Hanoi travel guide

Old Quarter food, lakes and temples. Most people stay 2–3 nights. Best months: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr.

Highlights

• Old Quarter street food
• Hoan Kiem Lake
• Temple of Literature
• Water puppet show
• Train Street (view from cafe / jeep — not tracks)

Things to do in Hanoi

• Old Quarter street-food walk · 3 h · about ₹1,800 per person. Go after 6pm; bun cha, banh cuon and egg coffee are the classics.
• Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple · 1.5 h · about ₹200 per person. Weekend evenings the lake roads go pedestrian-only.
• Temple of Literature · 1.5 h · about ₹250 per person
• Thang Long water puppet show · 1 h · about ₹600 per person. Book a day ahead in Dec–Feb peak.
• Train Street café stop · 1 h · about ₹150 per person. Watch from a café — walking on the tracks is restricted.
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & One Pillar Pagoda · 2 h · free. Mornings only, shoulders/knees covered; closed some Mondays and Fridays.
• Egg coffee & café crawl · 1.5 h · about ₹300 per person
• West Lake sunset & Tran Quoc Pagoda · 2 h · free
• Vietnam Museum of Ethnology · 2 h · about ₹150 per person
• Hanoi vintage jeep or Vespa city tour · 3 h · about ₹3,500 per person
• Bat Trang pottery village half-day · 4 h · about ₹1,500 per person

Where to stay in Hanoi

• Old Quarter edge (Hoan Kiem) (budget, ₹2,000–₹3,500 a night): Walk to food streets and the lake.
• Hoan Kiem boutique stays (mid, ₹4,000–₹7,000 a night): Quiet lanes, still walkable to the Old Quarter.
• Tay Ho (West Lake) (mid, ₹4,500–₹8,000 a night): Calmer evenings and more space — good for families.
• French Quarter (premium, ₹10,000–₹22,000 a night): Grand colonial-era hotels near the Opera House.

What to eat

• Bun cha: Old Quarter lunch spots
• Pho bo: Old Quarter breakfast stalls
• Egg coffee: Hoan Kiem cafés
• Banh cuon: Old Quarter morning stalls

Getting there

• HAN airport
• Limousine bus to Halong
• Night train to Sapa / Lao Cai

Good to know

• Hot/humid May–Aug; Tet week is crowded/expensive

Vietnam itineraries with Hanoi

• 5 days in the north: Hanoi, a Ha Long cruise night and Ninh Binh · 5 days, Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Ninh Binh · from ₹33,825 per person, base estimate before flights. A long-weekend-plus-two for first-timers: Hanoi's Old Quarter, one night sleeping on the bay and a karst-and-rice-paddy finish, with no domestic flights.
• Express north · 5 days · 5 days, Hanoi ↔ Ha Long · from ₹35,400 per person, base estimate before flights. Minimum viable Vietnam: capital + overnight cruise.
• 6 days in northern Vietnam: Hanoi, Sapa's peaks and a Ha Long cruise · 6 days, Hanoi → Sapa → Ha Long Bay · from ₹36,900 per person, base estimate before flights. Mountains and sea in under a week: a quick Hanoi taste, two Sapa nights with Cat Cat and Fansipan, then a night in Ha Long before your cruise.
• 6 days in Vietnam from Kolkata: Hanoi, a Ha Long cruise and Saigon · 6 days, Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Ho Chi Minh City → Mekong Delta day trip · from ₹42,600 per person, base estimate before flights. A short-break Vietnam built for travellers from eastern India: fly into Hanoi, take a cruise, then spend three Saigon nights with Cu Chi and the Mekong.
• 6 romantic days in Vietnam: Hanoi, a bay cruise and Hoi An · 6 days, Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hoi An → Da Nang · from ₹41,350 per person, base estimate before flights. A short couples' trip with three big moments: sunset on a Ha Long cruise deck, lantern boats in Hoi An, and the Golden Bridge above the clouds.
• 7 days for couples from Saigon to Ha Long Bay · 7 days, Ho Chi Minh City → Mekong Delta day trip → Hoi An → Da Nang → Hanoi → Ha Long Bay · from ₹48,025 per person, base estimate before flights. A one-week romantic sprint up Vietnam: a Saigon river dinner, the Mekong, a single magical Hoi An night, Ba Na Hills, Hanoi and a sunset cruise.
• 7 days from Hanoi to Hoi An: Ninh Binh, a bay cruise and lantern nights · 7 days, Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Ha Long Bay → Hoi An → Da Nang · from ₹47,275 per person, base estimate before flights. North-to-centre in one week: Hanoi, a night among Ninh Binh's karsts, a cruise, then Hoi An's lanterns and Ba Na Hills before flying home from Da Nang.
• 7 days in northern Vietnam: Ninh Binh, a bay cruise and Sapa's rice terraces · 7 days, Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Ha Long Bay → Sapa · from ₹46,325 per person, base estimate before flights. The north's three big landscapes in one week (limestone rivers, the bay and the terraces), ending with a proper day of trekking rather than a drive-by viewpoint.
• 7 days in the north at an easy pace: Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa and Ninh Binh · 7 days, Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Sapa → Ninh Binh · from ₹46,050 per person, base estimate before flights. A gentler take on the northern loop: a cooking class, a cruise, a herbal-bath morning in Sapa and two unhurried nights among Ninh Binh's paddies to finish.
• 7 days in the north: Ninh Binh first, then the bay, Sapa and a final Hanoi night · 7 days, Ninh Binh → Ha Long Bay → Sapa → Hanoi · from ₹45,950 per person, base estimate before flights. Fly in and go straight to the countryside: two Ninh Binh nights, a cruise, a trek in Sapa and a last evening in Hanoi's Old Quarter before you fly home.