Hanoi, Vietnam🛤️

We spent around six days in Hanoi, splitting our time between exploring the city and heading off to do the three-day Ha Giang Loop. Hanoi was another one of our favourite places in Vietnam, with so much to see, do and experience. From its bustling Old Quarter and incredible street food to its fascinating history and lively nightlife, there's plenty to keep you busy. We absolutely loved our time here.

Vietnamese Women's Museum

The Vietnamese Women's Museum is a fascinating cultural museum dedicated to celebrating the history, heritage and contributions of Vietnamese women throughout society. We decided to spend a rainy day exploring the different exhibitions and learning about the important roles women have played in Vietnamese history and culture. It was really interesting to learn about the lives and stories of some truly inspiring women, and a great way to spend a few hours in Hanoi.

Hanoi Train Street

Hanoi Train Street is one of the city's most famous attractions, known for its incredibly narrow street where an active railway runs just inches away from the front doors of houses, shops and cafés. Several times a day, trains pass directly through the street, with residents and café owners having to quickly clear away their outdoor furniture to make room.

It's become an iconic tourist spot, with some cafés offering seats right alongside the tracks so you can watch the train pass incredibly close by. However, as its popularity has grown, safety regulations have become much stricter, particularly after incidents involving furniture being struck by passing trains.

Once the train has passed and access is permitted, you can explore the area, wandering along the tracks and browsing the different cafés and restaurants. We spent a couple of evenings here, grabbing coffees, food and drinks while waiting to watch the train go by. You can ask the local café owners about the train timetable so you can plan your visit around a passing train.

It is a really cool experience and definitely something different! Just be sensible, follow the locals' instructions and respect any safety restrictions. It's absolutely not worth risking your safety just to get that perfect photo or video!

The Note Coffee

The Note Coffee is a famous multi-storey café in Hanoi, known for its walls, ceilings and pretty much every available surface being covered in handwritten sticky notes left by customers and travellers from all over the world.

When you arrive, you'll immediately notice the colourful notes covering the café from floor to ceiling. Once you order your drink, they'll decorate it with cute little notes and give you your own sticky notes to write a message, draw something or leave a little piece of yourself behind. You can then find a space on the wall and add it to the thousands of messages already there!

It is such a lovely and quirky little spot to grab a coffee or bite to eat, and we loved wandering around reading all the different messages and personal notes people had left behind. Definitely worth popping in while exploring Hanoi!

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam's most famous natural wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located a few hours from Hanoi. The bay is famous for its incredible limestone karsts, with huge towering rock formations and hundreds of little islands and islets rising out of the beautiful turquoise waters.

One of the best ways to explore Ha Long Bay is by taking a cruise or boat trip through the islands. You can choose between a day tour or a more luxurious overnight cruise, depending on your budget and how much time you have. We opted for a day trip, which was a great way to see the bay, but I do wish we had booked an overnight cruise instead. It would have given us more time to properly relax, explore and enjoy the scenery without feeling quite so rushed.

Depending on your tour, you can also visit the incredible limestone caves, go kayaking between the islands and even enjoy a swim in the gorgeous waters. It's such a beautiful part of Vietnam and definitely worth adding to your itinerary!

Other things to do in Hanoi:

If you have a little extra time in Hanoi, there are plenty of other attractions and places worth exploring. Here are a few more to add to your list:

• Hoan Kiem Lake – A beautiful freshwater lake right in the heart of Hanoi. It's a lovely place for a walk, particularly in the early morning or evening.
• Ngoc Son Temple – A historic temple situated on a small island in the northern part of Hoan Kiem Lake, accessed by a striking red bridge.
• Chua Tran Quoc (Tran Quoc Pagoda) – The oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi.
• Ta Hien Beer Street – A famous, bustling nightlife spot in the heart of the Old Quarter, lined with tiny bars, restaurants and street-side seating.
• Temple of Literature – A beautiful historical complex dedicated to Confucius.
• Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre – A traditional Vietnamese art performance featuring wooden puppets dancing across a stage of water, accompanied by live music.
• Ho Chi Minh Museum – A museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Ho Chi Minh, offering an insight into Vietnam's history.
• Khu Tap The – Hanoi's famous old apartment blocks, known for their retro architecture, open-air staircases, colourful signs and balconies.

Ha Giang Loop

The Ha Giang Loop is one of Vietnam's most famous adventures, typically completed over three or four days by motorbike through the breathtaking mountainous landscapes of Northern Vietnam. I have written a separate blog post covering everything you need to know about the Ha Giang Loop, including what it is, what to expect and the tour we chose. You can find the full guide here!

Food

Below are some of our favourite food spots that we tried during our time in Hanoi:

• Lifted Coffee and Brunch (pictures 1 & 2) – A really popular brunch spot serving all sorts of delicious dishes, from bagels and big breakfasts to the sweetest donuts. We loved it so much that we ended up coming back three times!
• Salt and Pepper Kitchen (sixth picture) – Another lovely brunch spot, serving a mix of Western-style dishes with a Vietnamese twist. A great option if you're looking for something a little different.
• Poke Hanoi (last picture) – We were craving a poke bowl and this place definitely didn't disappoint! You can choose from loads of different toppings, so we went all out and created our own bowls. It was one of our favourite lunches and definitely worth the price.
• The Note Coffee – A quirky café famous for its walls covered in handwritten sticky notes.
• Banh Mi 25 (middle picture) – A famous local Vietnamese spot serving some of the most delicious Banh Mi sandwiches. It definitely lived up to the hype! The sandwiches were incredibly tasty and so cheap. We loved them so much that we stocked up on a few for our journey to Ha Giang!

This summarises our Hanoi recommendations! We absolutely loved our time in here and would definitely recommend allowing at least two weeks to explore Northern Vietnam. There is so much to see and do, from the bustling streets of Hanoi and the incredible Ha Long Bay to the breathtaking mountains of Ha Giang. It is such a beautiful part of Vietnam and one we could not recommend enough!

If you have a little extra time, we would also 100% recommend adding Sapa to your itinerary. It is relatively easy to reach from Hanoi, so definitely worth factoring into your plans. Sadly, we ran out of time and had to leave without visiting, but it is one place I really wish we had managed to squeeze in!