Hanoi Bucket List
A millennium in age and absolutely insane. Hanoi is redolent of charcoal and pho broth at 6 AM, roars with eight million motorbikes honking in unison, and somehow is the most vibrant place you'll ever feast your eyes on.
Why Hanoi belongs on your bucket list
Hanoi is not a city that takes it easy on you. The moment you step outside your hotel, it's motorbikes in your face, it's heat and noise in your hair. But stick with it. All it takes is about a day for everything to suddenly, somehow, just click into place – there's a rhythm to the madness, a melody to the mayhem. And suddenly you'll start to notice the trees, the lakes, the French boulevards, and the subtly respectful silence that somehow underpins all the bedlam. Next thing you know, you're up at dawn having a bowl of pho at a street stall; you're having lunch on a stool that's clearly designed for a toddler; you're staring out 50 miles from an impossibly cramped little coffee shop on the third floor of some tube house; you're nursing a cold beer on a silk-smooth pavement and scratching at the life expectancy of the world's longest chewing gum. You see. It's good. Then you give it another day. And it gets even better.
When to go
The period from October to December is considered the best time to visit Hanoi as the weather is dry, cool, and temperatures range from 20-25 degrees making it ideal for sightseeing and taking photos. Another good period from March to April. Temperatures are milder and it’s a good time to take pictures of the flowers blooming and festivals that take place. Summers can become quite hot with temperatures ranging from 30-40 degrees. The humidity in summer might drain you, bringing you the need to change your shirts several times a day. Moreover, monsoon rains and typhoons can hit northern Vietnam from July to September. Winter months of January and February is cold with fog and drizzle. If you plan to visit Hanoi during the Tet festival, it’s essential you book in advance, and remember that half of the city’s shops will be closed.
Must-visit places in Hanoi
Old Quarter
Streets named after the product originally sold there. Fun niche shopping, see the best contemporary art the city has to offer, and get the most informative tour of Hanoi. Tourists always know about this place, but thankfully, they don't usually come in. Something about the gloomy alleyway entrance, with black umbrellas conceptually strung together and dangling above the door, and the broken glass. Flowing-upward backpacker vibe music at night, lawn-chair seating on the sidewalk, and overpriced cocktails gambit.
Hoan Kiem Lake
The translation is “Lake of the Returned Sword”, a tale involving a king, a magic sword, and a turtle, not to mention a recalcitrant phone in your handbag (okay, we made that one up); but, generally, the locals are quite stern about it. Cross the red Huc Bridge to tiny island Ngoc Son Temple. Go early and watch tai chi by the lake. Go in the evening and it's shadow badminton everywhere. Weekend evenings are car-free and the shore is crammed with families. It's the one serene spot in the Old Quarter maelstrom.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
This is the final resting place of the eternal father of a nation. Respect is key; shorts aren't allowed and your conversation should be kept to a minimum (if you can help it, don't talk at all). The north path to the mausoleum is a big line. Closed October through November for 'maintenance'. Take your time - even if the mausoleum is closed for repairs or whatever, the palace and stilt house are magnificent, and the grounds are kept immaculate. Influences by Russian tradition for embalming bodies, Ho Chi Minh's... well, you'll see. If you cross the street and enter near the statue and go up the stairs, you'll find a series of rooms of memorabilia.
Train Street
Two times every day, a full-sized locomotive passes through a space amidst houses that is slightly broader than the locomotive. Locals hang their laundry and recline chairs roughly 30 seconds before it whistles through. Then it rolls past, and everyone resumes their business. Cafes thrive on this route – you'll savor coffee with your knees virtually against the rails. Authorities have perpetually attempted to close it, but it continues to reopen. That's Hanoi summarized – life perseveres.
Banh Mi 25
A small shop with a lot of people waiting in line is an establishment that is worth waiting for. The French bread is so crispy that it crumbles all over the place with each bite. Add to that homemade pate, tangy pickles, fresh herbs, all coupled with extreme diligence, and you have turned a single dollar sandwich into the essence of fine dining. You will gobble it up in 4 minutes, stare at the price, and immediately return to the back of the line. I once devoured three in a row.
St. Joseph's Cathedral
However it was constructed by the French in 1886 and it still looks like a piece of Paris was air-dropped into the Old Quarter. Twin bell towers, stained glass windows, the whole works. But who are we kidding? The cathedral itself is just a pretty big rock. The real noise is out on the pedestrian square in front, which has morphed into Hanoi's lounge room. Every night it's packed with young Hanoians sitting at cafe tables, sipping iced coffee and watching each other like it's going out of style. Pull up a chair and enjoy the show.
Temple of Literature
The earliest university in Vietnam. Established in 1070. It is currently in operation. Consists of five courtyards, each more peaceful than the previous one, with tablets bearing the names of doctorate students from long bygone eras set on the backs of stone turtles. The design is this astonishing mixture of Vietnamese, Chinese, and French design styles that manages to just work. It is one of the sparse locations in central Hanoi where you can actually make out your own thoughts. Reach it in the morning before the hordes.
Bun Cha Huong Lien
This is the place Bourdain brought Obama for a $6 dinner of bun cha. They ate on plastic stools. It's a little—OK, a lot—touristy to order the "Obama combo," but it's still on the menu, and low and behold if it isn't the best thing they serve. Charcoal-grilled pork patties arrive sizzling, and you dip 'em into sweet, tangy broth with rice noodles, throw in some foliage, and you've got yourself a dippin' good time. The quality hasn't dropped an inch since gaining fame. That charcoal smell as you walk in? You'll never forget it.
West Lake (Ho Tay)
When you've had your fill of the Old Quarter – and you will – you can escape to West Lake. The largest lake in Hanoi is surrounded by paths shaded by trees where people actually jog and ride bikes rather than risk life and limb with every step. Tran Quoc Pagoda is built on a small peninsula jutting into the lake and dates back to the 6th century. The district of Tay Ho that surrounds the lake has the best international fare in the city as well as actual sidewalk cafes with chairs that don't leave your knees around your ears. Stroll along Thanh Nien Road at sunset. Just do it.
Giang Cafe Egg Coffee
However, in 1946, milk was a luxury product, so the owner started beating egg yolks into sweetened condensed milk, and thus, egg coffee was born. It’s like someone poured a crème brûlée over your espresso – rich, sweet, hot, and strange prepossessing. The cup is set in a small bowl of hot water to keep it at the optimum temperature. Half the fun is finding the original Giang Cafe: down an alley off Hang Gai Street, up a few skinny steps, and into a tiny room full of people quietly freaking out over their first mouthful of this stuff.
Hanoi insider tips
- Crossing the street: Walk slowly. Don't stop. Don't run. The motorbikes will part around you like water around a rock. Every fiber in your body will scream at you to stop. Don't.
- Transportation: Download Grab (it's like Uber in Southeast Asia). Mark your actual pickup location on the map or you'll be waiting in the wrong spot forever. In the Old Quarter, just walk. The streets are too narrow and too crazy to ride comfortably.
- Street food plan: Find the vendors with the longest lines. If thirty people are waiting, that's your signal. Most vendors sell only one thing and have been doing it perfectly for forty years. Don't overanalyze it. Get in line.
- Coffee break: Vietnamese coffee is a whole different experience — robust, sweet, and always served over ice with condensed milk (ca phe sua da). Try the coconut coffee too. And sit on the tiny plastic stools at the street-level cafes. Standing up defeats the whole point.
- Ha Long Bay: It's three to four hours east of Hanoi, and it looks just like the pictures. Take an overnight cruise, but skip Ha Long if you don't like touristy boats. Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay have the same karsts, but with much fewer people.
- Bargaining: It's fair play at markets and street stalls. Not acceptable at restaurants or any place with a menu. Start with about a third of what they're asking, and work your way up. Keep it light and friendly. A smile goes much further than an aggressive tone.
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