A Week in Hanoi: A Planning Guide
If you’re planning a trip to Hanoi, but don’t know where to start, the following is the result of my own research and experience. I traveled to Hanoi from June 21-June 27, 2019 with my wife and two teenage daughters. Some will say it’s a bad time to go because of the humidity, but if you bring the right clothes you can still have a great experience, especially since you are getting a head start on the more crowded tourist season.
First things first
In addition to having a current passport, you need to have a Visa to visit Vietnam. To ensure we were purchasing a valid one, since I saw a number of offers online, we went to the official government site to see which site they recommend. It routed us to this web portal which worked out great.
Where to stay?
When it comes to hotels, one of our friends recommended the Silk Queen Grand Hotel, but we mistakenly booked a room at the Silk Queen Hotel, their sister property. Turns out it was still a good choice since it was centrally located within walking distance of many of the things recommended below. The hotel also handled booking pick-up/drop-off from the airport and our Halong Bay trip based on our guidance (more on that below).
What about the language barrier?
Although we don’t know Vietnamese and had translation apps on our phones, we had very few issues getting around thanks to Grab and Google maps. Also, the people at the hotel and cruise line all spoke English.
Local things worth doing:
Old Quarter street festival — Vietnam is home to the most crowded and craziest scooter and motorcycle riding community I’ve ever seen with traffic lights and signs being more of a suggestion than a law. Fortunately, only a few blocks from the hotel is the street festival which takes place on the weekends with the streets blocked off so you don’t have to fear for your life. The festival wraps itself around the beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake with a bridge to Ngoc Son temple. Break dancers, K-pop dance crews, guitar playing buskers, Salsa dancers, jump ropers, Jenga players, tiny plastic pig walkers, hacky sack groups, toddlers in remote controlled cars, dog walkers, and more entertain the crowds. It is also packed with street food and bordered by restaurants, as well as a movie theater (CGV Trang Tien Plaza) where we caught an 11:30 pm showing of Toy Story 4. Don’t just take my word that the Old Quarter is awesome; TripAdvisor ranks it as the #1 thing to do in Hanoi.
Weekend Night Market — Adjacent to the Old Quarter is the night market which starts around 7 pm on Friday and runs through Sunday where you can shop for all sorts of inexpensive trinkets and garments. One of my daughters even purchased an authentic Fjallraven backpack for 6 bucks which runs for around $60 in the U.S. (and yes, there are both real and knock off versions for sale, so you just have to know what to look for).
Ngoc Son — While the bridge to this temple is lit up beautifully at night, be sure to visit during the day when the temple is actually open. It’s a quick visit, but worthwhile.
Hanoi’s Train Street — Ever wish you could stand a foot away from a roaring train? A couple times a day, a train rips through the middle of town with the tracks lined with small coffee shops for viewing this spectacle. Once it has passed, the tracks become one of the most Instagrammable locations you will find. We went there twice and both times sat outside the RailwayStation Cafe since the staff was friendly and they served lemonade coffee. Yes, that is a thing. This article lists the train times and other notable tips.
Trompe-l’œil Murals of Hanoi — As you tread along the train tracks, you will eventually be able to make a detour to a street lined with over a dozen 3D murals.
Giảng Cafe — I cannot resist trying unique approaches to coffee with egg coffee being one of the more popular variants in Hanoi. While it was sold at numerous places, this cafe was touted online as being the best, with its own secret recipe. With no frame of reference, I will still say it was the best egg coffee around given the crowds in this somewhat hidden cafe.
The Note Coffee — Some cafes you go to for the drinks, others for the ambiance. The Note fortunately checks both boxes. As the name implies, every square inch of this multi-storied place is covered in post-it notes with guests encouraged to leave their own messages too.
Day and Overnight Trips
Halong Bay — A couple hours north of Hanoi is Halong Bay which is popular for cruises surrounded by majestic mountainous karsts and visits to fishing villages and caves. Planning a cruise is one of the biggest headaches you will face. This is because there are essentially three bays to choose from, each with its own pros and cons. Next, you have to find the ideal cruise ship (every site that does an article on Halong Bay recommends a different company). And then you have to ensure the ship meets certain criteria like knowing the number of people it can hold (the more people, the more crowded your cruise will be, including each stop). You also need to know if transportation to the cruise ship involves taking the high speed route (if not, your drive will take an extra hour and a half or so).
We ultimately opted for Bai Tu Long. It is not as popular as Halong, but I would rather see less impressive karsts than being on an overcrowded boat in an overcrowded bay. It turns out Bai Tu Long was beautiful and well worth it!
You will find a lot of sites providing advice on the best ways to book tours, such as being wary of fake storefronts and vendors who will jack up the prices. While one story said not to book it through a hotel, I ended up doing so since they got me a price that was better than what I saw online. It was also more convenient and it ensured someone I was already working with was accountable if anything went wrong. Even though the hotel provided recommendations, I spent hours researching cruises recommended in articles and by friends and selected the Huong Hai Sealife (the only one on TripAdvisor that had no 1 star reviews). We then had the hotel book it for us. We loved the ship (every room has its own personal balcony), the crew (they played drums when we arrived, did a thank you dance performance before we left, and accommodated my vegetarian diet with some amazing food), and had a solid itinerary for our 2 day/1 night voyage. Highlights included a visit to Thien Canh Son Cave and Vung Vieng fishing village. Kayaking, squid fishing, Tai Chi, and how-to-make spring rolls were other activities offered. Because we were cruising right before tourist season, we only had about 25 people on our 50+ capacity boat which never felt overcrowded. The boat also docked at sea so we weren’t crammed next to a bunch of other ships.
Bai Dinh — While Halong is to the north, a couple hours south is Bai Dinh. A friend had recommended checking it out, so we ended up booking a day visit through TripAdvisor. Once you arrive in Bai Dinh, you are taken to see the Bai Dinh Pagoda, which they tout as “Vietnam’s biggest Buddhist temple complex.” It’s a fairly extensive location so the claim is credible with a lot of photo ops throughout. Afterward you are taken to the Trang An Grottoes where a local will paddle you around a stream which passes through four different caves, often requiring you to duck, and includes a stop at the movie location for Kong: Skull Island.
Skip It
Lotus in West Lake — On paper, visiting the lotus paddies in West Lake sounded like an idyllic and Instagrammable outing. In reality, the town seemed kind of sketchy (it was the first time we smelled weed in Vietnam), it was very crowded, the lotuses were not in full bloom, and to even enter the fields you had to pay people (although it is unclear if they had any legal standing to charge, or if they just set up shop at the various entrances that provided access to the better parts of the paddies). It felt like being at a boardwalk amusement park, but without the rides (coincidentally there was an amusement park too, but it looked abandoned).
Local Tips
Rideshare services: They don’t use Uber in Vietnam, so install Grab when you get there. It’s pretty much the same thing.
Tipping: Asia is mostly a non-tipping culture, but there are some exceptions in Vietnam. We tipped the tour guide and the driver who took us to Bai Dinh, the collective Huong Hai Sealife crew (they had an empty fish tank where you could drop money before departing), and the boat paddlers in Bai Dinh and Bai Tu Long. The paddlers definitely earned it.
Shopping: You can haggle for better prices at all of the shops. Sometimes you might feel it’s not worth it to try and get a $5 shirt for $3, but it’s probably doable. If you see two prices on an item (i.e. dual pricing), that’s because they tend to sell things at a higher price to foreigners. Most stuff is still pretty inexpensive, so you won’t feel ripped off if you pay full price and you might feel good knowing you are helping the local economy. That being said, if something is comparable in price to the U.S., it’s worth giving haggling a shot or just passing on it.
Scams: One thing I’ve learned about scams is that most involve friendly strangers approaching you with an offer. A popular one in Vietnam is doughnut sellers on the street. They will approach you with an offer of a free mini doughnut, but not only do they taste like crap (or so every story reports), they will then say you owe them for the “free” sample and start a scene if you decline to pony up the cash. We read about this before arriving in Hanoi so we avoided the numerous doughnut peddlers, but did witness a woman trying to argue her way out of paying for one. There are plenty of articles (like this one) about local scams, so do your homework.
Eating: Vietnam has a lot of local specialties, but my favorite is their spicy Bánh mì sandwiches. Wikipedia describes them as “a fusion of meats and vegetables from native Vietnamese cuisine such as chả lụa (pork sausage), coriander leaf (cilantro), cucumber, pickled carrots, and pickled daikon combined with condiments from French cuisine such as pâté, along with chili and mayonnaise.” Below is a picture of a vegetarian one I had (tofu or eggs are the common substitute), but for the more traditional meat varieties which are more photogenic, here is what they look like. Also, the fresh tropical fruit is amazing, so if you love mango, this is the country for you!
Packing Tips
For Southeast Asia, I decided to go in over-prepared to ensure we didn’t have to spend our valuable vacation time chasing down fans and umbrellas, among other things. Here were my purchases and the value they did or did not bring to the trip:
KOODER Handheld fan: After first purchasing the highly reviewed O2COOL Deluxe Necklace Fan, it just wasn’t powerful enough so I got the KOODER. It does a good enough job to recommend and came in handy when our tour bus to Bai Dinh got a flat tire and they had to turn the power off.
Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella with Teflon Coating: This was a well-reviewed mini umbrella, but it turned out that during our three-week trip across three different countries in the rainy season, we never had any rain (except when we were in our hotel at night). While it would’ve come in handy, you are better off just buying a cheap one at one of the many convenience stores or vendors.
Ceptics Adapter Plug Set: It’s always good to buy a big set of adapters to cover off on more than one country. It seemed that our two-pronged devices tended to work at most places, but if you have a 3-pronged plug, the adapter was always needed. There is nothing special about this set other than the fact that I ensured it included adapters for our three destinations (Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea).
ProEtrade Backpacks: Since my family didn’t have good travel backpacks and were not toting laptops, I got three of these in different colors for them. They were light and durable with back cushioning and water bottle slots, so I was happy with this purchase.
4monster Durable Packable Backpack: For myself, I purchased the 16L version as a day pack since I wanted the lightest thing I could find that was still durable. It also comes in handy as an extra carry-on bag (I tend to use a large carry-on backpack, but then shuffle key things I need during a flight into a secondary one that will take up less space beneath my seat…this is a great secondary bag). You might even consider the 24L version since the weight is negligible.
Foldable Duffel Bag 30" / 75L: Since our Halong Bay cruise was scheduled in the middle of our stay in Vietnam and we all had big suitcases, I purchased this as an overnight bag for the family. Not only was it super light and compact to travel with, it seems pretty durable and will probably be used a lot beyond this vacation.
PRO Packing Cubes: My wife tipped me off to these. It was a great way to organize my socks, undergarments, etc. given how easy it is for luggage to fall into disarray during a three week trip.
Digital Travel Alarm Clock: If you’re worried your hotel won’t offer a wake-up call service (our hotel in Thailand didn’t even have a phone) and you don’t want to rely solely on the alarm on your cell, this is a nifty purchase. It has no special features other than a clock and alarm. It does one thing and it does it right.
EAGLE CREEK TRAVEL GEAR Undercover Hidden Pocket: Having been across Asia (i.e. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam), I have yet to feel unsafe exploring the popular cities in these countries, other than fearing being hit by a vehicle in Hanoi. However, when you google tourist destinations, the warnings tend to revolve around pickpockets. Since I like the peace of mind that comes with taking the proper precautions, I purchased this hidden pocket. It easily attached to my belt with slots for cash and credit cards and was very accessible, so it’s a good buy. Because some sites also warn against purse thieves on scooters in Vietnam (mainly in places like Ho Chi Minh City), my wife and kids were just cognizant to keep their purses close to their bodies and away from traffic.
Travelrest Travel Pillow: While I already had my trusty neck pillow, my wife purchased this inflatable pillow. It’s a great option for when you don’t have the window seat to rest against and it deflates to become very portable. Wife says she loves it.
Waterproof Phone pouches: Because we were traveling during monsoon season and I knew we would be doing some water based activities, I wanted to ensure nothing happened to my kids’ phones. Since we didn’t experience any rain and our boat excursions never involved getting splashed, they were never used.
Clothing: In June it is very humid in Hanoi, so the key is to avoid 100% cotton shirts and underwear. Instead stock up on quick drying / dri-fit apparel. I wore thin button down shirts and lightweight nylon cargo shorts from REI. Slip-on shoes are also ideal for Asia since you can’t wear shoes in temples. Don’t plan on wearing jeans.
Well, that’s all my advice for now. Because this was my first time in Vietnam, there is probably a lot more to learn (such as finding even better hotels or other cool destinations to visit…I had more places on my list that we never made it to like the Temple of Literature, the historic B-52 Wreckage, Hỏa Lò Prison (aka Hanoi Hilton), and the supposedly “prettiest street in Hanoi”). That being said, if you do nothing beyond what we did, you will still have a great time!
I leave you with the coolest girl in Hanoi:
Up next will be my travel guide for Bangkok, Thailand.
