Hanoi

Culture

Flavours, spaces and rhythms of life.

Editor-curated lists — suggestions for first-time visitors.

01 · Cuisine

Top 10 cuisine not to miss.

10 postsUpdated 06/2026

Crystal-clear beef bone broth, thin white noodles — the soul of Hanoi's cuisine

Hanoi beef pho

Hanoi pho is defined by its clear, gently sweet broth simmered from beef bones for many hours, paired with thin-soft rice noodles and fresh beef. No coconut milk, no pickled vegetables — just clean, precise flavour.

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Charcoal-grilled pork patties, rice vermicelli, and sweet-sour dipping broth — Hanoi's definitive lunch

Hanoi grilled pork noodles

Bún chả consists of white rice vermicelli with grilled pork patties and medallions, served in a lightly sweet-sour dipping broth with fresh herbs. The dish gained global fame when President Obama dined on it in Hanoi in 2016.

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Paper-thin steamed rice rolls with pork-mushroom filling, served with pork sausage — a century-old Thanh Tri craft

Thanh Tri steamed rice rolls

Thin rice flour sheets are steamed fresh and rolled around minced pork and wood-ear mushroom filling, served with Vietnamese pork sausage and sweet fish dipping sauce. Thanh Tri village has practised this craft since the early 20th century.

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Charcoal-grilled snakehead fish with dill and rice vermicelli — Hanoi has a whole street named after this dish

La Vong grilled fish

Hanoi's cha ca features grilled snakehead or catfish served with abundant fresh dill, spring onion, rice vermicelli, and fermented shrimp paste. Cha Ca Street in Hoan Kiem district takes its name from the century-old La Vong restaurant.

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Hand-pounded young glutinous rice — Hanoi's autumn specialty, made in Vong village

Vong village green sticky rice

Cốm (young glutinous rice, roasted and pounded) is Hanoi's signature autumn produce, crafted by hand in Vong village (Cau Giay district). It is traditionally eaten with ripe finger bananas — the fresh coolness of the cốm meeting the warm sweetness of the banana.

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Crispy shell, dense filling — the Hanoi version has less salad but richer filling than the south

Hanoi bánh mì

Hanoi bánh mì has a crunchier crust and denser filling compared to its southern counterpart — soft pâté, pork sausage, pork head cheese, pickled vegetables, and fewer fresh herbs. Less tangy, more meat — distinctly Hanoi.

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Freshwater field crab, fermented rice vinegar, ripe tomatoes

Hanoi Crab Noodle Soup

Hanoi crab noodle soup is built on a clear, lightly sour broth of fermented rice vinegar and ripe tomato, crowned with golden fried crab paste from freshwater field crabs. Old-style bowls keep the broth clean and restrained so the crab's sweetness shines through. Decades-old stalls in the Old Quarter still serve this classic rendition.

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20+ ingredients, as refined as a watercolour painting

Hanoi Royal Vermicelli Soup

Bún thang is among the most technically demanding dishes in Hanoi's culinary canon, requiring at least 20 precisely prepared components layered over a crystal-clear chicken broth. Legend traces its origin to repurposing Tet leftovers — shredded chicken, silk sausage, egg ribbons, dried shrimp and shrimp paste.

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National intangible cultural heritage

Hanoi Mung Bean Sticky Rice

Xôi xéo is Hanoi's iconic sticky rice dish — glossy glutinous rice grains coated in crumbled steamed mung bean, fragrant scallion oil, and crispy fried shallots. The name xeo comes from the motion of folding cooked mung beans into the rice with a large paddle, creating the dish's signature golden hue.

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Shatteringly crispy shell, pork-mushroom-noodle filling

Hanoi Pillow Pastry

Banh goi is a quintessential Hanoi street snack — a pillow-shaped pastry with a shatteringly crisp wheat-dough shell encasing a filling of minced pork, wood-ear mushroom, shiitake, glass noodles and black pepper. Tradition dictates the dipping sauce is vinegar-and-sugar based, never fish sauce.

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02 · Places

Top 9 places not to miss.

9 postsUpdated 06/2026

UNESCO World Heritage 2010 — center of power since the 11th century

Thang Long Imperial Citadel

Thang Long Imperial Citadel was the seat of Vietnamese dynastic power from the 11th century. The archaeological site displays thousands of precious artifacts spanning multiple historical periods.

The heart of Hanoi — the legendary Turtle Tower, the red The Huc Bridge, Ngoc Son Temple on an island

Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple

Hoan Kiem Lake is the centre of Hanoi — home to the legendary Turtle Tower and the picturesque Ngoc Son Temple on a small island, reached by the red The Huc Bridge. At dusk, the Turtle Tower's reflection shimmers on the water.

Vietnam's first university — built 1070, honouring Confucius and 82 doctor's steles

Temple of Literature

Built in 1070 to honour Confucius and educate royalty, later expanded for scholar-official families. The 82 stone steles inscribed with the names of 1,307 doctoral graduates (1442–1779) are the site's most precious artefacts, recognised by UNESCO as a Memory of the World heritage.

The solemn landmark at Ba Dinh Square — where Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum stands at Ba Dinh Square — the very place where on 2 September 1945 President Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam's Declaration of Independence. The mausoleum preserves and displays his remains, open to Vietnamese nationals and international visitors alike.

36 guild streets — a commercial hub from the 13th century to today

Hanoi Old Quarter

Hanoi's 36-guild Old Quarter, with its traditional tube-house architecture, has been a bustling commercial centre since the 13th century. Each street is associated with a craft: Hang Bac (silver), Hang Dao (silk), Hang Thiec (tinware)...

54 ethnic groups of Vietnam — 15,000+ artefacts and real outdoor traditional houses

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

The Museum of Ethnology introduces the cultures of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups with over 15,000 artefacts and full-scale traditional architectural structures outdoors. Lonely Planet rates it the best museum in Southeast Asia.

Hanoi's largest natural lake, 526 hectares

West Lake

Stretching over 526 hectares with a 15-kilometre shoreline, West Lake is Hanoi's largest natural lake and is encircled by more than 71 historical and cultural monuments. Since the Ly and Tran dynasties, emperors established pleasure palaces along its banks; today Tran Quoc Pagoda, Phu Tay Ho temple and the famous flower villages create a rare blend of spirituality and nature within the city.

French architecture 1911, the capital's icon of the arts

Hanoi Opera House

Hanoi Opera House broke ground in 1901 and opened in December 1911, drawing inspiration from Paris's Opera Garnier while adapting materials and proportions to the tropical climate. Its construction consumed 35,000 bamboo piles, 600 tonnes of cast iron and 12,000 cubic metres of building material.

700-year-old pottery village on the Red River bank

Bat Trang Pottery Village

Bat Trang Pottery Village sits on the south bank of the Red River roughly 15 kilometres from central Hanoi and is one of Vietnam's oldest and most celebrated craft villages, with more than 700 years of continuous ceramic production. Hundreds of kilns remain active, turning out everything from everyday household pottery to fine-art pieces exported worldwide.

04 · Customs

Top 2 customs not to miss.

2 postsUpdated 06/2026

Created in 1946, replacing milk with beaten egg yolk

Hanoi Egg Coffee Culture

Hanoi egg coffee was born in 1946 when Nguyen Van Giang, a bartender at the Metropole Hotel, replaced scarce fresh milk with whipped egg yolks. The resulting blend of beaten egg yolk, condensed milk and robust Vietnamese robusta produces a drink as thick and sweet as cream — which Michelin Guide has called a Hanoi masterpiece.

Elegance in eating, dressing and speaking — the identity of Trang An

Hanoi's Culture of Refined Elegance

Native Hanoians take pride in the quality of thanh lich — refined elegance — a distillation of a thousand years of Thang Long civilisation expressed in the way they eat, dress and speak. At the table, Hanoians favour delicate, lightly seasoned flavours and beautiful presentation over extravagance.

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Hanoi — Red River Delta.

Flavours, spaces and rhythms of life.

Top 10 cuisine not to miss.

Hanoi beef pho

Hanoi grilled pork noodles

Thanh Tri steamed rice rolls

La Vong grilled fish

Vong village green sticky rice

Hanoi bánh mì

Hanoi Crab Noodle Soup

Hanoi Royal Vermicelli Soup

Hanoi Mung Bean Sticky Rice

Hanoi Pillow Pastry

Top 9 places not to miss.

Thang Long Imperial Citadel

Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple

Temple of Literature

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Hanoi Old Quarter

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

West Lake

Hanoi Opera House

Bat Trang Pottery Village

Top 2 customs not to miss.

Hanoi Egg Coffee Culture

Hanoi's Culture of Refined Elegance

Know an event we're missing?