Hi Everyone,
Welcome to Vietnam!
This is my first visit to this fascinating country and we have started our 8 day adventure in Hanoi. This trip I’m travelling with a very dear fried of mine Nicola. We have been friends for 35 years this year and decided that was a good enough reason to celebrate with a girls trip!
I’m splitting this 8 day trip into four parts so that no one part is too long:
1) Hanoi, 2) Halong Bay, 3) Da Nang & Hoi An, and 4) Ho Chi Minh City. So stay tuned for parts 2, 3 & 4 to come.
Travelling across Vietnam is super easy using local airlines. My tip however is to stick to Vietnam Airlines as from our experience they were super reliable and have lovely planes. We even had a Dreamliner flying back from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.
keep on reading for the full story about “Hanoi Travel Tips – Where to Stay and What to See”.
Hanoi Travel Tips – Where to Stay and What to See
The first thing you’ll notice when you arrive in Hanoi is the number of motorbikes. With a population of 8.5 million people there are 7 million bikes in Hanoi. They have no fear of getting close to you either. The picture above is taken with a 35 ml lens!
Crossing the road was an adventure every time. The traffic doesn’t stop – it just drives around you. Unfortunately after 8 days Vietnam I got used to this and found myself trying out the same trick in Zurich today – not such a smart move – oops!
Accommodation tips:
The next thing that struck us was just how friendly everyone was. The service was fabulous everywhere we went. The picture above shows our welcome tea as we checked into our hotel for the night.
Many of the nicer hotels have pools on their roofs. What we noticed was the lack of high rise buildings. We thought this might be the case throughout Vietnam but Ho Chi Minh City proved otherwise.
Book a hotel in the Old Quarter, the centre of Hanoi to make it easy for discovering the city by foot. We stayed in the Anatole Hotel which has a great location.
Sightseeing:
My next top tip is to get a local guide to take you on a walking tour through Hanoi. The part of Train Street where the cafes are was closed off by police as we were there so we had to navigate our way along a tiny corridor and through a private home to get to the cafe. You don’t get to do that without a local guide in tow!
The train normally passes by twice a day – around 3pm and 7pm. Check out the exact times closer to your arrival. If you are going to be close to the train as it comes be prepared for its extremely loud horn as it passes by. Almost scarier than the fact I could literally touch the train as it was passing by, it was so close.
We got to see and learn about the meaning of several different temples. What amused Nicola and I most though is that people bring food and alcohol offerings to the temple and at the end of the day take back home to eat and drink themselves.
Be sure to ask your guide to take you to some of the hidden cafes – they are all so different inside, each with their own charm. In some there were even motor bikes parked inside the cafe. It always amazed me that even though these cafes were super hidden, they were also absolutely full of people. Hanoi really has a great coffee culture.
Street vibes:
It wouldn’t seem right to go to a city like Hanoi without photographing a few locals. I soon found out that many of the locals love to be photographed and will even pose for you if you ask to take a picture. Others will say no – best to respect their wishes then!
Restaurant tips:
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Home Hanoi
Home Hanoi is a true fusion of old world splendour. The restaurant is set up so that it is partially outdoors and partially indoors with rustic brick walls – full of charm. Great service and delicious traditional Vietnamese flavours. We can really recommend going to Home Hanoi.
Location:
75 Nguyen Dinh Chieu (31 Van Ho 2),
Le Dai Hanh, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
Open time:
11:00am – 2:00pm & 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Hotline: (+84) 889 038 822
2) Restaurant Mammon
Restaurant Mammon is another lovely restaurant to try with authentic Vietnamese food and very friendly staff.
The decor is lovely and modern however the whole restaurant is indoors so be sure to bring a cardigan or jacket to protect from cold air-conditioning.
Address: Floor 3-5-6, 23 Phan Dinh Phung, Ba Dinh, Ha Noi
Hope you’ve enjoyed part 1 of our 8 day trip through Vietnam. Stay tuned for Ha Long Bay news coming soon.
Do check out the FunkyForty Travel section for other travel posts.
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Hi dear Yvonne thank you very much for your travel document to Hanoi it truly sounds very interesting and something to go to and find out for your self with taken a guide is truly the best Idea love it thanks again
Loved this round-up—super clear and packed with the kind of tips that actually help, not just fluff. I’ve got Hanoi on my radar (counting down the days, actually!), and this gave me a few new spots to pin on my map. Already locked in my stay near Hoan Kiem, so your recs came at the perfect time. Can’t wait to sip egg coffee in the chaos and charm of it all!