Hanoi

Food & Drink

• S Cafe – a quaint coffee shop with birds and a very cute resident dog
• Hidden Gem Cafe Hanoi – beautifully decorated and tucked away from the hustle (order the egg coffee)
• Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền Thanh Vân – a small, humble local spot with great food
• Nha Thuoc Thanh Dung – small and humble, with GREAT bun cha
• Rice Ticket Com Pheiu – a local spot literally on the street, authentic and delicious

Sights

• Hoan Kiem Lake
• Huu Tiep Lake, where the wreckage of a downed B-52 still sits in the water
• B-52 Victory Museum
• Tay (West) Lake — very large, very pretty
• Botanical Garden — nothing crazy, but very peaceful
• Presidential Palace & Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh (dress code applies: knees and shoulders covered)

Experiences

• Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre show
• Hanoi Pub Street's lively nightlife
• Train Street, where the tracks run right past people's front doors
• Maison Centrale, the former US POW camp and Vietnamese internment camp
• A Grab motorbike ride — crazy, thrilling, a little terrifying, and a truly unique experience
• The single craziest intersection I've ever seen (look up IZONE – IELTS Chiến Lược)

Getting Around

• Grab (the Uber of Asia) is the easiest way to move around the city
• Crossing the street is its own skill: just go, steadily and predictably — motorbikes will drive around you

Travel Tips

• Bartering is expected at markets, so don't be afraid to negotiate
• 26,000 Vietnamese Dong is roughly $1 USD
• I felt extremely safe here, even wandering alone at night
• Don't drink the tap water
• Learn "Xin Chao" (hello) and "Xin Loi" (sorry) before you land

Overall Review

A hustling, bustling city that never sleeps and provides all and more than one could ever need. It's a food haven with an endless variety of things to see and do. I spent 3 days in Hanoi and absolutely loved it, and since I packed in as much as I could, 3 days was enough. If you're not chomping at the bit to fly through traffic on the back of a local's motorbike, make sure your legs are up for walking the streets and taking it all in. I can't recommend it enough — though because of the noise and air pollution, I wouldn't plan on spending a long stretch of time there. If you visit Ho Chi Minh City first, expect a complete 180 once you land here. That said, between the two, I preferred Hanoi.