Private journeys and custom trips across Vietnam
Northern Vietnam
A thousand years of noise and quiet.
21.03° N, 105.85° EVietnam
Introducing Hanoi
Hanoi wakes early. By six the paths around Hoan Kiem Lake are full of people doing tai chi, badminton and slow laps, and the first pots of pho broth have been simmering for hours. The Old Quarter's narrow streets still carry the names of the goods once sold on them: silk, paper, tin. Each block has its own rhythm of motorbikes, hawkers and plastic stools.
Walk a few streets south and the city changes register. Wide, tree-lined avenues lead past ochre colonial villas, the Opera House and quiet pagodas. Hanoi rewards slow wandering more than a checklist. Give it two days and it starts to feel like a place you know.
Walk a few streets south and the city changes register.
Why go
Bun cha grilled over charcoal at lunch, pho for breakfast, banh cuon rolled to order. Much of Hanoi's cooking happens on the pavement, and it is very good.
The Temple of Literature dates to the 11th century. The Old Quarter, the French Quarter and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex are all a short drive apart.
Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and the rice terraces of Sapa are all reachable from Hanoi, which makes it the natural start for any northern journey.
Things to do
01
Join the city's dawn exercise crowd, cross the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple, then find a pho stall before the heat and traffic build.
02
Follow a guide through the Old Quarter for bun cha, nem and banh mi, and stop at a corner for a glass of bia hoi, Hanoi's famously cheap fresh draught beer.
03
Egg coffee was first made in Hanoi: whipped yolk and sugar over strong robusta. The best cups are served in small upstairs rooms, some looking over the lake.
04
Water puppetry grew out of the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta. Pair a show with a morning at the Temple of Literature, home to Vietnam's first national university.
Before you go
Hanoi has four distinct seasons. Autumn (Oct–Nov) and spring (Mar–Apr) are the most comfortable for walking the city.
Good to know
Two full days covers the Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature, the lake and a proper street food evening. Add a third if you want a slower pace or a day trip to a craft village.
Busy stalls with high turnover are generally a good bet, since food is cooked fresh and eaten fast. If you have allergies or dietary needs, tell us when you enquire so we can plan around them.
Light, breathable clothes for most of the year, plus a warm layer from December to February. Pack something that covers shoulders and knees for temples and the mausoleum.
Yes, and most travelers do. Our six-day Da Nang, Hoi An and Hanoi journey takes in Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh back to back, and the five-day Hanoi and Ha Long Bay trip pairs the capital with the bay. Either route can be adjusted to suit your pace.
If you want a route
6 of our journeys include Hanoi. Every route can be reshaped around how you want to travel.
6 daysDa NangHoi AnHanoi +2
Central Vietnam and the north in six days: Hoi An's old town and Ba Na Hills, then a flight to Hanoi for an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay and a full day in Ninh Binh.
5 daysHanoiHa Long BayLan Ha Bay +1
Five days in the north: a water puppet show, an overnight cruise through Lan Ha Bay, Hanoi's lakes and Old Quarter by cyclo, and a day in the incense, conical hat and pottery villages.
2 daysHanoiHa Long Bay
Out of Hanoi on the expressway and a night on the bay: Sung Sot Cave, Ti Top Island, a sunset party, and tai chi on the sundeck at dawn.
If you only have a day
Tell us how you like to travel and we'll build it into a journey that fits.
