Motorbikes pass narrow tube houses and shops along Hang Gai Street in Hanoi's Old Quarter.

Northern Vietnam

Older, colder and slower than Saigon

A capital that has been one for a thousand years, with a dense old quarter, a lake at its centre and a winter that surprises everybody who packed for the tropics.

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Orientation

What Hanoi is

Hanoi is older, denser and more self-contained than Saigon. The Old Quarter is a grid of thirty-six streets that were named for the guilds that worked them, and several still do what their name says — there is a street of tin, a street of votive paper, a street of shoes. The French Quarter south of it is wide boulevards and villas. The lake in the middle is where the city goes at five in the morning to exercise.

Two nights covers it. A third is worth having if you want the museums, a day out to the Perfume Pagoda or Duong Lam village, or simply an unhurried morning, because the Old Quarter rewards aimless walking more than any other place in the country.

Nights: 2 to 3
Airport: Noi Bai, 45 minutes
Best months: October to December, March to April
Coldest: January and February, 13-18C and damp
Where to stay: Old Quarter edge or French Quarter

What to do

What to do, in order of value

Walk the Old Quarter with no plan, twice: once at six in the morning when the markets run, once after dark.
Eat on the street. Hanoi is where pho, bun cha and cha ca belong, and the good places are small, specialised and often open for four hours a day.
Coffee — egg coffee is the local invention and it is better than it sounds. The cafes above the shops on Nguyen Huu Huan are worth the stairs.
The Temple of Literature, the country’s first university, and a genuinely calm hour.
The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum complex if the history interests you — strict rules, early hours, closed for part of the year.
The Vietnamese Women’s Museum, which is the best museum in the city and the least visited of the big ones.
A water puppet show, which is touristy, forty minutes long, and worth doing once.

A busy street market in Hanoi's Old Quarter with vendors, motorbikes and tangled overhead wires between narrow houses.

A metal bowl holds ingredients for Vietnamese spring rolls, including shredded carrot, mushrooms, sprouts, and minced meat.

Turtle Tower stands on Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, framed by autumn-colored tree branches.

A cyclist rides through a narrow residential alley past a parked motorbike in Hanoi.

Timing

The winter nobody warns you about

Hanoi has four seasons and a genuine cold one. January and February sit between 13 and 18 degrees, damp, with a grey sky that can last a fortnight. Rooms often have no heating. It is not Europe-cold and it feels colder than the number because of the humidity — a fleece and a windproof layer are the difference between enjoying the city and not.

The best months are October to early December, when the air is dry and clear, and March to April, which is warm and often misty. May to September is hot and wet, with the heaviest rain in July and August.

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● ideal · ◐ workable · ○ poor. October and November are the clearest months; January and February are cold and grey.

Onward

Hanoi as a base

From Hanoi to	Time	Nights needed there
Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay	2.5-3h	1-2 on board
Ninh Binh	1.5h	1-2
Sapa	5.5h road, or overnight train	2-3
Ha Giang	6h	3-4
Mai Chau / Pu Luong	3-4h	1-2
Phong Nha	Flight to Dong Hoi, 1h	2-3

Almost every northern itinerary hangs off Hanoi, and the city is a much better base than it is a destination — which is not an insult to it, just the geography.

Honest advice

Who should skip it

Nobody visiting the north can skip Hanoi and there is no reason to. But if you have already spent time in Saigon and have ten days, two nights here is enough — the difference between the two cities is real and worth seeing, and the rest of the north is where the scenery is.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

How many days in Hanoi?

Two nights for the city, three if you want a day trip or a slower pace. It is also the base for the bay, Ninh Binh, Sapa and Ha Giang.

Is Hanoi cold in winter?

Yes — 13 to 18 degrees in January and February, damp, with little heating indoors. Bring a warm layer; visitors consistently under-pack for this.

Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?

Hanoi is older, denser and more atmospheric; Saigon is bigger, louder and better for eating out late. Most people who have to choose prefer Hanoi for a short visit.

Is the Old Quarter noisy at night?

Yes, especially around the beer corner. Stay a few streets out or towards the French Quarter and sleep properly.