Hanoi’s Old Quarter is a beloved destination for international visitors, offering a rich tapestry of culture and history. However, without insights from locals, travellers might miss out on hidden gems and authentic experiences. In this article, Eco Travel will guide you through what to do in the Old Quarter to ensure you can make the most of your visit.
Hanoi Old Quarter, often known as the Hoan Kiem District or just 36 Streets, is one of the city’s oldest regions and most famous sights. Some may ask “What to do in Hanoi Old Quarter?”. To answer this question, here is the checkout list of top things to do in Hanoi Old Quarter.
Hoan Kiem district
Hanoi Old Quarter is located in Hoan Kiem district, near Hoan Kiem Lake. In this neighborhood you will find beautiful colonial architecture, Buddhist temples and pagodas.
The atmosphere of the old center is reflected in the old shopping streets that are named after the original companies that are around 1000 years old. The preserved retail properties that lie along these roads were built just over a century ago and in a long and narrow style to avoid having to pay high taxes. The front part of the building is where the trade takes place and the family lives in the rest of the house. Although one storehouse was intended for one family (with many generations in it), it is more common nowadays that several families sit under one roof.
Expect to find many trendy cafes, bars, a variety of restaurants, bakeries, boutiques and art galleries in this historic area.
A common street scene in Hanoi is that the streets are full of scooters, bicycles and cars. Then there are the many street vendors with their stalls on the doorstep and people walking everywhere in between. In the popular Old Quarter this is no exception, so don’t expect to be able to walk around in a relaxed way to view sights in peace. But the experience of exploring the historic center is a must-do and really worth it.
Hanoi Old Quarter on the weekend
This neighborhood is relatively pedestrian-friendly compared to other cities in Vietnam. The streets are closed to cars and scooters on weekends and evenings to make way for bia hoi bars and food stalls with a variety of Vietnamese food.
How to get to Hanoi Old Quarter and go around
From Hanoi airport to the center
- Bus: bus number 86, a premium bus, has both English and Vietnamese broadcasting system. The price is $ 1.5 and it takes 1 hour. Avoid other regular buses.
- Taxi: it costs around $ 20 for a trip from the airport to the city center.
- Grab: Grab is a taxi app like Uber.
Getting around the old quarter in Hanoi
- Grab: They are cheap and almost always available.
- Walking: The best way is to walk through Hanoi Old Quarter yourself. Most sights are also within walking distance of each other.
- Cyclo: Cyclo has been a well-known means of transport in Vietnam for decades. Nowadays it is used in tourism. It is a unique experience to see the city on a cyclo, at your own pace.
Old Quarter 10 things to do & see
In case you don’t know where to start your journey around Hanoi Old Quarter, the best sights and activities are:
1. Wandering around the streets
Hanoi Old Quarter is full of colonial buildings, narrow alleys, lots of people and scooters. This district is over 1,000 years old and the Old Quarter is still the heart of the city. Here you will also find a range of hostels and guesthouses. The best way to see this old city center is walking around the streets and alleys. You can go strolling through the old streets for hours if you want to.
If you would do this in the morning, afternoon and in the late evening you will see three times a totally different Old Quarter. In the morning you will see people having breakfast at the small street food stalls, during the day time it is teeming with motorbikes and the busy life of the traders, at night you will see the streets full of people sitting on the plastic stools having dinner or drinking beer. There is a great atmosphere that is best to enjoy while wandering around the old town.
2. Street food tour
One of the best things to do in Hanoi is a street food tour with a local guide. First of all you will explore the old town with a local and walk through streets and hidden alleys you might not have found yourself. You also get a unique inside of the local culture, where you snack and dine on plastic stools between the locals, while listed to great stories.
The second reason is that you can taste some of the best street food in Hanoi. In Hanoi you will find an innumerable number of street food stalls, with many different types of street food. It can be overwhelming if you have to go out here on your own. If you go with a guide, you are assured that you will eat at trusted hygienic street stalls and the places where they sell the best food. It is very interesting, a lot of fun and a great way to explore Hanoi Old Quarter.
3. Visit the markets
There are many unique markets in Hanoi that you can visit to get a glimpse of local life. There are also several markets in Hanoi Old Quarter, but the two main once you should visit are the Dong Xuan market and the Weekend Night Market.
The Dong Xuan market is the largest market in Hanoi and has a wide range of products for sale over four floors. Located on the northern edge of the old quarter, it is an imposing Soviet-style building, surrounded on all sides by shops and stalls. You will find a lot of different things here, from souvenirs to food and from drinks to clothing.
The Weekend Night Market in Hanoi is a busy, lively gathering of stalls and sellers. The market runs through Hanoi Old Quarter every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7 pm. You will find clothing and souvenirs, but the best are the endless food stalls that sometimes also sell interesting and exotic food.
4. Hoan Kiem Lake
The northern part of the famous Hoan Kiem Lake is right at Hanoi Old Quarter. Around the lake you see locals jogging, enjoying a cup of coffee and even Tai Chi and line dancing. The Ngoc Son Temple is located in this tranquil lake, an 18th-century pagoda on a small island that is accessed via an ornate wooden bridge. Combine a walk through the old streets with a walk (partly) around the lake to escape from the streets filled with motorbikes.
5. Cyclo tour
If you are not into walking so much, another great way to explore Hanoi Old Quarter is with a traditional cyclo. This is a traditional way of transpartation that used to dominate the streets in Vietnam. Now, they are mostly found in tourist areas, but still a great experience to travel with through the city. A cyclo is a three wheels bicycle where the driver sits in the back and the passenger(s) in the front seat.
While being on a cyclo, you experience the old traditional way of transportation while having a more relaxing view of the local life. It is recommended to extent your cyclo ride and go around Hoan Kiem Lake. You can also choose to see some other sights around town that are further away from the old town, such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda and Hanoi train street.
6. Water puppet show
Right next to the Hoan Kiem Lake you will find Thang Long Theatre, where you can enjoy a traditional water puppet show. Here you will see puppets in the water that in a short show depict Vietnamese traditions and culture. Every story comes with a Vietnamese orchestra, with musicians playing traditional opera music with drums, wooden bells, horns and bamboo flutes.
7. Drink Bia Hoi & enjoy nightlife
If you are looking for great nightlife in Hanoi, you are in the right spot. You don’t have to look far, because everywhere you walk in the evening and night you will see crowded streets where people are enjoying the nightlife. Cozy restaurants, BBQ on the street, dance cafes, loud bars and beer establishments can be found in every street. But probably the best thing to do at night is drinking Bia Hoi at a local street stall. Bia Hoi is the cheapest beer in the world, with a glass of beer already from $0,20.
The cheap beer does not always taste very great, but sitting between the locals and watching people walking by is a unique experience that everybody should at least do one time while visiting Hanoi. After drinking Bia Hoi you could continue to one of the bars, or go to the beautiful lit Hoan Kiem lake, where people come to relax.
8. Sightseeing around the Old Quarter
If you don’t feel like wandering aimlessly through the ancient streets, you can also visit a number of sights in and around Hanoi’s old town. In the Old Quarter you can find the oldest church in Hanoi, the St. Joseph’s Cathedral. It is the first building of the French colonial government in Indochina. The Long Bien bridge all the way in the north of the city center was bombed several times during the American war and quickly restored by the Vietnamese. It is designed by Gustave Eiffel (known from the Eiffel Tower).
Ma May ancient house was built at the end of the 19th century with the typical architecture of that time. It has been restored and reflects the traditional architecture of the old quarter of Hanoi. The Hanoi Opera House is a concert hall and built in the French colonial style from 1901 to 1911. There are also a few temples here that are very easy to spot between the houses. The Bach Ma temple is the most well known temples in Hanoi. It dates from the 11th century and is known as the oldest of its kind in the old quarter of Hanoi.
9. Visit museums
Some of the best museums in Vietnam can be found in Hanoi. Most of the museums in Hanoi are about the terrible Vietnam War, colonial past and unique culture. Not too far from the St. Joseph’s Cathedral, south of the Old Quarter you will find Hoa Lo prison. This prison, also known as Maison Centrale and the Hanoi Hilton, housed Vietnamese revolutionaries and American prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. The fort was once a huge colonial-style prison, most of which was demolished in the 1990s. Now it is a museum, where you can learn more about the time of French rule.
The Vietnamese Women’s Museum presents a tribute the the life of the women of Vietnam over the ages. From women during war times, to unique clothing of the ethnic minority woman. Other museums in Hanoi are further located from the old town.
10. Staying overnight in the Old Quarter
Staying overnight in the Old Quarter might be the most obvious best things to do in Hanoi Old Quarter. It is the place with tasty restaurants and street food, great nightlife, lots of options of hotels, hostels and homestays. In addition you are also on walking distance to a lot of the famous sights in Hanoi.
But besides that, this is also a great base for exploring the rest of North Vietnam. Tourist buses pick up travelers in this area and transport them to all corners of North Vietnam. When you have booked a cruise in Halong Bay you will often be picked up from the door of your hotel in the Old Quarter and driven to Halong where you go on the cruise. And the same goes for a trip to Ninh Binh, Mai Chau or Sapa. You often don’t need to go to a bus station to go to your next destination.
Best Street Food to Try in Hanoi Old Quarter
When it comes to things to do in Hanoi Old Quarter, especially what to try, you can find delicious street cuisine. Here are five of the top restaurants in the neighbourhood, each offering its own experiences and signature foods to savour:
- Cha Ca Thang Long – 6B Duong Thanh Street: Savor the renowned Cha Ca, a Hanoi specialty consisting of grilled fish marinated in turmeric and served over vermicelli noodles accompanied by a blend of fresh herbs and peanuts.
- Bun Cha Dac Kim – 1 Hang Manh Street: Enjoy the traditional flavour of Bun Cha with grilled pig patties, delicious pork belly, vermicelli noodles, and a side of fresh herbs and dipping sauce.
- Pho Gia Truyen – 49 Bat Dan Street: Enjoy the classic Vietnamese cuisine, Pho, at its finest. This small but beloved cafe serves warm bowls of thick broth, delicate beef pieces, and fragrant herbs, providing a very pleasant culinary experience.
- Quan An Ngon – 18 Phan Boi Chau Street: offers a gourmet experience via Vietnam’s unique cuisine. Their menu offers a variety of dishes, including Vietnamese staples like as Pho, Banh Mi, and fresh spring rolls combined with authentic spices.
- Bun Bo Nam Bo – 67 Hang Dieu Street: Savor the exquisite tastes of Bun Bo Nam Bo, a delectable beef noodle dish with the right combination of delicate beef, fresh veggies, herbs, and a zesty sauce.
