First stop of our Vietnam itinerary was Hanoi. Our flight from Manchester arrived into Hanoi city late afternoon. It was a baptism by Fire with our arrival, being dropped across the road from our hotel and having to RUN across the street! (IYKYK). We knew we were going to love Hanoi, all the street food we could not wait!!
Ideally I would have stayed an extra day or two in Hanoi. However we ended up tagging on Halong bay into the trip which cut it short.
This was stop one on our two week trip to Vietnam on Thailand itinerary.
Our itinerary tried to fit in the perfect mix of city exploring and beach relaxing. Our plan was to try see as much as we could in our time in each stop, but also relaxing along the way. We tried to keep costs down with mid-range hotel options this time. This post plans to share what we did and where.
Looking back now everything was so cheap!!!
Take a look at our full itinerary here: Two Week Vietnam & Thailand Itinerary
Including: Vietnam – Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An – Thailand.- Krabi, Koh Lanta & Bangkok
Stay:
Our hotel Salute Premium Hotel &Spa was perfectly located in the city near Hoan Kiem Lake. According to our research this was an excellent location. The hotel was modern and exactly what we needed. The hotel also offered some excellent suggestions for our itinerary pointing out things to see, do & eat.
Night One
After a quick freshen up after our long travel day MCR > HAN. We set out into the city in search of our first Vietnamese Banh Mi. Bahn Mi 25 was our first stop, a place I had been suggested and a recommendations from our hotel. One Banh Mi works out as 40,000 Vietnamese dong = £1.27 (wow didn’t realise it was so cheap). Hanoi + Vietnam we love you.
It was fresh and delicious and exactly what we were after. From here we called at a little street food place for beef + noodles on plastic chairs.
Stop 3 of the night… Ta Hien Beer Street for a ‘few beers’.
I can confirm in hindsight it was not a ‘few’ it was a LOT! on top of jet lag. The street is so fun with lots of places to grab food, but it is a party street.
What a first night in Vietnam.
Day Two in Hanoi.
Heavy drinking on night one on beer street did not make for successful touristing the next morning! It was a slow start with a quiet our first coconut coffee around Hoan Kiem lake. The only thing I could manage to eat was a pastry, we found this gorgeous spot for pastries Pizza Belga.
I must say the food and service here was excellent. The pizzas looked excellent (unfortunately could not stomach one at this point in the day).
Top tip become a coffee drinker before coming to Vietnam the coffees are excellent!!
The rest of the day was spent exploring trying street food along the way.
Things to do:
From here is the perfect location to visit Ngoc Son Temple. It is located on a small island on Hoan Kiem Lake in the very center of Hanoi. It’s reachable via a small picturesque bridge paying a small fee (50k dong = £1.59). Wandering around it is beautiful with gorgeous flowers and fish.
– Grab a massage from the many shops to relax after long flights or travel.
– There are so many street vendors grab snacks along the way. We tried grilled sausages and more Banh mi.
– Enjoy the coffee culture in the city in many of the cute cafes. We visited Hanoi coffee station overlooking the road below. The coffee was delicious watching the world go by below. Food options also looked great if you are after food.
The lady across the street making so many Banh mi’s, we had to go and buy one. (yes we did get another).
In the Evening
We visited Train Street – research the times before and go early to coincide with the train times and get the best seats. The street gets very busy right before the train comes, so try to get there a little earlier.
Bun Cha Dac Kim – This was so great to try bun cha, sitting with locals not long before it closed. It’s actually on the Michelin guide in Hanoi. The food was absolutely delicious 120k VND (£3.82). Beers were 64p!!!.
Note: cash only.
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of ViewNước chấm – sweet chilli fish sauce with finely sliced pickled green mango – is the perfect condiment for the vermicelli noodles which come with shredded smoky pork and plump pork patties. It’s a win-win combination of meat with sweetness and refreshing acidity.
Unfortunately that is all we had time for in Hanoi. We both would love to return to this bustling city and have no doubt we will do one day. For our next stop we were headed off to Halong bay, somewhere I have wanted to do for years(our trip was canceled during Covid).
Other places I had pinned but didn’t get time to try:
- Hanoi House cafe – cocktail bar
- Note Coffee – Notes all around with travelers writing on post its (too busy).
- All the coffee. (2nd largest in the world) – Coffee shops to try:
– Loading T Cafe
– Hidden Gem coffee - These are some places to eat in Hanoi:
– Hanoi Night Market
– Pizza 4Ps
– The Hanoi Social Club
– Hoang’s Restaurant
– Madam Tran – Authentic & traditional Vietnamese
– Tung’s Kitchen – Vietnamese - Things to do:
– Phung hung street (street art + murals)
– A Food tour – any excuse to try more food with a guide to show you new things.
– Hoàn Kiếm lake puppet show (buy tickets as can sells out)
Thoughts on Hanoi
I honestly could have spent so much longer in the city the two days. There was so much more to explore and have much more street food. I definitely at some point think we will return to this city(&country). The food was delicious, we had some of the best coffees here. We have unfinished business with Hanoi.
Have you visited Hanoi? what were your thoughts? Comment below↓
Thankyou for reading
Bethan
xox
