Travel Guide
A Complete Guide to Hanoi
By Flyocat Travel Team
Getting around the Old Quarter, day trips to the bay and how many nights the city really needs.
Hanoi is best understood on foot and at street level. The Old Quarter is dense, chaotic and far more rewarding than any single sight inside it.
1. Stay in or beside the Old Quarter
Almost everything worth doing is walkable from there. Staying further out means traffic for every trip into the centre.
2. Eat on the street
The best food in the city is sold from pavement stools, not restaurants. Following the queue is a reliable way to choose.
3. Crossing the road is a skill
Traffic flows around pedestrians rather than stopping for them. Walking steadily and predictably works; hesitating does not.
4. The bay is an overnight, not a day trip
Day trips to the bay spend most of the day in a bus. An overnight on the water is a completely different experience.
5. Three nights suits most trips
Two days in the city and one for the bay covers Hanoi well. Longer works if you intend to head into the mountains afterwards.
