hanoi stole my heart!
my faves from vietnam's ancient capital 🇻🇳
You’re obsessed with some destinations before even setting foot off the plane. It only took watching one or two Tiktok videos to realise that Hanoi would be one of those places for me.
While researching and planning my trip to Southeast Asia, the photos of Hanoi’s bustling streets stuck with me as an embodiment of what I hoped to experience in Vietnam.
Colourful streets overflowing with people. Families eating something brothy and delicious with chopsticks from steaming bowls while sitting streetside on red plastic stools. A mix-match of architectural styles influenced by the Chinese, French, and the modern-day forms a city with visible layers and history. Each morning, I was awoken by a chorus of cathedral bells, motorbike engines and loudspeaker announcements.
It’s overstimulating — just as I like cities to be, brimming with people too busy with their own lives to pay any attention to you. You can be anyone, and do anything.
Spend the day sitting in a coffee shop, getting lost in the Old Quarter’s tangle of narrow streets, shopping in vintage stores, or spending all day in one of the city’s numerous historic and cultural museums.
things to do 🚲
Visit train street - A tight street lined with cafes inches from an active railway track. Dangerous? Yes. Technically closed to tourists? Aalso yes. But you can still grab a spot by waiting at the end of the road to be chaperoned by cafe owners into one of their stores. Just don’t try and take a selfie on the tracks, the police don’t like it as they don’t want a squashed tourist on their hands.
Join a walking tour - I fell in love with Hanoi’s heart, its ancient old quarter which consists of pagodas, narrow streets of colonial architecture, street markets, motorbike-lined streets, and an old French cathedral. You can find a range of expert tour guides via Trip Advisor and Get Your Guide
Learn about Vietnam’s history - There are multiple museums and galleries to further your education about Vietnam, including Hoa Lo Prison Relic which has been repurposed to tell the stories of prisoners of war during the Vietnam/American War or the culture and traditions of women at Vietnamese Women's Museum
Walk around Hoàn Kiếm Lake - Conveniently located next to the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake is a hub for community activity. From day to night, you’ll see old ladies in their aerobic classes, children playing games, and tourists soaking up the city skyline views - Walk around the water’s edge to take a break from the madness of the city and soak up the views
where to eat 🍽️
Eat banh cuon - A combination of meat or shrimp with mushrooms, onions and veggies rolled in steamed rice flour (like one massive noodle) This dish is regional to Hanoi, meaning you’ll likely see it being cooked up roadside and when you do, make sure to sit down and give it a try
For plant-based foodies - Chay food is a super stylish 100% plant-based restaurant that has vegan-ified some of the most popular regional dishes including bun rieu ha noi and pho
Binge on bánh mì - Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I’d go for a bánh mì pretty much any time of the day. The sandwich is a marriage of French and Vietnamese flavours, a small baguette stuffed with pate, the meat of your choosing, pickled veggies, coriander, mayo, sometimes omelette-style eggs and chili sauce. The best ones come from wagons on the street, but a popular tourist spot in Banh Mi 25 offers both meat and veggie options
Top tip: Chay means vegetarian, so if you want to avoid meat keep an eye out and use this word. There are often fantastic vegetarian spots near Buddhist temples.
where to drink 🍻
Crack open a cold one on beer street - Originating from the famous Café Giảng, egg coffee is much nicer than it sounds. Made by whisking eggs and condensed milk into custard cream, and placing it on top of Vietnamese coffee, it’s pretty comparable to a drinkable tirasamu
Try egg coffee - Originating from the famous Café Giảng, egg coffee is much nicer than it sounds. Made by whisking eggs and condensed milk into custard cream, and placing it on top of Vietnamese coffee, it’s pretty comparable to a drinkable tirasamu
Cocktails and coffees - Transition from day to night at Hanoi House Cafe, a cosy bar tucked upstairs on the second floor of a traditional house in the old quarter. Take a seat on the balcony for views overlooking the French cathedral and square below
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where to stay 🏡
Budget - I stayed at Hanoi EcoStay 2 Hostel & Drift Backpackers Hostel - Both were centrally located in the Old Quarter and served my needs. I will say the rooms are all tiny, however, I’d put this down to the narrow, small size of buildings in this area
Mid-range - Maison d’Orient Hotel & Concon House both look like charming little hotels, but for my next trip I’d love to stay in a little apartment like these on Airbnb — the colourful Zoo 401, this zen wooden-clad flat and this plant-clad studio are all under £30 per night
Premium - Intercontinental, La Siesta Premium Hang Be Hotel & AIRA Boutique Hanoi Hotel & Spa all look bougie for you fancy pants out there
This has easily been my favourite substack post so far because, as you can tell, I love this city! There are so many places in the world I want to visit, but I do hope that sooner rather than later, I get the chance to return to Vietnam and specifically, Hanoi <3
by becca mae x
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If you’ve visited, let me know your fave spots! ❤️
Great travel tips! I definitely need to try egg coffee someday ☕😋