Two days in Hanoi is tight but it works, as long as you stay central and walk. This is the self-guided version, with what to see, what it costs, and what you have to cut without regret.
Two days in Hanoi is tight, but it is a genuinely good trip if you build it around one rule: stay central and walk. Almost everything a first-time visitor wants to see sits within a couple of kilometers of Hoan Kiem Lake, and the moment you start crossing the city by taxi you lose an hour you cannot spare. This is the independent version, no tour guide required, with the costs and the honest list of what you will have to leave out.
Where to base yourself
Book a room in the Old Quarter or on its edge, in Hoan Kiem district. Prices are estimates and move with season, but expect an Old Quarter hostel dorm bed at roughly 120,000 to 200,000d a night (about US$5 to 8), a simple private room at around 250,000 to 700,000d (US$10 to 28), and considerably more for anything four-star. The Old Quarter is noisy at night, so if you sleep lightly, ask for a room on a high floor or on one of the quieter side lanes rather than above a bar.
From Noi Bai airport, roughly 27 to 30km (17 to 19 miles) out and 40 to 60 minutes away, airport bus 86 costs an estimated 40,000-50,000d (about US$2) and stops near the Old Quarter, while a Grab or taxi runs an estimated 250,000 to 350,000d (US$10 to 14) and is worth it if there are three of you or it is late.
Day 1: Hoan Kiem, the Old Quarter and a beer on a plastic stool
Begin with phở bò, the clear-broth beef noodle soup Hanoi is known for, at an estimated 40,000 to 60,000d. Then walk to Hoan Kiem Lake while the morning exercise crowd is still out, cross the red The Huc bridge to Ngoc Son Temple, and head north into the Old Quarter. The 36 streets each took their name from the trade once practiced there, and Dong Xuan Market sits at the top end. For lunch find bún chả, grilled pork patties dropped into a bowl of sweet-sour broth and eaten with cold rice noodles and a fistful of herbs, at around 40,000 to 70,000d.
- Morning: pho, Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple at an estimated 30,000 to 50,000d entry
- Lunch: bún chả, then the Old Quarter streets and any shopping you want to do
- Afternoon: St Joseph's Cathedral and an egg coffee in the square beside it, roughly 25,000 to 45,000d
- Evening: Ta Hien street, where bia hoi, the fresh draft beer, goes for roughly 10,000 to 15,000d a glass on the sidewalk
Day 2: the Temple of Literature, Ba Dinh and one last meal
Give the second morning to the older city, a 15 minute ride west. The Temple of Literature, founded in the 11th century as Vietnam's first university, opens around 8am and costs an estimated 30,000 to 70,000d; its walled courtyards and the stone stelae mounted on carved turtles are the calmest place in central Hanoi. From there it is a short hop to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the One Pillar Pagoda. Entry to the mausoleum is free, but the hours are short, mornings only, it usually closes on Mondays and Fridays, and you will need covered shoulders and knees plus a bag check.
- Morning: Temple of Literature, then Ba Dinh square for the mausoleum and One Pillar Pagoda
- Optional swap: Hoa Lo Prison instead, if your dates fall on a mausoleum closing day
- Lunch: a final Hanoi dish, such as chả cá (turmeric fish grilled at the table with dill) or bún thang (a layered chicken and egg noodle soup)
- Afternoon: souvenirs on Hang Gai and Hang Duong, then the airport or your onward train
What two days costs
Estimates for one person, excluding international flights, assuming local restaurants and a modest room.
- One night of accommodation: roughly 250,000 to 700,000d (US$10 to 28), less in a dorm
- Food for two days: roughly 300,000 to 500,000d (US$12 to 20) eating where locals eat
- Entry tickets: roughly 100,000 to 200,000d (US$4 to 8)
- Local transport including the airport run: roughly 150,000 to 400,000d (US$6 to 16)
- Total: roughly 900,000 to 1,800,000d, about US$35 to 70, before shopping
What you have to cut
Two days means no day trip. Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay and the craft villages all need a full day and they are the first casualties. Inside the city, the honest cuts are West Lake, which needs a relaxed afternoon to be worth the trip north, and the museums, of which the Museum of Ethnology is the one genuinely worth adding if you find a spare three hours. Nobody has ever regretted skipping a museum in favor of a longer lunch here.
If your two days include a weekend
From Friday evening through Sunday night the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake close to traffic. The area fills with families, street games, buskers and food carts, and the night market runs north from Hang Dao up toward Dong Xuan. If you have any choice in your dates, put a weekend evening in the middle of your two days, because it is the single best free thing the city does.
Buy a bottle of water and small notes early. Almost everything you will eat over these two days comes from a stall that takes cash only, and handing over a 500,000d note for a bowl of noodles at seven in the morning is a good way to hold up a queue.
Practical notes
- Wear shoes you can walk all day in, since the sidewalks are uneven and often full of parked motorbikes
- Ask the price before you order in the busiest tourist streets, which is normal practice and not considered rude
- Check the mausoleum's closing days before you plan day two around it
- Cross the road at a slow, steady pace without stopping, and let the motorbikes flow around you
- Autumn, roughly September to November, is the most comfortable time of year for a walking trip like this one