Ha Noi

Go See the Sites, but the Best Secrets are Still Unknown

Part of the joy of visiting Ha Noi is wandering around the streets and getting away from the tourist zones. This city isn't built for tourist, with many of its tourist ventures new and in their early stages (such as the famous Train Street, which has really only popped up since 2018). Here are pictures of an impossible narrow (and lopsided) tower of apartment blocks wedged between two highrises, as well as a community temple built into a tree.

Train Track Cafés

The train track cafés are an iconic destination to visit when in Ha Noi. Side note - there is a similar train market in Bangkok - be sure to visit Mae Klong Railway Market when next visiting Thailand!

Until just 2018, Ha Noi's famous "train street" was an average street passing through a residential zone, although with the influx of social media users flocking to Ha Noi to visit the train street, this destination has now become a popular hot spot for visitors. The train timetables do change frequently as the passing trains are operational passenger trains, and are subject to delays and cancellations. There is a different time table for weekdays and weekends. Here is an approximate guide for the train timetabes, but your best bet would be to ask a local for the train schedule. The schedules can change from week to week, but here is the January 2025 version:

Weekdays: Evening trains only - 7pm, 7:45pm, 8:45pm, and 9:30 pm
Weekends: All day trains - 8:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 3:20pm, 5:30pm, 7:20pm, 8:45pm

Ha Noi's Old Quarter Section is the most popular spot to see the train, lined with cafés, bars, shops, souvenirs, and even home stays. Search Ha Noi Train Street in google maps and it will pop up straight away. Keep in mind, you will not be visiting the train street alone and there will be hundreds of other tourists there with you. The food is still cheap by Western standards, but don't expect to pay 15,000 for a meal as you would elsewhere in Vietnam - this street services only tourists and is not a local hangout. The government has been talking about shutting down the train street for years, especially after the train had to make an emergency stop in 2019 due to a tourist ignoring safety protocols, although it generally is open. If you're interested in learning more about the history of the train street and the ethical considerations of an average street going viral on Instagram, read this article by Fabienne Fong Yan, a foreigner who was adopted in to the community here and helped work with the woman who set up the first café on Train Street.

Another option, if you want to visit the train street but without as many tourists, you can alsso visit Lê Duẩn section of the railroad, between Le Duan street and Kham Thien street. To get there, search Ngo 224 Le Duan into Google Maps.

Central Circus

The Central Circus is renowned in Ha Noi for its incredible acrobatics, juggling, and animals, with performers wearing traditional Vietnamese attire and creating a talented medley of Vietnamese culture into circus art.

As of 2021, the Central Circus now meets local animal welfare regulations, with the last of its moon bears and its elephant being handed over to animal sanctuaries. The show still uses domesticated animals, such as dogs and pigs.

Ngoc Son Temple

The Ngoc Son Temple is a sacred place in the centre of Ha Noi where people come to pray for peace of mind and for good fortune. There are several spots within this temple to visit, each of which are beautiful. It is a very popular spot given its location in the centre of the city. You may have already seen images of the Huc Bridge (pictured here), but there are also several other spots at the temple to visit as well:

Dac Nguyet Lau Gate
Dai Nghien Gate
Long Mon Ho Bang Gate
Nghi Mon Gate
Tran Ba Pavilion

The entrance fees are:

Under 15 years: Free
Adults: VND 30,000
Students pay VND 15,000, but only if you can show a Vietnamese student ID card.

Vị Lai Vegetarian Restaurant

This is one of my favourite hidden Secrets of Hanoi, as it has not yet broken into mass media. Whilst the owners had held another restaurant for a few years, this new location only opened around a year ago and is inspired by Hang Sơn Đoòng, the largest cave in the world by volume, estimated to be over 3 million years old, and located in Central Vietnam.

I am not a travel foodie. I've travelled the world on tiny budgets of sometimes only AU$10 per day, and this often isn't compatible with the nicest restaurants. However, we stumbled across Vị Lai Restaurant by accident, and it was a game changer.

Between the two of us, we got 9 courses of incredible food, 4 deserts, and 4 drinks. Yes, we may have indulged ourselves! But we only spent AUD$108 or VND 1,700,000, including tips - for BOTH of us. That's just $54 each - around the cost of a single meal and cocktail in Sydney!

On weekends you may need to make a reservation, but on the sleepy Tuesday that we visited there was only three or four other people there. This is a hidden secret that will blow up in the next few years, so visit it now! You can check out their website, including their booking platform and number for reservations, and a limited version of their menu (full version available only in print when you arrive).

Quan Thanh Temple

The Quan Thanh temple is one of the four famous temples that guard each side of Ha Noi. It was built in 1010 with seven renovations between 1618 and 1941.

The temple is located at 190 Quan Thanh Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, and costs VND 10,000 per adult, or VND 5,000 per child/Vietnamese student to enter.

Dong Xuan Market

Dong Xuan Market is located in Hanoi's Old Quarter area and is a great place to to shopping on a budget. There is aboth a day market and a night market, which are quite distinctive.

The Day Market is a massive indoor market and is open Monday-Sunday from 6am to 6pm. Locals come here to buy fresh fruit and vegetables (seriously, get yourself some fresh fruit and thank me later), as well as meat, spices, and generally anything you need to cook a delicious Vietnamese meal.

The Night Market is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 6pm to 10:30pm. It goes from Dong Xuan Market to Hang Dao Street, and is where you can buy your souvenirs, handicrafts, clothes, street food, and listen to live performances and music.

Hang Da Market

Hang Da Market isn't what you would typically describe as "pretty", but it is a great place to snag a bargain. Here you can find homewares as well as clothes and cheap fashion - lots of it. Clothes are piled in small mountains in each of the shops, so be prepared to dig.

Try out your bartering abilities and enjoy the hunting. You are unlikely to find typical tourist souvenirs here, but you may find some incredible traditional clothings and fabrics at significantly cheaper prices than the tourist destinations.

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