Hanoi travel guide: Old Quarter, temples, street food and where to stay

Choose your district before your hotel

The Old Quarter, the grid of guild streets just north of Hoan Kiem Lake, is the obvious first base. You can walk to the lake before breakfast, eat in the street kitchens every evening and reach most of the central sights on foot or by a short taxi ride. The trade-off is noise: motorbikes, shopfronts that spill onto the pavements and late nights around the beer corners. Ask for a room at the back or on a high floor, and check whether the street outside turns into a night market at the weekend.

The French Quarter, south and south-east of the lake around the Opera House and Trang Tien Street, has wider avenues, colonial-era buildings and the city's grand hotels; the national tourism site's own list of Hanoi hotels includes the Sofitel Legend Metropole at 15 Ngo Quyen Street. It is quieter at night and still within walking distance of the lake and the Old Quarter. Tay Ho, around West Lake to the north, has a 17-kilometre shoreline lined with cafes, pagodas and gardens, in the national tourism site's description. It suits a longer stay or a return visit, but every trip into the centre becomes a taxi ride, so compare the distance from the hotel to Hoan Kiem before booking a cheaper room out there.

Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter: a walking day

Start at the lake early. The national tourism site describes Hoan Kiem in the hours before sunrise, when joggers, tai chi groups and friends playing games gather on its banks, and again in the evening, when couples and families come out for the cooler air. Cross the red The Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple on its island at the north end, then walk north into the Old Quarter before the traffic builds.

The Old Quarter's streets were named after the trades that supplied the royal court in the citadel nearby, and a few still sell what their names promise. The national tourism site points to Hang Bac (Silver Street), still lined with jewellers and money changers; Hang Ma, where Hanoians buy religious goods and festival decorations; Hang Gai (Silk Street), now for fabrics and made-to-measure clothes; and Lan Ong, a street of traditional medicines and herbs. Look for O Quan Chuong, the only surviving gate of the old city wall, rebuilt in 1817, and Ma May House, a preserved merchant's home that shows how Chinese trading families once lived in the deep, narrow tube houses typical of the quarter.

Keep the afternoon loose: a coffee overlooking the street, a detour to Dong Xuan Market and the wholesale spice and fruit lanes behind it, or a walk out onto the iron Long Bien Bridge, which the national tourism site describes as the city's main supply lifeline during wartime. If the traffic is overwhelming at first, a cyclo ride is the national tourism site's suggested introduction: it moves at a pace that lets you watch the streets without having to navigate them. Agree the route and the price before you set off.

On weekends, the national tourism site notes, the roads around Hoan Kiem Lake close to vehicles and fill with people, music and games, and Hang Dao Street becomes a night market. That makes Friday to Sunday evenings the liveliest time for the lake, and the noisiest for hotels next to it.

The Temple of Literature, the Citadel and Ba Dinh

Give the second morning to the old capital west of the centre. The Temple of Literature (Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam) was built in 1070 in honour of Confucius and became Vietnam's first university in 1076; its five courtyards hold the Khue Van Cac pavilion, printed on the 100,000-dong note, and 82 surviving stone stelae carved with the names of successful doctoral candidates, set on the backs of stone tortoises. When we checked on 2026-10-03, its official site listed opening from 8:00 to 17:00 every day, a 70,000 VND standard adult ticket and free entry for children under 16, plus an evening programme from 18:30 to 22:00 on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The entrance is at 58 Quoc Tu Giam Street. Arrive at opening time, before the crowds and the graduation photo shoots the national tourism site mentions.

A short taxi ride north, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, mixes layers from many dynasties: the Doan Mon south gate, the steps of the Kinh Thien Palace, the flag tower, archaeological excavations and later military bunkers and French-era buildings. The site is large, so pick up the map at the ticket office. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the citadel's official site listed opening from 8:00 to 17:00 every day at 19C Hoang Dieu, and a ticket of 100,000 VND per person for Vietnamese and international visitors from 1 January 2025, with free entry for children under 16. On 29 September 2026 the same site reported that reconstruction work on the Kinh Thien Palace had begun, so parts of the central area may be fenced off.

Next door, Ba Dinh Square holds the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and, close by, the One Pillar Pagoda, first built in 1049 to resemble a lotus rising from a pond. The mausoleum is closed for its annual maintenance: Tuoi Tre newspaper reported the Mausoleum Command's notice that visits stop from 4 September to 2 November 2026 and resume on 3 November. On the published schedule, visits take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday mornings only; from 1 November to 31 March they run from 8:00 to 11:00 (until 11:30 on Saturdays). Dress formally, expect a queue, and remember that photography inside is forbidden.

Finish the day further north at Truc Bach Lake, where the national tourism site points to the Ngu Xa island streets for pho cuon and pho chien phong, and the 11th-century Quan Thanh Taoist temple on the way. West Lake is next door for the sunset.

The French Quarter, Hoa Lo and the museums

The third day can be done almost entirely on foot from the lake. The national tourism site's self-guided walk runs from St Joseph's Cathedral, standing since 1886 in a neo-Gothic style, past the Vietnamese Women's Museum to Thien Quang Lake, Reunification Park and the Hanoi Opera House, finishing with a coffee at the Metropole. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the Women's Museum's official site listed opening from 8:00 to 17:00 every day at 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street; the national tourism site calls it one of the most modern museums in Vietnam, with artefacts, costumes, crafts and photographs that show the role women have played in the country's history and society.

Hoa Lo Prison, which its own site also names the 'Hanoi Hilton', is a short walk from the cathedral at No. 1 Hoa Lo Street. When we checked on 2026-10-03, its official site listed opening from 8:00 to 17:00 every day, including festivals and holidays. It is a sombre visit; give it an hour and do not stack it straight after the mausoleum.

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is worth the 20-minute taxi ride west that the national tourism site describes: it covers the traditions of the country's 54 ethnic groups, with a garden of full-size traditional houses. It is the best preparation for a trip to Sapa or Ha Giang. Its own website could not be reached when we checked, so confirm opening days locally before you go.

A workable three-day plan

This is an editorial suggestion, not a timetable. Check opening days for each place you choose, and keep the closure dates of the mausoleum in mind.

• Day 1 — Lake and Old Quarter: Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple at dawn, the guild streets, O Quan Chuong and Ma May House in the morning, Dong Xuan Market or Long Bien Bridge in the afternoon, and dinner in the Old Quarter.
• Day 2 — The old capital: the Temple of Literature at 8:00, the Imperial Citadel, Ba Dinh Square and the One Pillar Pagoda, then pho cuon at Truc Bach and sunset by West Lake.
• Day 3 — French Quarter and museums: the cathedral, the Women's Museum and Hoa Lo Prison on foot, a long lunch, then the Museum of Ethnology by taxi, or the Opera House area and an evening show.
• Before you leave: keep the evening before an early bay or mountain departure light, and check the pick-up point your tour or bus company gives you.

Getting around and heading on to the bays and mountains

Inside the centre, walking is usually quickest. The national tourism site lists taxis, ride-hailing apps such as Grab, city buses and cyclos; for the longer hops to the Museum of Ethnology or West Lake, a taxi or app car saves time. The metro's Line 2A, from Cat Linh to Ha Dong, is of little use for the sights in this guide.

Hanoi is also the base for the north. For Ha Long Bay, the national tourism site says most visitors book a packaged cruise with transport from Hanoi; independent travellers can take a bus to Ha Long City or Hai Phong and a taxi to the port. For Ninh Binh, it lists daily buses, vans that drop off at Tam Coc, private cars and several trains a day. For Sapa, overnight trains to Lao Cai are the most popular option, with a van up the mountain from the station, or buses and shuttle vans that take five to six hours. An overnight stay in Ha Long or Ninh Binh is more relaxed than a long day trip; if the bay cruise is the reason you came north, keep a spare day in Hanoi in case weather cancels it.