Beautiful Hanoi, A budget Friendly City Full Of Incredible Sights, Tastes and Scents.

Vietnam is one of the most popular destinations in southeast Asia and Hanoi is an absolute highlight, a beautiful and romantic city that has so much to offer to those on a budget. Overall costs here are very low and you are still able get get some nice hotels, restaurants and cafes without having to splurge..

⭐️ Airport - The airport is around 30/40 minutes drive from the airport but there is no rail or metro connection yet so road is the only option. I would strongly advise booking a transfer in advance through trip as they will wait in arrivals with your name on a card. When I arrived there were lots of taxi and scooter drivers shouting at people trying to offer rides and it was stressful.

⭐️ Hotels - Hotels here can still be very reasonable for high star western hotels, but if you are looking for budget hotels the local spa hotels are great. Normally a lot smaller they offer decent rooms, breakfast and often a pool and spa area. I Stayed in the Hoan Kiem area and there were streets full of these hotels - it was nice and quiet and really close to good food options.

⭐️ Transport - There is very little public transport here, there is a single metro line but does not cover much of the tourist hot spots . I am honest I walked for 90% of my time in the city as everything is a suitable distance, for longer trips or in bad weather use the grab app to book taxis! You can also do the tuk tuks or back of the bikes, but they can be quite scary if you are not used to them!

⭐️ Food - Western chains are common here but the local food is what is is all about, I ate mainly around the central lake as there are plenty of local restaurants here. They are very cheap and the food is cooked fresh in front of you, if they don’t have seating you can take your food to the park around the lake.

⭐️ Shopping - Hanoi is still relatively behind other cities in Asia when it comes to modern shopping and malls - but this is half of the charm. The city still thrives on street vendors and markets, great for clothes and trinkets. Prices are very cheap so it’s not advised to haggle, the prices are already low and the vendors need to make a living too!

⭐️ museums - The museums and galleries here are very cheap, often just a token entracnce fee. They are actually very informative and also a great place to hide from the rain in wet season!

Overall a great city to visit, but if it is your first time it is better to plan most of it ahead of time as the city is still quite old fashioned in areas and can take a lot of time to get to places if the traffic is bad!

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Post by Jamie Daniel Ali | Jun 8, 2025