Overview
When’s the best time to go to Hanoi?
The best time to visit Hanoi is undoubtedly March–April or October–December, when springtime and autumn temperatures are cooler. In winter, the city tends to be shrouded in a pall of gray mist. Summer is hot, humid, often wet, and largely uncomfortable.
How to get around Hanoi
Many international airlines fly into Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport from other parts of Asia and also from European hubs such as Frankfurt, Paris, and London. As of now there are still no direct flights from North America, but plenty of connecting services via cities such as Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Taxis are generally safe and efficient, though a bit more expensive than other options. Taxi scams are not uncommon but can usually be avoided by riding only with a trusted taxi company. Mai Linh and Hanoi Taxi are two of the capital’s most reputable companies.
Can’t miss things to do in Hanoi
Rent a bicycle from Hanoi Bicycle Collective (www.thbc.vn) in the late afternoon and ride around West Lake, taking in the sunset on the roof terrace at Commune café.
Food and drink to try in Hanoi
Hanoi’s food scene is one of its prime assets. Northern Vietnamese food varies quite significantly from food in the south. It tends to be saltier, and prevalent use of fermentation is a legacy of the region’s relative poverty. Pho (rice-noodle soup with beef or chicken) is Hanoi’s best-known culinary creation. Other greatest hits include banh cuon (rice-paper crepes stuffed with pork and mushroom) and bun cha (vermicelli noodles served with mini pork patties, sliced pork belly, and herbs). The favored drink of Hanoian men is beer. Hanoi Beer is the most popular local brand, while bia hoi—a light draft beer delivered in fresh batches to vendors daily—is as much a part of Hanoian life as honking horns and crazy traffic.
Culture in Hanoi
In Vietnam, Hanoi is regarded as the high-minded counterpart to Ho Chi Minh City’s upstart glitz. The reality is that both cities have plenty of cultural highlights to show, with Hanoi offering everything from reminders and celebrations of Vietnam’s tumultuous past to cutting-edge art galleries and regular live music events.
Late January to mid February, you can breathe in the excitement of Tet, the lunar New Year (the date each year changes based on the Chinese lunar calendar). The lead-up to the celebration sees the city come alive with displays of moon cakes, red banners, joss sticks, and red envelopes for giving lucky money (mung tuoi) to children. February and March are the months to join the mass Buddhist pilgrimage to the Perfume Pagoda, just south of Hanoi.
Local travel tips for Hanoi
Women shouldn’t wear long skirts to any of Hanoi’s many bia hoi joints; toilets are rudimentary at best, and the predominantly male clientele tend to relieve themselves on the floor. When visiting Hanoi, make sure you choose your season right: December to March can be terribly gray and miserable. April–May is gorgeous. Summer can be compared to a steamy Peruvian jungle. And the weather finally relents in autumn, when the sky turns azure with fresher days.
Local Resources
Guide Editor
After arriving on something of a whim, Duncan Forgan has spent the past eight months living and working in Bangkok. In a previous life he was a features writer for the national newspapers in his native Scotland, an editor of various travel guides in the Middle East and a long-term freelancer in Vietnam. Now he prefers to discover new street food and to drive his motorbike around the sois. When he’s not comparing venues for Isaan food he writes and broadcasts for a variety of outlets worldwide on Asian travel, culture, and cuisine.
