Vietnam

AI may have contributed to this destination’s text and activity data. Confirm opening days, transport, prices and entry conditions with the relevant operator or authority; automatic live-data updates do not verify these descriptions.

Hanoi

Thousand-year capital on the Red River

Visa & entry checker Plan a trip to Hanoi Plan a trip around Vietnam

Best time to visit: Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr
Currency: VND
Time zone: UTC+7
Country: Vietnam

Photo: Daderot, CC0

Hanoi is Vietnam's capital, a city of tree-lined French colonial boulevards, ancient temples and busy old-quarter lanes around Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Visitors come for the street food, the history of the Imperial Citadel and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and easy day trips to limestone country and craft villages.

Largest cities

Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi
Da Nang
Hai Phong
Can Tho

Quick facts

Figures are rounded recent official estimates.

Country: Vietnam
Capital: Hanoi
City population: 8.4M
Population of Vietnam: 96.2M
Country area: 331,690 km²
Official language: Vietnamese
Currency: Vietnamese Dong (VND) · 1 USD ≈ 25,863 VND
Time zone: UTC+7
Calling code: +84
Drives on the: Right
Elevation: 16 m
Plugs: A / C / F · 220V
Emergency numbers: 113 · 114 · 115
Best time to visit: Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr

Temperatures through the year

Average daily high and low for each month in °C. Months marked with a drop are often rainy.

Temperatures through the year

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High	21°	22°	26°	29°	31°	33°	33°	32°	31°	28°	26°	22°
Low	13°	15°	19°	22°	25°	26°	26°	26°	25°	22°	19°	14°

Best time to visitOther months

Approximate daily cost

Per adult per day: food, local transport and half a double room, without activities or flights.

ConservativeSimple stays, free and low-cost sights first.$26
HighComfortable hotels, a balanced mix of sights and trips.$70
LuxuryLuxury hotels, more paid experiences and day trips.$205

Plan a trip to Hanoi

Top things to do

Free
Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Ngọc Sơn Temple
Walk the lakeside promenade and cross the red Húc Bridge to Ngọc Sơn Temple on its island; early morning and after sunset are the liveliest times.
- Half day
- Hoàn Kiếm (Old Quarter and lake)
- Good for kids
- Good in the evening
≈ $8
Old Quarter street food walk
Taste phở, bún chả and egg coffee in the lanes of the old quarter; go with a small appetite and sit where the locals queue.
- Half day
- Hoàn Kiếm (Old Quarter and lake)
- Good for kids
- Good in the evening
≈ $2
Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long
A UNESCO-listed complex of gates, courtyards and wartime bunkers tracing a thousand years of the capital; allow two hours and bring water.
- Half day
- Ba Đình
- Good for kids
Free
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and One Pillar Pagoda
File past the embalmed body in the granite mausoleum, then see the stilt house and the small One Pillar Pagoda nearby; mornings only, and closed Monday and Friday.
- Half day
- Ba Đình
- Good for kids
- Closed: Monday and Friday
≈ $2
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Displays on the country's many ethnic groups with full-size traditional houses in the garden; a good rainy-day stop, closed Mondays.
- Half day
- Tây Hồ (West Lake)
- Good for kids
- Indoors
- Closed: Monday
≈ $2
Trấn Quốc Pagoda and West Lake
Visit the city's oldest pagoda on a small peninsula, then walk or cycle the West Lake shore; late afternoon light is best.
- Half day
- Tây Hồ (West Lake)
- Good for kids
≈ $15
Bát Tràng ceramic village day trip
Cross the Red River to a working pottery village where you can watch kilns and paint your own bowl; combine it with nearby Đông Anh countryside.
- Full day
- Đông Anh (northern outskirts)
- Good for kids
≈ $10
Ba Vì National Park day trip
Head to the forested hills west of the city for trails, a temple and cooler air; start early as the drive takes about two hours each way.
- Full day
- Đông Anh (northern outskirts)
- Good for kids

Before you go

Entry and visas

Many nationalities, including British citizens, can enter Vietnam visa-free for up to 45 days for tourism, with an entry and exit stamp giving the date you must leave by; a 90-day multiple-entry e-visa is available for longer stays. From 15 April 2026, all foreign nationals arriving via Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City are encouraged to complete a digital arrival card online before arrival, and a health declaration may be required from 1 July. Passports need at least 6 months' validity and 2 blank pages, and rules differ by nationality, so check the official Vietnamese immigration guid

Official website

From the airport

Most travellers land at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), about 35 km north of the centre. A taxi or ride-hailing car takes roughly 45 to 60 minutes to the old quarter, and express airport buses run the same route more cheaply.

Getting around

Ride-hailing apps, metered taxis and buses cover the city, while the compact old quarter and Hoàn Kiếm area are best walked.

Local tips

Dress modestly at temples and the mausoleum: shoulders and knees covered, and hats off inside.
Carry small notes of Vietnamese dong for markets, street food and motorbike taxis; cards work in hotels and malls.
Cross roads at a slow, steady pace and let motorbikes flow around you; traffic rarely stops.
Air quality is often poor from late autumn to spring, and June to September is hot, humid and wet, so plan indoor stops.