I’ll admit that my initial expectations for Northern Vietnam’s capital city weren’t exactly sky-high.  The classic travel route through the long, thin slip of a country bordering the South China Sea is generally north to south or vice versa. The cheapest return flight that I could find back to the U.S. was out of Saigon, so I chose to start at the opposite end in Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi. Reviews I’d heard hadn’t been stellar, mostly grim reports of Hanoi’s stealthy pickpockets, chaotic driving and worrisome air quality. In truth I figured it would be a quick layover, a hub to start from and check out other cool places in the Northern area of Vietnam.

In the end Hanoi was a truly pleasant surprise, and one of my favorite cities that I visited during my entire trip.  I spent almost a whole week there, ages in backpacker time. Aside from some much needed R&R, my daily routine generally consisted of whiling away afternoons in Hemingway-esque cafes and eating my way through a checklist of local delicacies, trying to capture all of the city’s gritty antiqued magic on my camera in between. 

More so than hitting traditional tourist spots, people-watching is probably my favorite activity when traveling. As such, a lot of these recommendations revolve around that particular exercise, locales and/or activities that provide a front row seat for observing and absorbing the local experience. Concert-going is also one of my favorite pastimes, and I was lucky enough to be introduced to a few hotspots in Hanoi’s live music scene by my friend Areum, a Hanoi local. These are five of the places and activities I enjoyed most when I was in Hanoi; I’ve also included a few honorable mentions at the end—things I did that were alright, or things that I didn’t choose to do but that remain popular sights to see in Hanoi.

Where to Stay

In my opinion, the best place to stay in the city is the Old Quarter.  In addition to being the cultural and commercial heart of the city, that’s where most of the backpacker hostels are located.

I stayed at the Cocoon Inn, which is very centrally located off of Hang Ngang, one of the main roads in the Old Quarter. A short walk or drive from pretty much anything you would want to see, their comfy, private bunks and roaring AC are a real luxury to come home to after enduring a smoggy, sweaty day in the city. They offer a reasonably priced airport taxi pickup if you e-mail or call ahead of time, a service I took advantage of as I’d been warned about taxi scams at the airport.

Hoan Kiem Lake: for great people-watching and a slice of Confucian heritage

Grab yourself an egg coffee (a Vietnamese specialty) and check out Hoan Kiem Lake early in the morning. A lot of the locals cheerfully begin their days with a little dancercise, badminton and Tai Chi down by the lake, a whimsical and intimate morning ritual to witness. They’ll invite you to join, and you definitely should!

Ngoc Son Temple

In the middle of Hoan Kiem lake lies Jade Island, which holds an 18^th century Confucian pagoda—Ngoc Son Temple, or “Temple of the Jade Mountain.”  Legend has it that a Vietnamese emperor once received an enchanted sword that helped him defend Hanoi from the invading Ming Dynasty in the 15^th century. After the defeat of the Chinese, the emperor returned the magic sword to the lake per the request of Kim Qui, the golden turtle god to whom the sword belonged.  The lake was then renamed Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, which literally translates to “Lake of the Returned Sword.” There are still a few soft-shell turtles roaming the lake’s waters today, and it’s considered very lucky to catch sight of them.  (Credit to Hotels.com and Wikipedia for the extensive background information.)

I enjoyed the zen-like experience of walking the grounds, watching a few practitioners going about their morning prayers in quiet reverence.  The temple and its surroundings are beautiful, and it was a really peaceful way to start the day.

Bia Hoi Junction: for cheap Vietnamese draft beer and a lively night on the town

At night, assemble a crew and head out to Bia Hoi Junction. Pull up a plastic stool, grab a cheap Vietnamese draft beer to wash down with some hot pot and enjoy the fabulous people-watching.

Hanoi Night Market: great for souvenir-shopping and people-watching

Friday through Sunday nights there’s a night market off of Hang Ngang which winds down to the lake, a whirlwind of activity on the weekends. The weekend market is a great place to pick up souvenirs—mostly clothing, trinkets, and other eclectic goodies. Even if you missed out on the morningtime lakeside tai chi get-down, with a little luck you’ll be able to catch an evening salsa dancing competition.

Hanoi Social Club: vegan/vegetarian fare and live local independent musicians

Be sure to drop in to the Hanoi Social Club, a 100 year old three-story colonial townhouse turned cafe where Ginsberg and Kerouac would’ve felt right at home.  It feels like a small corner of Paris, with its cozy worn furniture, impressionist art, soft tungsten lighting, and luminous antiqued French windows that look out onto the unassuming side street leading up to the front door. An artsy, chilled out coffeehouse by day and bohemian salon and artistic haven by night, they offer a variety of vegan and vegetarian options on their food menu in addition to strong Vietnamese coffee and tasty artisanal cocktails.

On Tuesday nights the Hanoi Social Club hosts the Tiny Music Club, an intimate weekly concert series where local independent musicians perform in the rustic garden rooftop area of the third floor. Seat yourself on one of the comfy floor cushions and prepare to be floored by native talents of the Hanoi scene.

Binh Minh’s Jazz Club: a world-class jazz bar with no cover charge

In the mood for live music but don’t happen to be in town on a Tuesday?  Get your Coltrane fix at Binh Minh’s Jazz Club, which features live jazz from local and international musicians every night starting at 9 p.m. The ambience is warm and inviting, and you can even get a decent glass of red wine, a rarity in Asia.  The owner teaches jazz saxophone at the Hanoi Conservatory, and there’s no cover charge for the shows.

Honorable Mentions

• The Temple of Literature was neat, another Confucian temple that was constructed in 1170 AD and also served as Vietnam’s first university; I didn’t enjoy it as much, as it was a bit more crowded the day that we went. There were some kindergarten graduations happening on the day we visited, which was pretty adorable to witness.

• Train Street is a popular destination for most travelers, a narrow alley in the Old Quarter that an old freight train passes through several times a day. Many tourists swarm to capture the event on camera, but to be honest at the time I didn’t want to bother with all the hubbub. It did look pretty cool in retrospect though.
• Another event that people talked about was the water puppet theater, which I also chose to forego, because friends I’d talked to gave pretty lukewarm feedback about the shows. I chose to save my money for other activities that I was more stoked about.

Special thanks once again to my friend Areum, without whom I would never have discovered local gems like the Hanoi Social Club and Binh Minh’s Jazz Club. And to Wikipedia and Hotels.com’s Hanoi guides, which filled in a lot of information when I was doing background research for this article.

Have you ever been to Hanoi? What were your favorite things that you saw there?