How To Spend 2 Days in Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi is the vibrant capital of Vietnam; a city that heightens your senses the moment you step foot in it. From the sound of motorbikes buzzing about like an angry swarm, the fragrant smell of pho simmering on every street corner and the endless scooters weaving through traffic like an intricate dance—it’s chaotic, exciting and totally captivating. A city I fell in love with.

2 days in Hanoi is perfect to experience the city’s highlights, allowing you to explore the Old Quarter, visit temples, and enjoy street food, but it depends on your travel style and interests.

Though I have always stated that cities in Asia aren’t usually my bag, Hanoi is the exception to that rule. I fell in love with it’s striking energy, super friendly locals, delicious food and charming atmosphere 

In two days, you can soak up the charm, culture, history and most importantly, the incredible food that Hanoi has to offer. So here’s how to make the most of your short but sweet 48 hours in Hanoi.

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How to spend 2 days in Hanoi

Day 1 in Hanoi: Old Quarter, Culture and Coffee

Morning: The Old Quarter

Regardless of what time you arrive in Hanoi, I would start in the beating heart of the city; the Old Quarter. Here you can experience the raw and unfiltered Hanoi at it’s best and get a feel for how electric this huge city is. 

The streets in the Old Quarter are a maze of narrow alleys, buzzing motorbikes and tiny shopfronts selling everything from fresh fruit to knock-off designer bags and everything in between.

Note Coffee

Stop off for a coffee at the infamous Note Coffee that looks out over Hoan Kiem Lake. This is one of the happiest coffee shops I have ever been to that aim to promote positivity and kindness through the post-it notes covering every inch of their walls and ceilings. You can leave a post-it with a message of your choice too.

If you’re lucky enough to get a table by the window, you’ll have a great view, and if not, you can carry on going up the stairs. I lost count of how many floors this coffee shop was spread across, I got to either 4 or 5 before I gave up – it felt endless! The coffee is great, the atmosphere even better.

Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem Lake is great for serene escape from the madness. In the day you will find locals taking part in yoga and tai chi classes. At night, it is beautifully lit.

Walk across the iconic red bridge to Ngoc Son Temple, where locals pray and have a moment of peace amid the chaos. If you want to visit the temple, ensure you have your shoulders and knees covered and are dressed modestly – this goes for all temples across Asia.

Hoan Kiem Lake itself is a great place to familiarise yourself with the city and find your bearings, especially if you are only in Hanoi for 2 days.

Lunch

At this point, it will be around midday and you’ll likely be hungry. There are so many fabulous restaurants in Hanoi that you will be spoilt for choice. I would suggest grabbing a banh mi from a street vendor for a delicious, quick lunch on the go.

Afternoon: Hanoi Train Street

Walk down to the iconic Train Street after lunch, marvelling at the colonial architecture on the way. There is a train timetable which your hotel can show you, but this should come with a disclaimer. The timetable doesn’t actually mean anything and the chances of seeing a train go past is highly unlikely. 

This tourist attraction has turned into an illegal business, with very few trains passing and is surprisingly coordinated by the police too. 

It feels like a a bit of a scam – the police threaten to beat you with a stick if you try to ‘trespass’ and the only way to pass through the barrier is if you are accompanied by a pushy cafe/bar owner. You have to visit their cafe and buy some overpriced drinks or snacks in order to stay in the area and wait for the spectacle of the train passing right through the middle of the houses. 

Inevitably, you could end up waiting for hours for a train that likely won’t appear – but the atmosphere is great and we got chatting to some interesting people, some of whom had been there all day!

Go for the experience, but don’t get your hopes up about seeing the train pass.

Evening: Dinner

Your dinner options will be endless, choose from authentic pho, cooked by a street vendor. You simply pull up a plastic stool alongside all the others eating and they serve you the soup of the night -often, it is beef pho. 

You can also pick from one of the hundreds of restaurants; my top picks would be Met Vietnamese restaurant (they have more than once location) or Katze vegan and veggie restaurant, which was a real hidden gem. 

Wherever you dine, I suggest trying some local Vietnamese cuisine. I adore bún chả, Vietnamese pancakes, banh mi and pho.

Hanoi Night Market

If you are in Hanoi over a weekend, head to the Old Quarter for Hanoi Night Market. The market starts at 7pm on Friday, Saturday and Sundays and is packed with souvenirs, crafts, street food and live music.

Beer Street

Wrap up your first night in Hanoi with some of the cheapest beers in the world! Ta Hien Street, otherwise known as Beer Street, is quite the experience. Locals and travellers gather on tiny stools for cheap bia hơi (fresh beer) and late-night snacks. The music is great and the vibe is excellent.

Che at Little Bowl Hanoi

Che or chè thập cẩm is a popular Vietnamese dessert, and Little Bowl Hanoi serve a variety of vegan friendly versions. 

This isn’t your usual dessert, it is a coconut milk bowl full of red kidney beans, mung beans, taro, pandan jelly, beetroot jelly, pomelo and banana, that you simply add lots of ice to. Sounds unusual, I know – and it is an acquired taste, but one I adored. It is incredibly refreshing in the heat and humidity of Hanoi.

Just around the corner from Beer Street, this little gem of a place is one you must visit on your 2 days in Hanoi.

Day 2 in Hanoi: History & Culture

Morning: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & One Pillar Pagoda

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is the resting place of Vietnamese Revolutionary leader & President Ho Chi Minh. As well as being a tourist hotspot, you will find many locals here too, visiting as a sign of respect to their former leader.

The One Pillar Pagoda is one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples and is less than a 4 minute walk away. You can choose whether you want to go inside (again, remember to be dressed modestly) or you can admire the stunning architecture from the outside.

Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House is another historical landmark that is also nearby. Sadly it was closed when we visited, but here you can see where President Ho Chi Minh worked and lived.

Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature is a short walk from here too. This stunning 11th-century temple is a must-visit destination for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s past. The temple is peaceful, filled with courtyards, ancient text and traditional Vietnamese architecture to admire.

This half day city tour includes many of the sites you will visit this morning and more.

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

Nearby, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is a UNESCO World Heritage site and Vietnam’s former political centre. This also represents significant historical layers of the city; offerinf a deep dive into Vietnam’s royal history.

This a must-visit for understanding Vietnamese heritage.

Lunch

After your morning of culture and history, you will want to have lunch depending on how many of the sites you visit in the morning. You can split this up with lunch in between, if you wish. I have a whole post on restaurant recommendations in Hanoi if you’re looking for inspiration on where to dine.

Afternoon: Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison, otherwise known as the Hanoi Hilton is known for brutally torturing prisoners in the worst possible way and makes for an incredibly sobering experience.

As you walk through the prison, you can see the cramped solitary confinement cells and displays of how the prisoners were treated.

This prison offers a poignant, haunting look at Vietnam’s colonial and wartime history. The prison only closed in 1990, so their history is very recent, which I thought makes the experience even more thought-provoking. 

This tour included a guided tour of the prison as well as a guided walking tour of Hanoi’s French Quarter, “Little Paris” with a local.

Café Giang

One thing you must do at some point in 2 days in Hanoi is try their infamous egg coffee. This Vietnamese drink originates from Hanoi, and is said to have been invented at Café Giang (Cà Phê Giảng), so it would be a crime not to try it for yourself. 

They are known for serving the best version of the coffee, to this day. Made of egg yolk, coffee powder, condensed milk, and, optionally, cheese – it certainly is an acquired taste.

It was fine, but I can’t say I’d order it again. The ingredient list alone made me feel quite sick.

Take a Vietnamese cooking class

I would spend the afternoon taking a street food tour of Hanoi or a cooking class to learn how to make authentic Vietnamese dishes – this way you have dinner after the class included too.

This is the vegan Vietnamese cooking class I would book.

If unlike me, you enjoyed the egg coffee, you can take a class to learn how to make it yourself. As far as unusual activities to do in Hanoi go, it really doesn’t get more unique than this. 

Personally, I would do the coffee 101 class as I adore Vietnamese coffee and would be keen to learn more about it.

Evening: Water Puppet Show or Rooftop drinks

After dinner, you have two options here:

You can catch a traditional Water Puppet Show at Thang Long Theatre which is a quirky, entertaining glimpse into Vietnamese folklore. I should warn you though that we really didn’t enjoy this. Quirky is one thing, but this was all round just a bit strange. If you’re travelling with young children however, they might enjoy this. 

Check out some reviews of other people’s opinions though before you commit to going. Though tickets are only about £6, it’s hard to leave once you are seated as the seats are packed very tightly together.

Alternatively, head to a rooftop bar for some drinks. We ended our final night in Hanoi with some cocktails at Moonlit Sky Bar rooftop bar. It boasts great skyline views of the city and is a much more pleasant way to end 2 days in Hanoi, if you ask me.

FAQs About Visiting Hanoi

What if I have 3 days in Hanoi?

If you have 3 days in Hanoi on your Vietnam itinerary, here are some options of other things you can do in the city.

• Escape to West Lake, Hanoi’s largest lake that is around a 15 minute drive from the Old Quarter. The highlight here is Tran Quoc Pagoda, the city’s oldest Buddhist temple, sitting beautifully on a small island.
• In the other direction, you can go over to Long Bien Bridge, a historical relic from the French colonial era. This is a popular place to visit for the perfect instagram shots and is one of these stops on the Hanoi Instagram Tour. If you are a photographer or someone with a keen interest in content creation, this is a tour you will certainly want to book.
• In Hanoi Old Quarter, visit Hàng Trống Street – famous for its traditional Vietnamese lacquer paintings and ceramics. You can find a wide selection of embroidery and silk products here too, each meticulously crafted by skilled artisans.
• One of the most popular trips from Hanoi is to go to Ha Long Bay. You can do a day trip here or choose to stay overnight, depending on how much time you have. I spent 5 days in Hanoi, but only because I wanted to visit Ha Long Bay for two nights. If you have enough time on your Vietnam trip, I would urge you to extend your stay in Hanoi so that you can visit Ha Long Bay.
• You can do a day trip to Ninh Binh, known locally as ‘Ha Long Bay on land’. I wish we had enough time on our trip to visit here, it looks mesmerising.
• Cat Ba Island is another popular day trip from Hanoi, and you can choose to extend this to an overnight stay if you have more time. It is the largest island on Halong Bay.

Is 48 hours in Hanoi enough?

2 days in Hanoi is enough to see the highlights and get a feel for the culture and vibe of the city. Spending longer there will allow you to see more at a leisurely pace and even incorporate a day trip or two. My preference would be the latter.

Is it safe to walk around Hanoi at night?

Hanoi is generally a safe city for travellers, but it’s important to stay vigilant as you would in any other major city. Use reputable transportation, avoid travelling alone late at night and always follow local safety guidelines and advice. It’s worth noting that serious crimes against tourists are extremely rare here. 

How to get around Hanoi?

Hanoi offers various transportation options including taxis, motorbike taxis (xe om), taxi apps such as Grab, and a few public buses. Renting a scooter is a popular option for more adventurous travellers, but I would be wary of this option due to the chaotic traffic and lack of road safety.

What should I pack on my trip to Hanoi?

Hanoi’s weather can be quite warm and humid, so I’d suggest packing lightweight, breathable clothing. Comfortable walking shoes are a must for all the steps you will rack up, together with a hat or sunglasses and a light rain jacket in case of rain. 

What is the best time of year to visit Hanoi?

Vietnam has wet and dry seasons. Typically, the wet season is from May to November and the dry season is from December to April. The best time to visit Hanoi is during the shoulder seasons, from late February to early April and from September to November, when the weather is pleasant. The temperatures are cooler with less humidity, making it ideal for exploring the city. 

Keep in mind though that the weather is similar to Bali – when it rains, it doesn’t last all day, so don’t let that put you off. In fact, the rain is actually quite pleasant in the humidity unlike back in the UK.

Where to stay in Hanoi?

We stayed at Eliana Signature Hanoi Hotel. A mid-range hotel situated in the heart of Hanoi Old Quarter. The rooms were spacious and clean and the location was in very close proximity to most of the sights we wanted to visit, so we could walk there. Breakfast was small but decent and overall, this was a very reasonably priced hotel.

A great boutique hotel option would be Peridot Grand Luxury Boutique Hotel; a 5-star hotel & spa. They have 3 bars, 2 restaurants, an outdoor swimming pool, gym and a sun terrace.

Similarly, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is a stunning luxury option. A historic 5-star hotel in the French Quarter offering spa services and a heated swimming pool.

Personally, I would recommend staying near the Old Quarter or Hoan Kiem Lake so you are close enough to all the highlights of Hanoi – especially if you only have 48 hours in Hanoi.

Two days in Hanoi will fly by in a blur of cultural gems, street food and chaotic traffic. This city feels alive at every hour of the day, every alley holds a story and every meal is an experience in itself. 

Whether you’re people-watching a family cooking a hotpot on the street, drinking excellent coffee or getting lost in the Old Quarter’s labyrinthine streets, one thing’s for sure—Hanoi will leave a lasting impression.

So pack light, bring your appetite and dive headfirst into this electrifying city. You won’t regret it!

Watch my vlog below for a closer look at our experience

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