Experience Hanoi alone

Saturday, April 15, 2023 14:33 (GMT+7)
14:33 April 15, 2023

Hanoi has enough interesting experiences and spaces that even when traveling alone you can still enjoy, feel comfortable and rewarding.

Experiencing Hanoi alone brings a different feeling.

For those who live and work in Hanoi, this place seems to have become too familiar. Perhaps at some point, they will no longer find new experiences and different joys in this city.

However, old things, places we have tried, can all become new experiences when we try to do it in a different way - traveling alone. So, what is it like to travel around Hanoi alone? Here are some suggestions for you to experience Hanoi yourself.

Morning - Breakfast, walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Quarter

Early mornings in Hanoi are usually peaceful. The streets are not too crowded, and people are not in a hurry. At times like these, finding a familiar sidewalk restaurant and enjoying Hanoi's typical breakfast dishes feels really peaceful.

You can refer to Pho Tu Lun in Au Trieu or Pho Khoi Hoi in Hang Vai. These are two long-standing traditional pho restaurants in Hanoi, with the typical flavor of pho in the capital. Pho Tu Lun is only open in the morning from 6:30 to 10:00, with prices ranging from 40,000 to 65,000 VND. Pho Khoi Hoi has prices ranging from 35,000 to 80,000 VND, open from 6:00 to 21:30.

Two suggested addresses are Pho Tu Lun and Khoi Hoi. Photo: Minh Khue .

After breakfast, take a walk around the Old Quarter to experience a different Hanoi. Passing by Lan Ong Street, the light scent of traditional medicine wafts in the air, the old houses still retain their old architecture, the whole street seems to be outside the urbanization of Hanoi.

The corners of Lan Ong and Hang Ma streets preserve the "soul of Hanoi". Photo: Minh Khue .

Passing through Hang Ma, we can grasp an old Hanoi with bright red decorations all year round. The street is both bustling with trade, but also quiet with the soul of a place that preserves Hanoi's traditions.

Noon - Lunch, coffee

There are many lunch options in Hanoi. Banh cuon is a suitable choice, with the rich taste of the dipping sauce, the softness of the rice paper, and the aroma of wood ear and shiitake mushrooms. Banh cuon has a light flavor, and the perfect portion to enjoy alone without making you feel full or sleepy.

Two places to enjoy are Hang Ga rice rolls and traditional rice rolls on Doi Can street. Hang Ga rice rolls have a light and delicate flavor of old Hanoi with a family recipe since 1973, open from 7am to 1pm and 5pm to 9pm, prices range from 30,000 to 50,000 VND. Doi Can hot rice rolls will have a rich, full flavor of today's Hanoi, open from 6am to 11:30pm, prices range from 25,000 to 50,000 VND.

Thanh Van Traditional Rice Rolls on Hang Ga Street or Traditional Rice Rolls on Doi Can Street are two famous rice rolls shops for Hanoi food lovers. Photo: Minh Khue .

After lunch, we can find a space to relax, a cafe with a balcony, watch the streets, enjoy a cup of coffee and truly feel the soul of Hanoi, slow and peaceful.

Gao Cafe on Cho Gao Street and Chon - Manual Coffee Maker in Xom Ha Hoi are two suitable places to "escape" alone. The space here is quiet, not too crowded, the drinks are typical, focusing on roasted coffee with prices not too high, ranging from 35,000-55,000 VND. Both shops bring a feeling of something "very Hanoi".

Experience a peaceful Hanoi from the balcony of Chon - Manual Coffee Maker in Xom Ha Hoi or Gao Cafe on Cho Gao Street. Photo: Minh Khue .

Afternoon - Attend a workshop, go to a museum, buy some cakes and watch the sunset at West Lake

Attending a workshop is a suitable activity when going alone, to discover potentials that you may never have thought you had. It could be a talent for embroidery, crochet, watercolor painting or pottery. It could be flower arrangement, painting statues or simply a handmade card making workshop. Completing an item by yourself that you have never tried before is truly a fulfilling feeling.

Mosaic painting workshop at Tòong Teng Studio and Punch Needle embroidery workshop at Crabit Notebook. Photo: Minh Khue .

If you don’t have much time to attend workshops, museums or historical sites are also interesting destinations. In the past, when in Hanoi, we often didn’t pay attention to old buildings, places that kept the relics of previous generations, simply because they had been there for so long and were too familiar.

You can visit Hoa Lo Prison to listen to the explanation about the heroic history of the nation. You can also visit the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. Here, you can display works of art throughout history and update the contemporary works of contemporary artists in Vietnam.

The general opening hours of museums and historical sites are from 8am to 5pm. The entrance fee to Hoa Lo Prison is 30,000 VND/ticket; students with ID cards are subsidized at 15,000 VND/ticket. For the Museum of Fine Arts, the ticket price is 50,000 VND/standard ticket; students are subsidized at 30,000 VND/ticket.

Learn about Hanoi's cultural history at Hoa Lo Prison Relic and Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. Photo: Hoa Lo Prison Relic - Hoa Lo Prison Relic, Minh Khue .

And to complete your Hanoi afternoon, treat yourself to some pastries at a small bakery on Dang Thai Mai Street and then stroll along the West Lake road. You can visit The Butterman Bakery in a small alley on Dang Thai Mai Street, open from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm on Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 am to 6:30 pm on Sunday with prices for cakes ranging from 25,000 VND to 85,000 VND.

Walking alone on the road along West Lake and then stopping by the grass field near Tay Ho Palace, sipping some cake while watching the sunset, watching Hanoi from the mirror of the lake at dusk. It feels really peaceful.

End your solo exploration of Hanoi with some cakes and a breathtaking sunset. Photo: Minh Khue .

So ended a day of walking around and seeing Hanoi in my own way. Hanoi seemed to become new and full of surprises.

The 63 provinces and cities in the country contain countless destinations that are culturally diverse and historically unique. Zing introduces to readers pages of books about the journey to discover Vietnam.