North Vietnam
Hanoi
Hà Nội
Thousand-year-old capital
Northern Vietnam blends limestone karsts, terraced rice fields and centuries of Việt heritage. Hanoi (Hà Nội) showcases that mix with its own local rhythm — markets, mountain passes and family-run kitchens worth slowing down for.
24 guides · 5 categories
Stories from Hanoi

Food & Drink
Hanoi’s Essential Eateries: From Sidewalk Phở to Secret Balcony Bars
Discover where to find the capital's best Bun Cha, hidden egg coffee haunts, and refined craft cocktails tucked away in heritage buildings.

Food & Drink
Hanoi Unpacked: 10 Essential Eateries in the Thousand-Year-Old Capital
From legendary street-side phở to speakeasy cocktails, navigate the labyrinthine Old Quarter with our curated guide to the best of Hanoi’s culinary landscape.
Food & Drink
Pho Gia Truyen — Hanoi's Legendary Beef Noodle Bowl
49 Bat Dan St serves one of the city's most-loved bowls of pho bo since 1970.
Where to Stay
InterContinental Hanoi Westlake
Pavilion suites built on stilts over West Lake — sunset cocktail territory.
Food & Drink
Bun Cha Huong Lien — The 'Obama Bun Cha'
24 Le Van Huu — made world-famous by Anthony Bourdain and President Obama in 2016.
Food & Drink
Cha Ca La Vong — 150 Years of Turmeric Fish
14 Cha Ca St serves a single dish: turmeric-marinated catfish sizzled tableside with dill.
Food & Drink
Banh Cuon Gia Truyen — Steamed Rice Rolls
14 Hang Ga — silky rice sheets steamed to order, filled with minced pork and woodear.
Food & Drink
Bun Bo Nam Bo — Saigon-style Dry Noodles
67 Hang Dieu — Hanoi's most famous bowl of southern-style stir-fried beef vermicelli.
Food & Drink
Bun Dau Mam Tom — Tofu and Shrimp Paste Tray
Bun Dau Hang Khay, 31B Hang Khay — fried tofu, vermicelli mats, herbs, and pungent dip.
Attractions
Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
Hanoi's spiritual heart — a jade lake crossed by the red Huc Bridge to a 19th-century temple.
Attractions
Temple of Literature (Van Mieu)
Vietnam's first national university, founded 1070 — five courtyards of stone steles and pavilions.
Attractions
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & Presidential Palace
The granite resting place of Uncle Ho on Ba Dinh Square, where independence was declared in 1945.
Where to Stay
La Siesta Premium Hang Be
Boutique hotel deep in the Old Quarter with a rooftop pool.
Where to Stay
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Hanoi's grande dame since 1901 — colonial elegance steps from the Opera House.
Where to Stay
Capella Hanoi
Bill Bensley's opera-themed jewel box near St Joseph's Cathedral.
Shopping
Hang Gai 'Silk Street'
A historic street of silk tailors and embroidery shops a block from Hoan Kiem.
Shopping
Trang Tien Plaza
Hanoi's grand colonial-era department store, now a luxury mall by the Opera House.
Shopping
Bat Trang Ceramic Village
Famed 700-year-old pottery village 13 km southeast of Hanoi.
Shopping
Hanoi Weekend Night Market
Hang Dao to Dong Xuan closes to traffic Friday-Sunday evenings.
Shopping
Aeon Mall Long Bien
Japanese mega-mall across the Red River — a wet-weather plan with Uniqlo and ice rink.
Shopping
Van Phuc Silk Village
Ancient silk-weaving village in Ha Dong, southwest of Hanoi.
Entertainment
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
Hanoi's iconic 1,000-year-old folk art performed in a pool with live traditional music.
Entertainment
Hanoi Opera House
1911 French colonial opera house, modelled on the Palais Garnier.
Entertainment
Ionah Show — Hanoi
Cirque-style multimedia show blending acrobatics, dance, and Vietnamese folklore.
Browse Hanoi by category
Attractions
Food & Drink
- → Hanoi’s Essential Eateries: From Sidewalk Phở to Secret Balcony Bars
- → Hanoi Unpacked: 10 Essential Eateries in the Thousand-Year-Old Capital
- → Pho Gia Truyen — Hanoi's Legendary Beef Noodle Bowl
- → Bun Cha Huong Lien — The 'Obama Bun Cha'
- → Cha Ca La Vong — 150 Years of Turmeric Fish
- → Banh Cuon Gia Truyen — Steamed Rice Rolls
- → Bun Bo Nam Bo — Saigon-style Dry Noodles
- → Bun Dau Mam Tom — Tofu and Shrimp Paste Tray
Where to Stay