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Vietnam - Top 10 things to do in Hanoi

  • lorisolan
  • Jan 22, 2018
  • 7 min read

Hanoi is AMAZING. The capital is definitely in my top 3 places to visit in Vietnam. The city is non stop, energetic and full of many great things to see, do and most importantly eat! The streets of Hanoi all have names that depict what is sold on each street. This dates back as far as the 15th century when Hanoi was known for a lot of crafts i.e Hang Bac - Silversmith's, Hang Bong - Cotton. The full list can be found in the below link. Another thing to note about Hanoi is that it has a lot cooler climate than many places down the lower side of the country so it is a nice rest bite from the stifling 35-40 degree days that can be experienced in the South.

Below is a list of my top things to do in Hanoi. I hope you enjoy them as much as I thoroughly did.

1. Try an Egg Coffee at Giảng Cafe (39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Hàng Bạc, Hoàn Kiếm)

Ok so this is a super touristy thing to do but I fully understand why. Start your day of sightseeing off right with an Egg coffee or as the Vietnamese know it - Cà Phê Trúng. It is quite possibly one of the most delicious coffees I have had in all of Vietnam, maybe anywhere actually, which is a strong statement I know, considering I lived in Melbourne, one of the best places in the world for coffee.

Giang Café is hidden on a small lane on Nguyen Huu Huan Street in the city’s old quarter. It may be difficult to find for visitors, but it is well worth the effort. This coffee is prepared with egg yolks, sugar and condensed milk and is a morning treat if ever there was one.

2. Try as much street food as possible

There is so much street food in Hanoi, it can be quite overwhelming - Where do I start? How do I know what everything is? How do I order from the nice non-English speaking lady who is taking orders, cooking and serving the food all at the same time. These are the types of obstacles you face with street food yet it does seem to get easier the more you do it - that or you get one successful dish and keep falling back to the same thing. There is always that feeling that you might think you are ordering a nice safe dish and you get a chicken foot or an intestine of sorts! Well my advice is just go for it, whatever comes out before you will probably be delicious and life is all about trying new things, right?!

The Old Quarter of Hanoi is a maze of streets to be explored and without a doubt there will be some form of street food on offer on each one. Find some of my favourite dishes below.

Bun Cha - deconstructed pork, sticky rice noodles, lettuce, chillies and mini limes

Chicken Phở - traditional Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs and most times bean sprouts. Add chilli oil to give it a bit of a kick.

Com Ga - chicken flavoured rice, served with chicken, vegetables and a fried egg on top. There are different variations of this dish however this was the meal I had at Food Corner - Lý Thái Tổ

Banh Xeo - a Vietnamese crispy crepe, literally meaning 'sizzling cake'. It is a savory fried pancake made of rice flour, water and turmeric powder, and filled with shrimp, diced green onion, and bean sprouts.

3. Get a birds eye view of the crazy traffic right in the centre of Hanoi

One of the evenings we enjoyed most in Hanoi was the two hours we spent sipping beers at Legends Beer watching the pandemonium unfold below us at the busy roundabout near Hoan Kiem Lake. It looked like pure madness to the naked eye but on closer inspection it seemed to actually work. There were bikes merging from all directions, cars stuck in the middle trying not to harm the bikers and pedestrians of all ages navigating their way across on foot. There doesn't seem to be a safe method to get from one side to the other so people just 'go for it'.

The most entertaining part were the tourists who clearly had never witnessed anything quite like that traffic before and having to safely get across (none were harmed luckily). There is one thing I can say for sure about the Vietnamese, whether you think it or not, they are 100% giving anyone with a tourist look a wider than wide berth so you can rest assured you are being taken care of that way.

As you can see we had our GoPro all set up trying to get an impressive time lapse which we managed. When I find it I will add it in to my video page.

4. Taste the delicious Chả cá at Chả Cá Thăng Long

Chả cá or Fried fish is a famous dish in Hanoi and one of the most popular places to try this is at Chả Cá Thăng Long. It is a Vietnamese style Fish with Turmeric & Dill (lots of dill). It is a dish that speaks volumes when it comes to Vietnamese cooking as it is fresh, vibrant and has an incredible balance of textures and flavours. Chả cá is very much a DIY dish - you are given a pan with the marinated fish fillets inside and a whole host of sides to add such as rice noodles, spring onions, greens, peanuts and chillies as well as a number of dipping sauces. The pan is put on a gas heater on the table and away you go. It is such a fun way of cooking and no shortage of taste.

5. Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter on a weekend evening

Hanoi is always a lively place to be however the weekend is when it is really at it's ultimate best. There is plenty of activity around the Old Quarter and the Hoan Kiem Lake and what makes it even more enjoyable is the streets are cordoned off to block traffic so people can walk freely and safely to enjoy the night market. There is lots of entertainment such as buskers and street acts so stop and get an ice cream and take a stroll around the beautiful lake whilst enjoying the beauty of the lit up Ngoc Son Temple.

6. Quench your thirst with a local fresh beer (Bia Hoi)

Bia Hoi (fresh beer) is probably one of the most popular things to do in Hanoi, if you like beer that is. It is hard to find it in other parts of the country however there is an abundance of restaurants selling this between $0.30-0.50c (10,000-20,000VND) per glass in Hanoi. Bia Hoi is unpasteurised, unpreserved and served deliciously cold straight from the keg. It is so cheap that you can have the best night on $2 if not less!

Bia Hoi corner is the most renowned place for this, the crowds and action are something of a spectacle however I loved my night spent on the step of Bia Hoi Hanoi located at 50 Bat Dan, Hanoi, 10000. It was so much less hectic than Bia Hoi corner and there was lots happening both inside the restaurant and outside on the busy street. If a lady passes you by with a nuts cart, do not hesitate to purchase from her. They are some of the most delicious nuts around and go perfectly with your beer.

7. Visit the Dong Xuan market

Dong Xuan market is Hanoi's biggest indoor market and it definitely lives up to that reputation. Similar to most Asian markets, it has a wet market at the front where you can purchase all your seafood, meat, fruit and vegetables. Out the back you will find lots of beautiful, colourful fresh flowers for sale. On the upper levels you will find souvenirs, tee-shirts, bags, shoes and much much more all at wholesale prices so if you are in the mood for a shop, have lots of patience and can bear the madness then Dong Xuan is for you.

8. Grab a Banh Mì at Banh Mì 25

Banh Mì 25 is one of the most popular Banh Mì shops in Hanoi. You can expect crowds at all times of day and a small wait but in true Vietnamese style, the wait is never too long. There is a small stall where you place your order and then you can take a seat next door and order a drink from there. It is very well set up and the Banh Mì's are delicious. I tried both the chicken and vegetarian options (on different days!) and they were equally as good as each other.

9. Have a coffee and see the downed B-52 plane at The B-52 Cafe

Operation Linebacker II, known as the Christmas Bombing, was a bombing campaign carried out by American forces between December 18th and 29th, 1972. It's motive was to force the North Vietnamese leaders to sign a provisional peace agreement. The main targets were that of Hanoi and Hai Phong, two hours South-East of Hanoi. Half a million people were evacuated from both cities however even with this pre-planning 1,318 civilians were killed in the bombing. In answer to this, North Vietnamese forces launched more than 1,200 missiles and shot down fifteen B-52 bombers, capturing 31 crewmen and killing many more. The B-52 found in Huu Tiep Lake is a monument for the Vietnamese people of a just another brutal, ineffectual US bombing campaign and a constant reminder of the lives lost in the Vietnam War.

On our final night in Hanoi and Vietnam in fact, we were trying to think of a way to really commemorate our time in this wonderful country. We had spent 8 weeks falling in love with the people, the culture, the madness, the food and just the beauty of it all. We settled on a tattoo of the outline of the Vietnamese Star.

We were walking through the city during the build up to the National Holiday in April and we came across the 1984 tattoo shop which looked really cool on approach. We were greeted by a super friendly receptionist and lead upstairs to where all the ink is happening. There were 3 people getting tattoos while we were there. I thought I was so brave getting my micro star on my wrist next to the guy who was having the entire back of his thigh inked, ouch!! Anyways if a tattoo is for you, I would highly recommend 1984.

I am too excited that I get to back to Hanoi at the start of February to experience more of the incredible things this bustling city has to offer and share more with you all.

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