I spent 3 days in Hanoi and I loved it! Hanoi is one of my favourite places to visit so far and I tried to cram as much as possible into my trip.
One day was dedicated to my Halong Bay tour - which I 100% believe needs to be done. I booked my trip through Klook.com and would recommend it as a 1 day tour. Link below to my trip (this is an affiliate link, you won't be charged any extra for booking using it):
1. St. Joseph's Cathedral
This cathedral is literally in the middle of the old town area. Surrounding it are a multitude of cafes and small restaurants that I would highly recommend checking out. St. Joseph's does get busy as does the courtyard in front. It is free to walk inside the cathedral and it's worth a look. Inside you'll see spectacularly designed windows and fancy ceilings. If you go earlier, it is quiet in the courtyard. I went back on my last day around 9am and with the rain still ongoing, it was pretty quiet.
Right across from St. Joseph's Cathedral, you can find La Place Cafe - here you can sit on the balcony overlooking the cathedral, it does make for some great photos.
2. Always Cafe
As a Harry Potter fan, I will take any opportunity for a Butterbeer or Potter related activities. I found out this little cafe existed in Hanoi and walked round the Old Quarter to find it. It was further out than expected but still within the Old Quarter of Hanoi.
Order a butterbeer or a Hogwarts inspired cocktail, play Harry Potter games or just dress up in the robes available. Either way, this cafe has everything you would want for a Hogwarts nerd.
3. Hanoi Train Street
The Train Street is one which will give you a minor run around - Google Maps, Apple Maps and others have a range of variations to the location of the street.
The area I went to was the North part of the Train Street, in this area the cafe PR staff will find you a seat in one of the cafes, as the train passes you aren't allowed to step out of the cafe but they are happy to allow you to take photos/videos as well as help take photos on the tracks as the train has passed.
4. Long Bien Bridge
Another train related location, the Long Bien bridge is a fun photo opportunity. The train does pass through at set times from the station at the top of the hill. This station is a little past the main areas you would be walking around however, its an easy enough walk away from the main Old Quarter area. The side of the the bridge is used by e-bikes regularly and walking tours, it's a busy area and you will need to keep watch of your surroundings.
5. The Note Coffee
The Note Coffee is located besides Hoan Kiem Lake. It is also an Instagram favourite!
The Note Coffee will take your order as soon as you enter, making it easier for you to head off and find a good spot. There are 3 levels inside the cafe, the spaces are incredibly small and you may have to duck down to walk up the stairs. I ordered one of the smoothies and it was super tasty, also each table has a little pen pot with notes and a pen inside to add your own note to the wall/table/windows/chairs.
6. Ngoc Son Temple
If you're in the area of Hoan Kiem Lake, you will see the temple situated in the midst. I visited while it was rainy but it's relatively small so doesn't take too long to fully discover the Vietnamese temple.
The tickets for entry are 30dong and you have as long as you would like in the area. There are various points to focus time on; including the Sakura Trees and Temple.
7. Hoa Lo Prison
This prison museum was an interesting place to visit for me. I paid for the Audio Guide (90 dong) to listen to as I walked around. The museum is slightly smaller than usual places I usually see. This is the area that French colonists were housed in during the War, the museum holds relics from that time period as well which combined with the audio can really bring to the surface the reality and extremes of Vietnam's history. From the outside, it doesn't look like a museum, it actually looks more like a theatre especially as the ticket booth is on the outside.
Other notable places for me are:
8. Banh Mi 25 - famous lunch option, located in the Old Quarter and very quickly packed out no matter what time of day you visit.
9. Hanoi Night Market - I bought snacks along this after my Halong Bay day out.
10. Take a bike ride around Hoan Kiem Lake - for 2 people on this little red seat we paid 200,000 dong and it took around an hour for us to see everything. The 'driver' slowed down around key sights to let us take photos. He also showed a lot of the Old Quarter which meant we saw parts that we hadn't made it to via walking.
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