How to Spend Two Days in Hanoi (Itinerary and Travel Guide)

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and no itinerary is complete without a stop in this chaotic, vibrant, unique and authentic city. In this travel guide we suggest a two-day itinerary of the best things to do in Hanoi, and share essential information like how to get around, what to eat, where to head next, and much more.

In Hanoi, the motorbike traffic is chaotic, it’s noisy, there are no space to walk on the sidewalks, there are motorbikes everywhere, people washing the dishes on the street, and you eat in tiny little chairs and tables at the side of the road. It’s definitely a unique place. People say you either love it or hate it. We just loved this place, it’s such an interesting chaos.

Our time in Vietnam was part of a bigger trip to Southeast Asia. Check our complete itinerary: Two Months Traveling in Southeast Asia: Our Itinerary

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You may also like: Two-Week Vietnam Itinerary – From North to South

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What is Included in this Guide?

Throughout this guide, we’ll cover the following topics. You can use the links below to quickly navigate to the sections that interest you the most.

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How to Spend 2 Days in Hanoi? Our Itinerary

Our two-day itinerary covers the most popular landmarks in Hanoi. We stayed in Hanoi Old Quarter and reached all destinations by walking. You may want to adapt this itinerary depending on the time of your arrival.

Day 1 in Hanoi

• The Note Coffee
• Hoàn Kiém Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
• The Temple of Literature
• Hanoi Train Street
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• St Joseph’s Cathedral

Have Breakfast at the Note Coffee

Start your day by having breakfast at The Note Coffee. This is probably one of the most famous caffes in Hanoi. It is decorated with notes written by their costumers.

Try their egg coffee, a typical Vietnamese drink, it’s delicious. Their French pastries are really good—I would say they are equivalent in quality to some I had in France. In the end, don’t forget to write a note.

Hoàn Kiém Lake and Ngoc Son Temple

The Note Coffee is right next to the Hoàn Kiém lake. Go for a stroll during the day next to the lake and cross the bridge to the Ngoc Son Temple. The entrance is paid, but it’s quite affordable.

The Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature is one of the most famous tourist spots in Hanoi. This beautiful temple dedicated to Confucius was Vietnam’s first university and it is the landmark on the 100,000 Vietnamese Dong note. You can easily spend one to two hours exploring this place.

We bought a pretty cool souvenir from Vietnam in this place: a papyrus. You can decide what you want to be written from a list you’re given. We chose “peace and health”.

Hanoi Train Street

This is another very popular place among tourists. This is a narrow street where the train passes. You cannot visit this street by yourself, you need to go to a coffee shop and the waiters come get you at the beginning of the street. There are many of them, so don’t worry, you’ll get a place to see the train.

They’ll take you to their caffe and you’ll sit down on a tiny bench at the side of the road to see the train coming. To guarantee your spot you just need to buy a drink. Be careful, the street is narrow and the train goes really close to the people.

My opinion about this place: this is definitely a tourist trap, but it’s worth coming to see the logistics of the whole thing. We had a lot of fun seeing the waiters shouting and freaking out with the tourists. I don’t know how, but everything worked out in the end and everyone got their drinks before the arrival of the train. Don’t miss out on this experience.

You may also like: Best Things to Do in Danang and Hoi An (Central Vietnam)

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a tribute to Ho Chi Minh (the founding father of Vietnam) and where you can see his preserved body. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) it was already closed when we visited.

This is part of a much bigger complex where you can see other small temples and the unique one-pilar pagoda.

St Joseph’s Cathedral

If you still have time, pass by the St. Joseph’s Cathedral. This Cathedral is from the times of French occupation in Vietnam and its architectural style resembles the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

If you’ve seen other cathedrals in Europe before, this is not much special, but since it’s close to other attractions, it’s worth a quick detour.

Day 2 in Hanoi

• Hanoi Old Quarter
• Stroll at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square
• Incense Village
• Go to the Night Marker (on weekends)

Try Egg Coffee

Start your day by having breakfast at the Bancông Cafe & Restaurant. Their egg coffee and coconut coffee are to die for, one of the best we had in Vietnam. The croissant and pain au chocolate are delicious.

Explore Hanoi Old Quarter

Hanoi Old Quarter is located to the West and North of Hoan Kiem Lake. This area consists of 36 streets, each one dedicated to different types of goods.

The best way to explore Hanoi Old Quarter is to get lost on its narrow lively streets. There are so many things going on, you won’t get bored. Get a table on the sidewalks and spend some time just watching the traffic and the things going on around you. I assure you that you won’t be bored.

Incense Village

One of the most popular places for photos in Vietnam is the Incense village (Quang Phu cau), that is approximately one hour drive from Hanoi. In this place, you can see the colorful incense sticks drying out under the sun.

Even though it seems an interesting place, it is quite different from the pictures you see online. So, just go with realistic expectations.

Stroll at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square

When it’s starting to get dark, go for a stroll at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square. This is a lively pedestrian area next to the lake. There are always something going on in this area like small concerts, shows, markets, and more.

You can also admire the Ngoc Son Temple and the corresponding bridge that light up at night.

While in this area, you may be approached by kids who will want to talk to you so they can practice their English. That happened to us several times while we were in Vietnam.

Weekend Night Market

We happened to be in Hanoi during the weekend, so we were lucky to go to the Weekend Night market. The markets are very lively and you can get all sorts of things like clothes, toys, souvenirs, jewelry, shoes, street food, fake branded stuff and much more. Don’t forget to haggle, they’ll always ask you for a higher price. The market is located between Hoan Kiem Lake and Dong Xuan Market.

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What to Eat in Hanoi?

When in Vietnam, you cannot miss trying some of the local foods. The foods I’ll refer here are some of the most popular foods for westerns (like me that are not used to Vietnamese flavors).

• Bánh Mì: this is a sandwich in a baguette bread with different fillings that include meat (usually pork or chicken) and vegetables like cucumber, sliced carrot, onions, and more. Where to eat Bánh Mì? There are no shortage of places selling Bánh Mì in Hanoi, but the most popular is a place called Bánh Mì 25.
• Spring rolls: rice paper wrappers filled with different ingredients. There are different variations of spring rolls and they vary depending on the part of the country. This is quite popular among tourists, but definitely not my favorite.
• Pho bo: beef broth with noodles and thinly sliced beef and aromatic herbs. Can be eaten at any time of the day. It’s the most popular dish in Vietnam.
• Bun Cha: grilled pork with vermicelli noodles and dipping sauce.
• Cao Lau: this is a dish from central Vietnam, but I saw some restaurants selling it. This was my favorite Vietnamese dish.

One of the things we liked the most in Hanoi was eating Vietnamese clams at a local restaurant called Hai San Seafood. We liked it so much, that we went there twice.

A great way to introduce you to Vietnamese food is to go on a food tour during your time in Hanoi. There are several highly-rated options on the GetYourGuide app.

How Many Days Should You Spend in Hanoi?

We recommend two to three days in Hanoi. In total we spent two and a half days in Hanoi, and I think it was the right amount of time to visit the most popular landmarks and get a feel of the city. If you’re exploring other destinations in northern Vietnam (Sapa, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh), you’ll end up going through Hanoi several times.

You may also like: Halong Bay Cruise – What to Expect and How to Choose One

How to Get to Hanoi?

The best way to get to Hanoi is via Noi Bai International airport. It is approximately 45 minutes by car to Hanoi Old Quarter.

How to get from Noi Bai airport to Hanoi Old Quarter?

The easiest way is to get on the airlines shuttle buses. Once you arrive at the front doors of the airport, you’ll see the shuttle buses. They’ll take you to Hanoi Old Quarter. Just enter the bus and get a seat. Then, someone will approach you to charge you. At the time, we paid 50k Vietnamese Dong for two people.

Alternatively, you can also get a taxi or ask for a Grab (equivalent to uber) using the Grab app. You can also arrange a private transfer beforehand—you can book using websites like GetYourGuide for example.

Where to Stay in Hanoi?

For first timers, I recommend staying in Hanoi Old Quarter within walking distance to the Hoàn Kiém Lake. Here you’ll be closed to most places of interest. We stayed in two different hotels in Hanoi, and none of them were great, but they were super affordable. But here are some better suggestions:

• Budget: Hanoi Boutique House
• Mid-range: Hanoi Chic Boutique Hotel
• Luxury: Minerva Church Hotel

How to Get Around Hanoi?

If you stay in Hanoi Old Quarter, most places will be within walking distance. Walking is also the best way to experience this city.

For farther destinations, you can rely on public transportations (buses)—simply use Google maps to show you the way. Or, you can get a taxi or use the Grab app to request a ride.

We don’t recommend renting a motorbike in Hanoi Old Quarter. The traffic is extremely chaotic and even walking and crossing the street is quite a challenge.

Where to Go After Hanoi?

Some of the most popular places to head after Hanoi include:

• Sapa: in the mountains to see the rice fields, the highest point in Vietnam and trekking.
• Ha Long Bay: one of the seven wonders of the natural world with an amazing landscape. The most popular option to explore Ha Long Bay is to go on a cruise—before booking your Ha Long Bay cruise, make sure you check our guide: Halong Bay Cruise – What to Expect and How to Choose One.
• Ninh Binh: one of my favorite places in Vietnam. It’s famous for its rice fields surrounding by limestone karsts, amazing viewpoints, scenic boat rides and more—check out our Ninh Binh travel guide.

You may also like: Ninh-Binh Travel Guide: 3-Day Itinerary and 8 Best Things to Do

How to Get Internet in Vietnam?

You can get a SIM/eSIM card at the airport or in Hanoi Old Quarter. There is no shortage of stalls selling SIM and eSIM cards at the arrivals hall of the airport or travel agencies in Hanoi Old Quarter—almost every tourist place sells SIM cards.

eSIM Card for Multiple Countries

In our case, we got an eSIM card from Maya that covered several countries in Southeast Asia. This was very convenient because we were visiting multiple countries in two months and we didn’t need to bother buying a card on each country.

Maya offers great packages when you’re travelling to multiple countries in a short time. We also used it in Europe during a road trip. Learn more about Maya packages here.

eSIM Card for Individual Countries

If you’re just going to Vietnam, or just an individual country, the Airalo app usually offers better options. We also used Airalo in different countries and it worked just fine.

If you use my referral code on Airalo, you’ll get a 3$ credit. Use the referral code below on your first purchase:

SARA0837

Vietnam Itinerary

We made a quick video with a summary of our two-week Vietnam itinerary. You can watch it below:

Wrapping Up

In my opinion, most tourist spots in Hanoi are nothing out of this world, but we really enjoyed the city. Everything is so different from what we have back home, and there are so many things going on on the street that we can easily spend hours just people-watching. The traffic is so chaotic that spending some time watching it is oddly satisfying.

Other Vietnam Travel Guides you may like:

• Two-Week Vietnam Itinerary – From North to South
• Ninh-Binh Travel Guide: 3-Day Itinerary and 8 Best Things to Do
• Best Things to Do in Danang and Hoi An (Central Vietnam)
• Halong Bay Cruise – What to Expect and How to Choose One
• » More Vietnam Travel Guides «

If you’re travelling to Southeast Asia, don’t forget to check our complete 2-month itinerary:

Two Months Traveling in Southeast Asia: Our Itinerary

We also have several Thailand travel guides that you may like:

• Bangkok Travel Guide [Thailand]
• Chiang Mai Travel Guide [Thailand]
• Koh Phi Phi Travel Guide [Thailand]
• >> More Thailand Travel Guides <<<