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Hanoi

Lakes, Old Quarter Lanes and a Thousand Years of Capital

Plan this trip
3 daysIdeal stay₹1,840From / night₹920Food / day₹260Entry

Vietnam's capital and the arrival city for most flights from India (IndiGo, Air India, VietJet, Vietnam Airlines and Akasa Air). The 36 streets of the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and the Hoa Lo prison museum are all within a short ride; evenings are for water puppets, egg coffee and street food on low plastic stools. The base for Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and the northern mountains. Indian and vegetarian ("chay") restaurants are easy to find around the Old Quarter.

Highlights

  • Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn
  • Old Quarter street-food walk
  • Temple of Literature
  • Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
  • Hoa Lo Prison museum
  • Thang Long water puppets
  • Egg coffee
  • Bun cha and pho
  • West Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda
  • Weekend walking street round the lake

Things to do

  • Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple & Old Quarter walkMorning · 2h 30m
  • Temple of LiteratureMorning · 1h 30m
  • Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace & One Pillar PagodaMorning · 2h 30m
  • Hoa Lo Prison museumAfternoon · 1h 30m
  • Thang Long water puppet showEvening · 1h
  • Old Quarter street-food tourEvening · 3h
  • Vietnam Museum of EthnologyAfternoon · 2h
  • West Lake & Tran Quoc PagodaAfternoon · 1h 30m
  • Vietnamese Women's MuseumMorning · 1h 30m
  • Long Bien Bridge at sunrise & Dong Xuan marketMorning · 2h
  • Opera House & French Quarter walkAfternoon · 1h 30m
  • Vietnamese cooking class with a market visitMorning · 3h 30m

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Hanoivia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Hanoivia Klook

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When to go

Best time: October – April

Heads up

Hanoi's Cool, Grey Winter

Hanoi's winter is cool (often 12-18 °C) and grey, with drizzle; few buildings are heated. Bring a jacket. Further south (Hoi An, Saigon, Phu Quoc) it is warm.

Worth knowing

Tet: Closures and a Travel Rush

Tet (Lunar New Year) falls on 6 February in 2027. In the week before, trains, buses and flights sell out and fares rise; for three to five days after, many shops, restaurants and family-run hotels close. Check the date for your year, book transport a month or more ahead, and expect higher prices.

  • Tet (Lunar New Year) — Vietnam's biggest holiday. In the week before, trains, buses and flights sell out and prices rise as everyone travels home; for three to five days after New Year's Eve many shops, restaurants and family-run hotels close, while temples and flower markets are at their liveliest. Book transport a month or more ahead, or avoid travelling in the days either side.
  • Mid-Autumn Festival (Tet Trung Thu) — The children's festival of the full moon: lanterns, lion dances and mooncakes. Hanoi's Hang Ma street and Hoi An's old town are full of lanterns in the week before.
  • National Day holiday — Independence Day: parades and flags in Hanoi around Ba Dinh Square, and a holiday of two to four days when domestic tourists fill the beaches and Ha Long Bay.
  • Perfume Pagoda festival (Chua Huong) — Pilgrims by the tens of thousands take rowing boats up the Yen stream to the cave pagodas of Huong Son, 60 km south-west of Hanoi, from the 6th day of the first lunar month to the end of the third. Go on a weekday; the first weeks after Tet are the busiest.

Part of a longer route

Hanoi is a stop on 2 curated circuits through Vietnam.

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Northern Vietnam

Stop 2 of 4 · 9 days · moderate

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Vietnam North to South

Stop 1 of 5 · 12 days · moderate