One of the perks of living in Taiwan are the little breaks we get in the spring semester. I found out two months before the trip that there was a four day weekend at the end of February for 228 Peace Day, a holiday in Taiwan. I immediately went on Skyscanner and looked for the cheapest flights to Vietnam. Having never been to Vietnam before, I chose to go to Hanoi this time, promising to come back another time to explore Ho Chi Minh. So, here’s a 3-day itinerary for Hanoi. If you’re not going to Hanoi anytime soon, feel free to scroll through the pictures.
DAY 1: EXPLORE THE CITY
Breakfast: Pho Suong
Start the day with a delicious bowl of pho. I read online that it was common for Vietnamese people to eat pho for breakfast. This idea seemed strange to me. I never had pho for breakfast. Pho always seemed like a lunch or dinner meal. Later, I would learn from a local that in Vietnam there are no foods categorized as “breakfast foods”. You can eat whatever you want for breakfast!
If you find yourself wanting a bowl of pho, I highly recommend Pho Suong. LITERALLY THE BEST PHO I’VE ENVER HAD MY ENTIRE LIFE. The noodles were wide, thin, and the perfect softness. The soup was clean, flavor was tasty, and the beef was tender. And only 20,000 Viet Dong! I can’t say enough good things about this pho. I think about that bowl of pho often. Wish I could have it every week.
Ngoc Son Temple
After breakfast, I walked toward Hoem Kiem Lake. In the middle of the lake, is an island, Jade Island. Nogc Son Temple sits on this island. You can pay 20,000 Viet dong to cross a small red Vietnamese style bridge and see the temple. You can walk a full circle in 2 min. But I spent 15-20 min there. It’s a welcome break from the bustle and hustle of the city. It’s beautiful and you can learn about the legend that surrounds this temple.
Hanoi Opera House
Beautiful building, but unfortunately it was closed when I was there. Not quite sure what the opening hours are. What was interesting was on my way to the Hanoi Opera House, I passed by a group of reporters and cameramen, who I assumed were waiting for President Trump or President Kim to come out from the hotel where they were holding the summit. The energy was electric. There was so much excitement.
Vietnamese Women’s Museum
I kept walking and went the Vietnamese Women’s Museum. This might not be on the most instagrammable places in Hanoi list, but… YOU GUYS! This is a museum entirely dedicated to WOMEN! I loved it. It talked about the role of women in aboriginal tribes and women roles at home. I read about wedding traditions and I got to see how women’s fashion evolved with time. The museum showed the important roles women had in the Vietnamese War, and I don’t mean at home, but their role on the ACTUAL BATTLEFIELD. It was inspiring to read about so many women being badass. The museum is life in Vietnam from women’s perspectives.
Banh Mi Tram
After all that walking, I was ready for lunch. Grab one of these traditional Vietnamese sandwiches. They’re pretty easy to find. I thought I’d try this specific place because of the reviews online, but in my opinion, it was okay. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it was not the best Banh Mi I’ve ever had.
St. Joseph’s Cathedral
A neo-gothic church is not what I expected to find in Hanoi, but this was another piece of the unique history of the country. It’s the oldest church in Hanoi, opening in 1886 and it’s style represents that of Notre Dame in Paris.
Train Street
Imagine a speeding train passing only inches away from the hanging laundry in a residential neighborhood. The train doesn’t seem to faze the locals as they bring (anything too close to the train tracks) everything inside when the train is about to come. You could spend a lot of time here depending how much of the track you want to walk.
PSA: If you ever need to use a bathroom, there’s a public restroom near train street. Be prepared and bring tissues or you can pay the women at the front for tissues.
Temple of Literature
Because of the name, I wasn’t quite sure if the Temple of Literature was a religious or educational institution. For 30,000 VND, you can go in the temple and walk around. I highly recommend this. The admission is worth it. It’s so peaceful and beautiful inside. I found the gardens and architecture was very symmetric and aesthetically pleasing.
The Temple of Literature is the oldest university in Hanoi and dedicated to Confucius and scholars. It’s a place to study rather than a religious landmark. The trees and the lake make a relaxing space for students.
At this point, I hopped in a Grab and went back to my Airbnb. It was late afternoon and I came down with a really bad headache. So, if you have some extra time, I recommend visiting the following places:
- Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
- Food Tour
- Dong Xuan Market
- Tran Quoc Pagoda
And that’s a wrap on Day 1!
DAY 2 & 3: HALONG BAY (2 DAYS, 1 NIGHT)
Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I knew if I was going to be in Hanoi, I had to make the trip to Halong Bay. You can do this as a day trip, but I think it’s worth it only if you stay at least one night on a boat. Halong Bay is a 3-4 hour bus ride from Hanoi.
Phoenix Cruise Halong Bay
I spent hours searching on the Internet for the perfect cruise for Halong Bay. It’s a lot to sift through. There’s got to be over a hundred different cruise companies. A friend recommended Phoenix Cruise and I was sold. The accommodations looked decent and my friend had nothing but good things to say about it and it was a reasonable price on KKDay. Unfortunately, I don’t think this particular cruise is available on KKDay anymore, but you can still book through their website.
Rooms: I was pleasantly surprised with the rooms. It was better than I expected. The rooms were a little smaller than the ones in the promotional pictures, but I didn’t mind. The amenities were in top shape. Air conditioning worked great and the bed was super comfortable. Needless to say, I slept super well that night.
Activities: The itinerary was perfect. We did a little bit of everything and I enjoyed all of it.
- Ti Top Island– I have mixed feelings about this island. It was extremely touristy. Unfortunately when we went there were lots of tourists from Mainland China. Aside that, I really enjoyed the light hike to the top of the island. 400 steps later and you’re rewarded with this magnificent view of Halong Bay. This is the picture you see on postcards. There’s a small beach, if you want to put your feet in the water or go “swimming”.
- Kayaking/Bamboo Boats at Luon Cave – After an hour or so on Ti Top Island, the tour guide took us to Luon Cave to go kayaking. We had the choice to do kayaking or the bamboo boats. Everyone in the tour group voted kayaking. I was the only single person on the tour and I didn’t really want to go kayaking alone. I was also afraid I wasn’t going to be able to paddle back by myself. Luckily, the tour guide generously offered to go kayaking with me and in the end I kind of got my own personal tour guide while we were kayaking. WIN!
- Squid Fishing – At night, they gave us poles and we tried our luck at squid fishing. Over the course of a few hours, only one of us caught a squid.
- Surprising Cave/Sung Sot Cave – The next morning, the tour guide woke us up early for breakfast and took us to the cave before it got crowded with tourists. The name is fitting. I’ve seen caves before, so I didn’t think it would impressive me that much. I was wrong. this cave is impressive. It’s huge! What’s special about this cave is the openness. It’s like a large floor and you can see all of it in one view, so it looks really big. The paths were well built and the view of the bay at the end was beautiful as well
- Cooking Class– When we got back to the cruise boat, they taught us how to make traditional vietnamese fried spring rolls. Each person only got to make one or two, but it was super fun and it was very tasty. They cooked it for you and you get to eat it for lunch.
Food: The food was delicious! I didn’t have high expectations. When we stopped at a rest stop halfway through the drive to Halong Bay, I literally stocked up on chips and snacks thinking that I would have to munch on snacks in my room after dinner because the food wasn’t that great. I was so wrong. I ended up bringing the snacks back with me to Hanoi, because the food on the boat was really good.
Friends: I also ended up meeting some really cool people on the cruise. Also, 70% of our tour group was from Taiwan, so everyone was talking to me in Chinese and super impressed that I chose to do this trip solo.
DAY 3: LAST NIGHT IN HANOI
The tour shuttle dropped us off at our accommodations in the city in the late afternoon. I checked into Little Charm Hanoi Hostel. This was the prettiest and fanciest hostel I’ve stayed at. I decided to try again with the food tour, now that my head wasn’t pounding.
Food Tour
I highly recommend doing a food tour in Hanoi. It’s so much fun and I learned so much that I wouldn’t have known if I wandered around by myself. Click here for the exact one that I booked. The tour is led by a local and you’re walking around the Old Quarter, so it’s like getting a walking tour and a food tour in one.
There were so many different dishes we tried and I wouldn’t have known how or what to order if I walked into the restaurant by myself.
Our tour guide helped us order taste portions, so it was smaller and at some places we shared dishes, so we didn’t fill up quickly. It was perfect.
The tour guide also informed us about some precautions with eating out. It’s always good to wipe the chopsticks before use. (We do this in Taiwan too.) If the vinegar on the table has a wide opening, its not recommended that you use it because some people will clean their chopsticks in it. And if the vinegar is green, it means it’s been left out for a long time.
At the end of the tour, the tour guide emailed us all the locations we ate at and what we ordered. It was super helpful.
And that concludes Day 3! Have you been to Hanoi before? What did you do there? Taking notes for my next visit.
