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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Where to eat, stay and play in Hanoi, Vietnam
Hanoi is weird and wonderful and one of my favourite places on Earth. It's a huge, smoggy, busy city, but you'll probably spend most of your time around the Old Quarter, which is easily walkable and packed with things to do. Unusually, the shops on streets in the Old Quarter form monocultures — all the tin shops on one street, plumbing shops on another, toy shops on another, and so on. I was told that this was because for centuries tradespeople would travel long distances from their village in order to get their wares as close to the king as possible to receive his favour, and therefore had fewer qualms about being next door to a shop that sold the same type of product. Indeed, it was sometimes helpful if, say, you'd forgotten your smelting iron and needed to borrow one. A street food tour is a must. We tended to spend about 60-70k Dong (about £2.50) a plate, and were usually very satisfied with just one course. Go for an early morning walk around the Hoan Kiem Lake just outside the Old Quarter, where a legendary giant turtle is said to have popped his head from the water to snatch away a sword given by the Gods to the Emperor to defeat the Chinese invaders (basically, Vietnam's Excalibur myth). We looked for this turtle. No dice. We also enjoyed one of the city's famous at a little cafe around here which is much nicer than it sounds. Hanoi is also the gateway to much more, with overnight buses north to the famous hiking trails around Sapa and the motorbike trails beyond Ha Giang and south to beautiful Hoi An, and the beautiful but overcrowded Ha Long Bay archipelagos. My advice for heading further afield though? Take the train. It's clunky, no-frills and must be booked sometimes weeks in advance, but as it heads south is one of the most beautiful coastal lines in the world. EAT Street eats A food odyssey through the cobbled roads of the capital's Old Quarter is a must. Take a bike tour with Vespa Adventures (around £60) to enjoy classics including bun cha (grilled pork patties with rice noodles) and bo ne (sizzling beef, fried egg, pâté and peppercorn sauce served with melt-in-your-mouth bread). Star power Hanoi has three restaurants with a Michelin star: Gia, Hibana by Koki and Tam Vi. Of the three, it's Tam Vi for me. Set in a wooden building styled with vintage furniture, it offers homely dishes such as cha la lot – minced pork wrapped in betel leaves. On track With caged songbirds hanging from the ceilings of the cafés that line its rail tracks, 'Train Street' (above) is a unique location for lunch. Have a beer and wait for the carriages to swing by on their way from Hanoi Station. STAY Gold standard The chandelier-spangled Capella Hanoi (above) is as opulent as it is theatrical: each of the 47 rooms is named after an opera singer, play or song and guests can enjoy a 24-carat gold facial at the spa. Rooms from around £265 ( Lake lustre L'Hôtel du Lac, a few hundred feet from Hoan Kiem Lake, has art deco vibes and a stylish rooftop bar. The lake is a cultural hotspot after dark, and you'll see half the city here doing exercise classes before work. Rooms from around £110 ( Cheap and chic For something more intimate (and lighter on the wallet), Aira Boutique Hanoi in the Old Quarter has a rooftop bar with an infinity pool and serene views of the skyline. Cocktails are under £5 – try the Golden Bay, a mix of gin, ginger and lemon juice. Rooms from around £30 ( Family affairs The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology ( entry £1.15) presents a rich history of the country's 54 officially recognised ethnic groups and has a wonderful garden in which traditional hilltop homes have been proudly reconstructed. Caffeine hit Set in a charming old French villa, Loading T (@loadingt_cafe) is a must-visit. Its owners roast their beans with cinnamon and the menu lists coffee drinks (above, from around £1.45) fused with such ingredients as yogurt, egg (much nicer than it sounds), salt, coconut, banana or lime. Sax appeal Long Waits ( in Hoan Kiem district, is surely the finest place for jazz in the 1,000-year-old capital: it's a cosy theatre with space for a few dozen guests, a stylish wooden bar and an exceptional house band. How's scat?
Telegraph
06-08-2025
- Telegraph
The 10 best coffee houses in Hanoi
From narrow alleyway haunts to clandestine design spaces, Hanoi's coffee houses offer extraordinary variety. Punchy Robusta beans power iced Vietnamese coffee (espresso is usually made with Arabica), often sweetened with condensed milk, yoghurt, coconut or egg yolk. This creates a dark, syrupy brew that lands somewhere between dark chocolate and melted coffee ice cream. As Hanoi has become increasingly cosmopolitan, so too has the city's café culture, promising that an artisanal latte is never more than a few streets away. Coffee shops open early and close late, and many double as smoothie bars, tea houses, art galleries and music venues. The vibe is generally unhurried, the seating is usually diminutive, and the drinks are reliably affordable – rarely more than a pound or two. Here are the best places to sample the local brew, including cosy coffee shops for quiet reflection and a couple of bakeries for sweet treats. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best coffee houses in Hanoi. Find out more below, or for more Hanoi inspiration, see our guides to the region's best hotels, restaurants, bars and things to do. In this guide: Best for the local brew Bancong This former Art Deco townhouse is now a gigantic café restaurant spread over several floors. The balconies are the café's standout feature ('bancong' is balcony in Vietnamese), as they offer elevated views over one of the Old Quarter's busiest crossroads. You'll find a range of coffees on the menu, but it's hard to pass up the coconut coffee, made with condensed milk, coconut milk, dried coconut and crushed ice, making it more like a dessert. Café Nuoi This tiny one-room corner café is about as classic as it gets, with cream walls, wooden stools and a retro sign that has probably been around for decades. The menu is startlingly large for such a miniscule coffee shop: in addition to classic Vietnamese coffee, they also serve tea and hot chocolate, as well as smoothies and juices made with fresh tropical fruit. When it gets too busy inside, the family that runs the place lines the outside walls with little plastic chairs. Address: 32 Luong Van Can, Hoan Kiem Loading T This early 20th century building once belonged to a wealthy merchant, but was appropriated by the government in the 1950s and split into more than a dozen family dwellings. The façade, though faded, still has the grand imperial staircase and olive-green shutters that would have been the envy of neighbours 100 years ago. Lead barista and co-owner Hoang Tuan Son brews several of Hanoi's speciality coffees, but it's his egg coffee that earned the café its fame. Café Duy Tri This might just be the best traditional Vietnamese coffee in the city, and the house – a spindly, multi-floor structure that hasn't changed in decades – will leave a strong impression. They specialise in an aromatic traditional Vietnamese drip coffee with condensed milk, but you might want to opt for their homemade yoghurt instead. Pair this one-of-a-kind coffee shop with fresh rice dumplings from Banh Cuon Nong Ho Tay, which is just across the road. Address: 43 Yen Phu, Tay Ho Return to index Best quiet, cosy cafés Blackbird (5 Chan Cam) Opposite Loading T, Blackbird excels at espresso-based coffees, but there's also French press, pour over and cold brew scribbled on the blackboard menu. The streetside seating offers views of the magnificent townhouse opposite, home to Loading T, while the intimate interior is a cosy place to warm up during Hanoi's chilly winter months. Keep your eyes peeled for the several other Blackbirds dotted around the Old Quarter. Phin Bar by refined This coffee shop sits just steps away from the Temple of Literature, so you can pop in for a quick pick-me-up before or after exploring the iconic Hanoi sight. Refined, the parent café, specialises in premium grade Robusta beans selected from boutique farms. This is where you can see the true potential of traditional Vietnamese coffee. While Phin Bar offers some welcome calm, grab the outside table if you can – it affords views of the temple. Website: Toka Coffee Stand Toka is one of a handful of cafés tucked down a quiet street that is quickly becoming one of Hanoi's hippest, understated enclaves. Seating wraps around a gorgeously weatherworn colonial-era townhouse while the smiley young baristas conjure up photogenic cappuccinos inside – a skill not lost on the ever-present gaggle of selfie takers. Toka only has a handful of tables, so if it's too busy then continue down the street for a broader selection of equally alluring coffee shops. Memoire 15 Attached to the rooftop of a narrow tube house, Memoire 15 serves its carefully crafted coffees with sunset views over the Old Quarter. Parasitic architecture – when new extensions are attached to old structures – are integral to Hanoi's aesthetic, but Memoire 15 has literally taken the concept to a whole new level. If you're already overly caffeinated, try their salted apricot juice, a traditional Hanoi favourite. Best for sweet treats BAKED and Friends If you find yourself in West Lake looking for something sweet, tuck into one of the cookies or cupcakes at BAKED. Singaporean baker Sheereen Amran usually has one or two fusion specials on the go, like baklava cheesecake and banana Biscoff cupcakes. The café itself is a friendly neighbourhood spot tucked away on a side street set back from the lake and overlooking a scruffy pond. Gau Coffee & Bakery Gau serves French pastries and other baked goodies alongside its western and Vietnamese coffees. The café opens at 7am, so if you're up early to explore the lake at dawn, you might want to retire here for coffee and cake afterwards. The classic croissant rivals a Parisian boulangerie, but the almond croissant is just as tempting. A broad pavement section outside means you can watch the world go by while munching on breakfast. Return to index How we choose Every café and coffee house in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood roasteries to high street favourites – to best suit every type of traveller's taste – and consider the food, drinks, service, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations. About our expert Joshua Zukas I've spent two decades digging deep into Vietnam, with over ten years rooted in Hanoi. When I'm not unearthing new neighbourhoods in this ever-evolving city, I'm probably exploring backroads in Vietnam's farthest-flung corners.
Telegraph
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The 19 best things to do in Hanoi
Simply put, Hanoi has too much to do. Some travellers spend weeks in Vietnam's cultural capital, but still manage to leave museums unexplored, lakes unvisited and neighbourhoods undiscovered. The key to getting the most out of the capital is tailoring an itinerary based on personal passions, whether that's ambling around centuries-old archaeological sites, gobbling up noodles on a street food tour or exploring the Old Quarter by cyclo. From puppet shows perfect for families to an overlooked Chinese assembly hall for heritage enthusiasts, and the sights that help demystify Vietnam's catastrophic war years, here are the best things to do in Hanoi. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best things to do in Hanoi. Find out more below, or for more Hanoi inspiration, see our guides to the region's best hotels, restaurants, bars and coffee houses. Hoan Kiem Lake Take an evening stroll Hoan Kiem Lake overflows with stories, from the myth of the turtle god that snatched a sword from a king, to the episode when anti-imperialists tore down the lake's French-built statue de la liberté. The lake comes into its own on weekend evenings, when teenage hip-hop troupes make TikTok videos and toddlers roam around in remote-controlled mini 4WDs. Insider tip: If you're not in Hanoi on the weekend, wake up early and explore the lake at dawn instead. This is when traffic is light but the lake is full of life, with dance groups, tai chi practitioners and laughter yogis. Opening times: All day every day (pedestrianised Friday evening-Sunday evening) Price: Free
The Standard
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Standard
US-Vietnam trade deal sows new China standoff
Sandals are displayed for sale at a shoe store in Hanoi's Old Quarter on July 3, 2025. Vietnam's trade deal with the United States averts the most punishing of Donald Trump's "reciprocal" levies but analysts warned it could provoke a fresh standoff between Washington and Beijing. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Fake roadworks direct people to Guernsey art show
A street in Guernsey has been transformed as part of a one-day art project, called Diversion, used fake roadworks to redirect people towards Mansell Street, and into the Art for Guernsey gallery building, in St Peter Port Walls were painted by local and international artists for visitors to enjoy along the Ummels, founder of Art for Guernsey, said they wanted to "bring new life" to the Old Quarter. Mr Ummels said: "We have 14 international artists and 16 local artists working hand in hand to beautify the street and put this show on."Sadly some people have been surprised on their way to work, but we have been here to welcome them and explain it's only a joke for the day."So far lots of people have liked it, and it has been a way to put a smile on faces."One of those involved with the project was Belfast street artist Leo Boyd, who said the work was well-received. Mr Boyd said: "This street had become derelict and abandoned, so being able to come back from Belfast and see it four days ago before we started was a bit of a surprise," he said."Since then we've completely changed everything, and how people look at the street."We're getting a lot of positive comments from people who say Guernsey needs it, and so does this street."
