We spent a month traveling through Vietnam recently and this is my guide to spending 3 days in Hanoi!
There’s so much to do in Hanoi from walking around the scenic Hoan Kiem Lake, which is home to a very photogenic temple and several cute coffee shops. To exploring Hanoi Train Street, an Instagram-famous street that quite literally has a train whizzing down it several times a day.
Hanoi is the capital and second-biggest city in the country and it actually turned out to be our favorite city in Vietnam. That’s because it’s a little less chaotic than Ho Chi Minh and it’s more aesthetically pleasing because many of the buildings here are French-colonial in style. We fell in love with Hanoi’s narrow streets, its delicious street food, and its friendly locals. And we are actually planning a return visit soon.
In the below 3 days in Hanoi itinerary, you’ll read about the city’s most popular attractions like Hanoi Old Quarter, the Mausoleum Complex, and Hanoi Beer Street. Which are popular for good reason. But, you’ll also read about lesser-known spots like the Note Cafe and Hoa Lo Prison.
In short in this blog, we’ll introduce you to experiences that are not on most Hanoi itineraries. So let’s get started!
My essential tips for visiting Hanoi:
- If you’re not a fan of hot, humid weather avoid visiting during the summer months (from May to August). Temperatures often soar above 30°C (86°F) and the humidity levels can be uncomfortably high.
- When visiting cultural sites such as Ngoc Son Temple at Hoan Kiem Lake and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, dress modestly. Pack a shawl to cover your shoulders and/or legs.
- The traffic in Hanoi can be overwhelming, so consider using the pedestrian-friendly areas or crossing the roads with the locals (they know what they’re doing).
- The Vietnamese Dong (VND) is the currency here. And my advice is to always carry cash as many small vendors and eateries do not accept credit cards.
Day 1: Old Quarter, National Museum, Mausoleum Complex, Hanoi Beer Street
For our first day in Hanoi, we stuck to the Old Quarter area in the morning and took a slow walk around Hoan Kiem Lake. In the afternoon, we headed for the French Quarter where we ticked off the National Museum, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the Presidential Palace. Then, this evening we partied in Hanoi Beer Street – where we met some cool travelers.
Morning: Hoan Kiem Lake and Old Quarter
We were keen to chill out a little on our first morning in Hanoi, as this was the last stop on our month-long backpacking trip through Vietnam. We definitely felt the effects of doing so much over the past couple of weeks. And we were a little tired. So, after a casual breakfast at our hotel, we headed for the peaceful Hoan Kiem Lake.
You can walk around the lake which will take around an hour. And in the morning it’s quiet, so, for us, this was the best time to visit. Ngoc Son Temple is at the center of the lake and it’s easily the most-photographed spot here. A red bridge takes you to the temple and it costs 50,000 VND (around $2 USD) to enter.
Fun fact: every morning at 6 am a big group of locals practice Tai Chi on the shore.
We had heard so much about Vietnamese egg coffee and just had to try it for ourselves. This drink is made with coffee, egg yolks, condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Which sounds a little weird but it’s actually delicious. Our hotel told us about local favorite Dinh Cafe which overlooks the lake. Turns out they knew what we liked as this is exactly our type of coffee spot – small, cozy and filled with locals.
Hanoi Old Quarter:
The next stop this morning for us was Hanoi Old Quarter which is just across the road from Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s the prettiest and most touristy part of the city. It’s made up of narrow, winding streets which are interestingly named after the goods that were once sold there. For example, Hang Bac (Silver Street) or Hang Gai (Silk Street) are located here.
We stopped by Dong Xuan Market on our stroll around the area. Here you can find everything from fresh produce to souvenirs. We also checked out the Bach Ma Temple, one of the oldest in the city, and the ancient House on Ma May Street, which offers a glimpse into 19th-century life.
Afternoon: National Museum and Mausoleum Complex
This afternoon, we visited the National Museum of Vietnamese History. The Museum highlights Vietnam’s pre-history up to 1945. It is very large and is home to over 200,000 exhibits, which is why we recommend spending at least 1-2 hours here.
We also spent half a few hours at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. Ho Chi Minh (former President of Vietnam) is buried here and it’s considered a pilgrimage site to the local people. They come from all over Vietnam every day to pay their respects, so, as a result, expect long queues.
If you have time: Presidential Palace
This eye-catching yellow palace is home to Vietnam’s President. It’s located in the French Quarter (near to the Mausoleum Complex) and it’s worth it to stop here this afternoon if you have the time. Even if it’s just to take some photos, like we did. I think the exterior is very Wes Anderson!
The palace has an interesting history and was originally built between 1900 and 1906 by the French architect Auguste Henri Vildieu. While you can’t go inside the palace, its lush gardens can be explored.
Evening: Hanoi Beer Street
This evening we headed to Hanoi Beer Street, or to use its proper name – Ta Hien Street. This lively street is located in the Old Quarter and as you can guess from its name it’s lined with heaps of small bars and restaurants. The unique charm of Beer Street is the communal seating, people sit outside the different bars on small plastic stools – which makes the street look like one huge outdoor seating area.
I’ll be honest I wasn’t sure that I’d like Beer Street as it’s considered a tourist trap here. But we actually really enjoyed our evening here we met lots of other backpackers and we were surprised by how many locals were there. The beers here are also really cheap!
At the weekend, Hanoi Beer Street closes to traffic and there’s live music.
Related Read: Check out our detailed guide to spending two weeks in Vietnam here!
Day Two: Hoa Lo Prison, Hanoi Train Street, Water Puppet Show
For our second day in Hanoi, we hit up the famous Note Cafe in the morning for a much-needed coffee. We had spent the evening before in fun Beer Street, after all. Then in the afternoon, we visited Hoa Lo Prison and Hanoi Train Street. This evening, we watched a water puppet show, which was such a memorable experience!
Morning: Grab a coffee at the famed Note Cafe
This morning we made another visit to Hoan Kiem Lake but this time it wasn’t to see the lake itself but to visit a famous coffee shop that friends we’d met the evening before on Beer Street had told us about. Note Coffee Cafe is an Instagram-famous spot that overlooks the lake and its walls are adorned with thousands of signed post-it notes from past visitors. I was surprised I hadn’t come across it before if I’m honest! But, we’re glad we visited as the coffee was good.
We visited around 9 am and it was quiet, but it tends to get very busy in the afternoon so keep that in mind if you’re really keen to come here.
Late Morning: Hoa Lo Prison
Once nicknamed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by American war prisoners, this prison is now a museum that offers an interesting (and at times disturbing) insight into the lives of the prisoners here. During its time as a prison, it held Vietnamese prisoners and later American prisoners.
Admission is 30,000 VND (around $1.20 USD) and you can add on an audio guide for an additional fee.
Afternoon: Hanoi Train Street
Another Instagram-famous spot in Hanoi is Hanoi Train Street. I’m sure you’ve come across it on the internet – a train literally whizzes down this narrow street which is lined with Cafes and restaurants. You can grab a table next to the train tracks and wait for the train to pass or wander along the train tracks and snap photos (like we did).
If you want to be there for when the train passes your best bet is to ask in the Cafes when the next train is. At the moment, the train seems to pass here around every hour on the weekends with the first train at 8:30 am. But, on weekdays the train only passes in the evening (starting from 7 pm).
To get here we followed Google Maps, which gives you access to the street via a Cafe and there are security guards at this location to stop you getting too close to the tracks if a train is nearby.
It goes without saying to not be reckless here – getting too close to a fast-moving train WILL result in injury or even death!
Evening: Water Puppet Show
And finally, we attended a Water Puppet Show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. Such fun! Water puppetry is an art form that dates back to the 11th century. This tradition comes from a time when rice paddy fields were flooded and villagers would make entertainment by standing in the waist-deep water with the puppets performing over the water.
Day Three: Halong Bay
One of the natural wonders of the world, majestic, and beautiful, like something from a James Bond movie. This is the reason why we recommend leaving Hanoi on day three and heading for this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hear me out to the end as I promise it’s worth cutting your time in Hanoi short. And that’s a bold statement coming from someone who LOVES Hanoi.
I’ll put it out there – Halong Bay is the most memorable thing I did during our several visits to Vietnam. In fact, we loved it so much – we have now done three cruises of Halong Bay (and counting!) It truly is one of the most amazing places I’ve laid eyes on – thousands of tiny rocky inlets in a secluded (but huge) emerald-green bay. No two inlets are the same, some are teeny-tiny and look nothing more than a big rock while others have sandy beaches.
That’s why when it comes to choosing a tour of Halong Bay, you’ll want to do your research. From wild party cruises where young twenty-somethings get deserted on an island ‘Castaway-style’ to high-end luxury cruises, there is something for every type of traveler and every budget.
It’s a 2-5 hour drive from Hanoi to Halong Bay which is why we recommend doing an overnight tour of Halong Bay as a day-trip will be too rushed!
My favorite tour of Halong Bay:
This is the best-rated Halong Bay tour and it’s the one we did our first time in Vietnam. It’s all-inclusive so includes all food, most drinks, and even some activities like kayaking and/or cooking. You can book different luxury levels for your accommodation on board depending on your budget. Rates for this tour start from $139 USD per person.
You can check out my guide to the best Halong Bay cruises here!
Where to stay in Hanoi
We spent 3 nights at Hanoi Old Quarter Hotel, a beautiful colonnaded hotel in the Old Quarter of the city. The rooms here are very spacious with beautifully tiled floors and some rooms feature exposed brick on the walls. The hotel is a short walk to Hoan Kiem Lake. And it costs from $41 USD per night.
Another fantastic option in Hanoi is the Hanoi Tunger Premium Hotel which costs from only $31 USD per night. We stayed here on another visit to Hanoi and really rated it, too.
Final thoughts on 3 days in Hanoi
And there you have it an insight into our fantastic 3 days in Hanoi. We spent a lot of time researching the best things to do in Hanoi and I think this list is pretty perfect. You may choose to spend more or less time in Hanoi – FYI, if you can try for 5 days here. But regardless of how much time you spend here, I am certain you will love Hanoi like we do.
Tell me – what did you think of our three days in Hanoi itinerary? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions in the comment section below.
While you’re here, you may also be interested in checking out my other South East Asia blog posts, such as –
Two Weeks in Sri Lanka (The Perfect Backpacking Route)
The Ultimate Three Week Itinerary for Sri Lanka
7 of the Most Photogenic Spots in Hong Kong
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Last Updated on January 24, 2025 by snaphappytravel