The 10 Places you cannot miss in Hanoi Vietnam

Hanoi is one of the most charming places in the whole of Vietnam. And although it wasn’t always the capital, it’s by far the most visited city. And there’s many reasons for that. The truth is that there’s SO MUCH to see in the Vietnamese Capital, that 3 days just didn’t feel enough.

Photo of an Egg Coffee at Hanoi Train Street

Here is our top 10 places to visit in Hanoi:

1) Explore the Old Quarter

The most vibrant part of the city, with a lot of restaurants, souvenir shops, bars and traditional markets. You will want to explore this area both during the day and the night – it’s super vibrant. When you’re planning your Transfer to Ha Long Bay (if you decide to visit), you will find a lot of Tour and Transfers in this area that can take you there – We took ours with Cat Ba Express and highly recommend.

2) Have a Bahn Mi in Banh Mi 25

The most famous Sandwich of Vietnam has its most staple restaurant in the centre of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. It costs roughly 40k VD ($1.65) for the delicious Banh Mi. For some reason, it looks like they own 3 restaurants in the same street, so when you order, you can either sit in one of them, or in their little “street food” area – which is what we did. With almost 10,000 5-star reviews, we recommend you to visit and give it a try.

3) Tour the Temple of Literature

Built almost 1000 years ago as a homage to their old Leader, Confucius, the Temple of Literature has plenty of gardens, ponds and even a temple. You can learn a lot about the history of Hanoi and Confucius here and the ticket only costs 30k VD ($1.25) per person.

Photo of the entrance of the Temple of Literature in Hanoi Vietnam

4) Visit the Imperial Citadel

The Imperial citadel is a UNESCO World Heritage site as it was the political and cultural centre of Hanoi in the 11th Century. It’s pretty awesome walking around this very well preserved section of the city. The ticket costs 30k Dong ($1.25) per person.

5) Visit the famous Train Street

The most famous street in the whole of Vietnam. The instagram picture perfect spot every Tourist wants a piece of. Train Street is fascinating because you get to almost touch it while it passes through the narrow neighbourhoods in the center of Hanoi.

So what’s the deal about it? You can walk on the tracks and take nice pictures (like the one below), but you have to buy something in one of the bars in the street. We had a delicious coffee which cost us less than $2. The train passes a few times a day, but don’t trust the official schedules too much as it doesn’t often come on time.

Photo of Alba walking on Train Street Hanoi — Alba in Train Street

Vietnamese Coffee in Hanoi Laika Cafe — Vietnamese coffee

6) See St Joseph’s cathedral

A Famous Cathedral from the 19th century which was built during the French colonial times of Vietnam. It has a Neo-Gothic style, (which is not very common in this side of the world) and is famously inspired by the Notre Dame in Paris.In addition, the hotel counts with some of the best and most popular restaurants in the city – All in the same building! But if you would like to dine in one of these don’t forget to reserve a table ahead of your stay as they book up fast.

Photo of St. Joseph's Cathedral In Hanoi

7) Hoan Kiem Lake

The lake right at the heart of Hanoi and right by the Old Quarter. You can find a lot of tourists and locals walking around, taking in the greenery, and it’s overall a very peaceuful and relaxing place to explore. In the center of the Lake, you can visit Ngoc Son Temple, which takes me to the next point.

8) Ngoc Son Temple

You can access this temple via a small walking bridge over Hoan Kiem Lake. The Temple was created as a homage to Vietnam’s old leader Confucius, who was a philosopher, teacher and political leader from over 2500 years ago. The cost of a ticket s 30k VD ($1.25) per person.

9) Tran Quoc Pagoda

One of the longest standing pagodas and Buddhist Temples in the whole of Vietnam, dating back 1440 years. It’s free to enter and the area and see it and you can access it via a walking bridge. The Temple is surrounded by water which makes it super unique. One thing I was surprised by, is the size of it. In pictures it looks much bigger than it actually is in real life.

10) Ho Chi Minh Musoleum

Where Ho Chi Minh’s body has been laid to rest. It’s a place where locals often come to pay respects, but also a lot of tourists come to see the Museum around it, the memorial area and the One Pillar Pagoda.