displays focusing on the American pilots who were incarcerated at Hoa Lo during the American War.

These pilots include Pete Peterson (the first US ambassador to a unified Vietnam in 1995) and Senator John McCain (the Republican nominee for the US presidency in 2008). McCain’s flight suit is displayed, along with a photograph of Hanoi locals rescuing him from Truc Bach Lake after being shot down in 1967.

The name Hoa Lo means "stove" or "furnace." Most of the prison was demolished in the 1990s and high-rises (including the Somerset Grand Hanoi) and other developments were built upon its land, though the section in a corner of the plot containing the museum survives.

16. Bach Ma Temple

In the heart of the Old Quarter, the small Bach Ma Temple (literally "White Horse Temple") is said to be the oldest temple in the city, though much of the current structure dates from the 18th century and a shrine to Confucius was added in 1839. It was originally built by Emperor Ly Thai To in the 11th century to honor a white horse that guided him to this site, where he chose to construct his city walls.

Pass through the wonderful old wooden doors of the pagoda to see a statue of the legendary white horse, as well as a beautiful red-lacquered funeral palanquin. 

17. Vietnamese Women’s Museum

This excellent and highly informative museum showcases the roles of women in Vietnamese society and culture. Labelled in English and French, exhibits cover everything from marriage customs to childbirth, but it’s the memories of the wartime contribution by individual heroic women that are most poignant.

If the glut of information sometimes feels repetitive, for visual stimulation there is a stunning collection of propaganda posters, as well as costumes, tribal basketware and fabric motifs from Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups. Check the website for special exhibitions.

18. Hai Ba Trung Temple

Two kilometres south of Hoan Kiem Lake, this temple was founded in 1142. A statue shows the two Trung sisters (from the 1st century CE) kneeling with their arms raised in the air. Some say the statue shows the sisters, who had been proclaimed the queens of the Vietnamese, about to dive into a river. They are said to have drowned themselves rather than surrender in the wake of their defeat at the hands of the Chinese.

There is an annual festival held here with a colorful procession and cultural activities like wrestling and human-chess displays.