The first bowl of pho I ate in Hanoi was an accident, and it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me that trip. I had wandered out of my hotel at 6:40 in the morning, jet-lagged and a bit grumpy, looking for coffee. Instead I found a pavement crowded with low plastic stools, a woman ladling broth from a steel pot the size of a bin, and about fifteen office workers eating in near silence. Nobody handed me a menu. I pointed at what the man next to me was having, sat on a stool that came up to my knees, and ten minutes later I understood why this city is argued over by people who care about noodles.
Hanoi does food differently from the rest of Vietnam. The south is sweeter, louder and more generous with herbs and sugar. The north, and Hanoi in particular, is restrained and precise: clear broths, grilled meat with a smoky edge, fish sauce that is dipped rather than poured, and a love of doing one dish extremely well for decades. Many stalls here sell exactly one thing. When it runs out, usually before lunch, they close for the day.
This guide comes from repeated visits and a lot of mediocre bowls, so you can skip those. You will find the dishes that matter, what each one actually tastes like, how to order without a shared language, what things cost in dong and in Singapore dollars, which streets are worth the walk, a three-day eating plan, and the practical side: getting in, staying well, and when to go. Where it helps, I point to guided food experiences you can book through HolidaySG. The prices quoted for those are the current “from” prices and can change by date and option.
How Hanoi eats: the rules nobody writes down
Before the dishes, a few ground rules, because they will save you from the most common first-day confusion. Hanoi eating is built around short, specific meals at specific hours, not long restaurant dinners with a menu the size of a novel.
Breakfast is the main event. Pho, xoi (sticky rice), banh cuon (steamed rice rolls) and banh mi are all morning food. Locals eat them between 6 and 9 am, often standing in a queue. By 10 am many of the best stalls are shuttered. If you only do one thing to improve your food trip, set an alarm.
Stools are the dining room. The tiny plastic stools and tables are not a sign of a tourist trap; they are the standard. Sit, and someone will come. If there is no menu, there is probably a single dish or a short list shouted at you. Say the dish name and the number of bowls, and hold up fingers if you need to.
Pay at the end, in cash. Small vendors rarely take cards. Keep notes of 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 dong handy, since a 500,000 note is awkward to break at a noodle stall and the cook will sigh.
Wipe your own chopsticks if you like. You will see locals wiping bowls and chopsticks with a tissue before eating. It is habit, not an insult to the stall. Do whatever you are comfortable with.
Herbs and sauces are yours to build. A basket of herbs, a plate of chilli, a bottle of vinegar with garlic and a jar of fish sauce usually appear on the table. Adding them is part of the dish, but start small, because northern broths are meant to be delicate and a heavy hand ruins them.
Eat what the stall is famous for. A shop with a sign saying “bun cha” sells bun cha. Asking it for pho is like ordering a steak at a sushi counter. The specialisation is the whole charm, and it is why the standard of single dishes here is so high.
The dishes you should actually eat
There are dozens of things worth trying, but these ten are the ones I would put on a first-timer’s list. I have ordered them roughly in the order you would eat them across a day.
1. Pho bo and pho ga
Pho is a bowl of flat rice noodles in a clear broth simmered for many hours from beef bones (bo) or chicken (ga), seasoned with charred ginger and onion, star anise and cinnamon. The Hanoi version is plainer than what you may know overseas: no mountain of bean sprouts, no hoisin and sriracha, just spring onion, a squeeze of lime if you wish, and perhaps some chilli. Ask for tai for rare beef that cooks in the broth, chin for well done, or nam for brisket. A mixed order is common. The broth should taste clean, not greasy, and the noodles should be soft but not mushy. Quay, the fried dough sticks, are served on the side for dunking. They are not a dessert.
A word on quality: the best pho stalls often have a pot that has been going since the small hours, and a short list of options on a plastic board. If the broth is cloudy, over-salted or tastes of stock cubes, move on. The good bowls taste faintly sweet from the bones and smell of toasted spice before you take a sip.
2. Bun cha
If pho is Hanoi’s breakfast, bun cha is its lunch. Fatty pork patties and thin slices of marinated belly are grilled over charcoal, then served in a bowl of warm, sweet-sour broth with pickled green papaya and carrot. A separate plate carries cold rice vermicelli and a heap of herbs. You dip noodles and herbs into the bowl, add a patty, and eat. Often it comes with fried spring rolls (nem cua be), which are crisp and filled with crab and pork. A bowl is usually 50,000 to 80,000 dong at a local stall, and a combo with rolls costs a little more. The smell of charcoal on a street at 11:30 am is the best advertisement in the city.
3. Xoi
Sticky rice is breakfast for people who need to walk a long way afterwards. It is steamed, then topped with whatever you pick: fried shallots, mung bean, shredded chicken, Chinese sausage, a salted egg, pate. It is sold from baskets wrapped in banana leaf and costs very little, usually 15,000 to 35,000 dong depending on the toppings. One portion can easily carry you to lunch, and it travels well if you want to eat it by the lake.
4. Banh cuon
Thin sheets of steamed rice batter, filled with seasoned minced pork and wood-ear mushroom, rolled, and served with a small bowl of nuoc cham dipping sauce, slices of cha lua (Vietnamese pork roll) and crisp fried shallots. Watching it made is hypnotic: a cloth stretched over steaming water, a ladle of batter, a quick wipe, a flip. The best ones are almost transparent and tear if you look at them wrongly. Eat them hot, with a little herb in each bite.
5. Banh mi
The baguette is a French inheritance and Vietnam made it its own. A good banh mi has a thin, crackly crust and a light inside, a smear of pate, butter or mayonnaise, pork or chicken or egg, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, herbs and a little chilli. In Hanoi the filling is often less sweet and sauce-heavy than in the south. A sandwich is about 20,000 to 40,000 dong. Eat it standing within minutes of purchase, when the crust is still loud.
6. Cha ca
This is the rare Hanoi dish with a famous street named after it. Chunks of firm white fish are marinated in turmeric, galangal and fermented rice, then fried at the table in a pan with lots of dill and spring onion. You pair it with rice noodles, peanuts, herbs and a pungent shrimp paste. It is a sit-down dish, richer and more expensive than the rest, but worth doing once. A portion often costs 150,000 to 250,000 dong. Go with at least one other person, since the portion is generous.
7. Bun thang and bun rieu
Two noodle soups that deserve attention. Bun thang is a delicate, golden broth made from chicken and dried shrimp, with threads of egg omelette, chicken and pork on top. It is fussy to make and traditionally associated with the days around Lunar New Year. Bun rieu is a tomato-based crab soup with floating clumps of minced crab, topped with tofu and sometimes blood cubes if you ask for them. It is sour, savoury and surprisingly refreshing on a hot day.
8. Nem ran, goi cuon and the other rolls
Fried spring rolls (nem ran in the north) are crisp, filled with pork, glass noodles and mushrooms, and wrapped in lettuce with herbs before dipping. Fresh rice-paper rolls (goi cuon) are lighter, with prawn, pork and herbs. Both are friendly for beginners and for kids, and both are an easy order when the rest of the menu is a blur.
9. Egg coffee (ca phe trung)
Invented in Hanoi in the 1940s when fresh milk was scarce, egg coffee whips yolk with sugar and condensed milk into a thick, custard-like foam poured over strong Vietnamese coffee. It tastes like tiramisu in a cup. Drink it slowly, with a small spoon, from a cup standing in a bowl of warm water. It costs roughly 35,000 to 60,000 dong in cafes, and a good one is worth a dedicated detour.
10. Che and fruit
For dessert, che is a sweet, pudding-like dessert soup made with beans, jelly, coconut milk and ice. In the cooler months look out for sticky rice with fermented glutinous rice, and in the warmer ones mango, lychee and rambutan sold off bicycles. Always ask the price of fruit before the seller starts weighing it. Most are honest, but a few in the busiest lanes treat the question as optional.
A quick price guide: what a day of eating really costs
Hanoi is cheap, but prices drift depending on where you eat. The figures below are what I paid at ordinary local places in 2026, rounded. They are not a promise, and they rise near the lake and in the most visited lanes. I have converted loosely at about 19,000 dong to one Singapore dollar; check the rate on the day.
| Item | Local stall (VND) | About (S$) | Tourist-area price (VND) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pho or bun cha | 50,000 – 80,000 | S$2.60 – 4.20 | 80,000 – 130,000 |
| Banh mi | 20,000 – 40,000 | S$1.05 – 2.10 | 40,000 – 70,000 |
| Xoi (sticky rice) | 15,000 – 35,000 | S$0.80 – 1.85 | 30,000 – 50,000 |
| Banh cuon | 35,000 – 60,000 | S$1.85 – 3.15 | 60,000 – 90,000 |
| Cha ca meal | 150,000 – 250,000 | S$7.90 – 13.15 | 250,000 – 350,000 |
| Egg coffee | 35,000 – 60,000 | S$1.85 – 3.15 | 60,000 – 90,000 |
| Bia hoi (draught beer) | 10,000 – 20,000 | S$0.55 – 1.05 | 30,000 – 50,000 |
| Casual sit-down meal | 150,000 – 250,000 | S$7.90 – 13.15 | 250,000 – 450,000 |
A fair daily food budget for a keen eater who sticks to street stalls is about 300,000 to 500,000 dong, or roughly S$16 to S$26, including a coffee or two. Add a sit-down dinner and a couple of beers and you pass 700,000 dong without trying. The cheapest bowls are often the best, and the ones with the longest queues of office workers are almost always honest.
One habit saves real money: decide the price before you sit. At stalls with a board, check it. At stalls without one, watch what a local pays or ask “bao nhieu tien?” (how much?) with a smile. Nobody minds a polite question, and it prevents the awkward moment at the end of the meal.
The streets and neighbourhoods worth eating in
Hanoi’s food is not evenly spread. A handful of areas do most of the heavy lifting, and they are close enough to link on foot.
The Old Quarter
Thirty-six historic streets, each once devoted to a guild, now a maze of motorbikes, shopfronts and snacks. This is where you will do most of your eating. It is dense, loud and sometimes overwhelming, but the density is the point: within five minutes of anywhere you stand there will be five pho stalls, three coffee shops and a banh mi counter. Go early in the morning, before the delivery trucks start, when the pavements belong to cooks.
Around Hoan Kiem Lake
The lake is the city’s living room. At weekends the roads around it close to traffic in the evening and fill with families, buskers and street snacks. It is a lovely time for a stroll with a bag of grilled sweet potato or a cup of fresh sugarcane juice. Food right on the lake front is pricier, so use it for atmosphere and eat your serious meals a few lanes back.
Ta Hien and the weekend night scene
The short, crowded Ta Hien street is the backpacker heart of the evening, packed with bia hoi corners where people sit on kerb-height stools drinking beer at prices that look like typos. It is rowdy and fun. It is not the place for the best food in the city, but it is a place to understand the city’s social energy. Weekend night markets run through the Old Quarter, with grilled skewers, fried snacks and desserts, and they are a good first date with unfamiliar flavours. If you want to be guided through it, the Weekend Hanoi Night Market & Street Food Tour, listed from S$23.94, covers the market and tastings with someone who speaks the language and knows which skewer vendors to trust.
West of the lake and the French Quarter
South and east of the lake the streets widen and the buildings turn colonial. Here you will find more sit-down restaurants, bakeries, and modern spins on northern cooking. It is a good place for a quieter lunch, especially in heat or rain, and for a pastry and a second coffee while you plan the afternoon.
The local alleys and wet markets
The best discoveries are rarely on a main road. Look for alleys with a few stools, a hand-lettered sign and an old woman at a steaming pot. Wet markets, like the ones near the Old Quarter’s edges, are where cooks buy herbs, noodles and meat at dawn, and where you can see the raw materials of every dish above. Even if you buy nothing, an early walk through one explains more about Hanoi cooking than any menu.
Choosing between eating alone and taking a food tour
I eat alone most of the time, and I think you should too, for at least part of your trip. But a food tour on the first or second day does something a guidebook cannot: it teaches you how to order, what to point at, and which stalls are comfortable for your stomach. After that you can go off alone with confidence.
Here is how the kinds of experiences compare, with the current listings on HolidaySG so you can see the range. Prices are “from” figures and can vary by date, group size and option.
| Experience | Style | Good for | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend Hanoi Night Market & Street Food Tour | Evening walking tour | First-timers, couples, night owls | S$23.94 |
| Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour & Water Puppet Show | Walk plus a performance | Food plus a cultural highlight | S$30.22 |
| Hanoi Food On Foot Tour (join-in group) | Daily group walk | Solo travellers | S$24.86 |
| Hanoi Small-Group Street Food Walking Tour | Smaller group | Anyone who wants more conversation | S$23.07 |
| Culinary Highlight Egg Coffee Class with Street Food Walk | Class plus tasting | Coffee lovers | S$34.88 |
| Hanoi Foodie Tour by Motorbike | Motorbike ride between stalls | Adventurous eaters | S$52.48 |
| Hanoi Market Tour and Traditional Dish Cooking Class | Market visit and cooking | Anyone who wants to cook at home | S$33.30 |
If you are travelling as a family or do not like riding pillion, stay with a walking tour. If you like cooking, the market-plus-class format is worth the half day, because you leave with recipes and a clearer idea of what is in each dish. The motorbike tour is thrilling but not for everyone, so read the description, ask about helmets and the riding plan, and take it only if you are comfortable on the back of a bike in busy traffic.
What should you expect from a good food walk? Usually five to eight tastings over three to four hours, at stalls the guide visits regularly. You will walk a fair distance at an easy pace, so wear comfortable shoes and bring a small bottle of water. Tell the organiser about allergies or dietary needs when you book, not on the night. And arrive hungry, but not starving: you will eat more than you think.
A three-day eating plan for Hanoi
This plan balances early mornings and slow afternoons. It assumes you are based in or near the Old Quarter and are walking or taking short rides between areas. Swap days around depending on the weather.
Day 1: learn the basics
Morning: pho for breakfast at a stall with a queue. Walk off the broth around Hoan Kiem Lake. Late morning: egg coffee at a cafe with a view of the lake or an upper-floor window. Lunch: bun cha, with spring rolls. Afternoon: rest, hydrate and get out of the heat. Evening: a guided street-food walk. The street food walking tour with the water puppet show (S$30.22) is a neat way to cover both food and a short traditional performance in one night.
Day 2: go deeper
Morning: xoi from a basket, then banh cuon at a steamer stall. Late morning: a market visit and cooking class, such as the Hanoi market tour and traditional dish cooking class (S$33.30). Afternoon: a siesta, then a stroll through the French Quarter and a bakery stop. Evening: cha ca for dinner, and a bia hoi on the corner afterwards. Keep it modest; the beer is stronger than the price suggests.
Day 3: out of the city, with food in mind
Morning: a banh mi for the road. Pick a day trip such as Ninh Binh or Ha Long Bay. Many of these trips include a lunch, usually with seafood or local dishes, so you can see the countryside and still eat well. One option is the Hoa Lu and Tam Coc day trip from Hanoi (S$39.47). Evening: return, shower, and finish with che and fruit by the lake.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pho bo | Bun cha with nem | Guided street food walk | Egg coffee |
| 2 | Xoi and banh cuon | Cooking class meal | Cha ca | Bia hoi corner |
| 3 | Banh mi | Lunch on a day trip | Bun rieu or bun thang | Che by the lake |
Eating well without getting sick
Most travellers who get an upset stomach in Hanoi get it from ice, raw salads in unlucky places, or too many different things in a day. Nothing here is a reason to avoid street food. It is a reason to be sensible.
Follow the crowd. A stall full of locals with high turnover is a better bet than an empty one with a laminated menu. Food that is cooked in front of you and served hot is safer than anything left out.
Be careful with ice and tap water. Drink bottled or boiled water, and treat ice with the same caution as water. In established cafes and restaurants the ice is usually made from filtered water, but if your stomach is sensitive, ask for drinks without ice for the first couple of days.
Introduce spice and herbs gradually. Raw herbs are part of the experience, but a big pile on day one might not suit you. Start small, then increase.
Carry basic medicine. Oral rehydration salts, antacids and anti-diarrhoea tablets are cheap at home and worth packing. Hanoi has many pharmacies, and pharmacists are used to tourist stomach complaints. Travel insurance with medical cover is a sensible habit for any trip.
Allergies and dietary needs. Fish sauce, shrimp paste and peanuts are in a surprising number of dishes. If you have an allergy, write the key words in Vietnamese on your phone. Vegetarian food is available (look for com chay shops, often near temples), but a bowl of noodles may use a meat-based broth unless the shop is explicitly vegetarian.
Etiquette: small things that earn smiles
Vietnamese hospitality is relaxed and tolerant of foreigners learning the rules, but a few habits go a long way.
Wait for older people to start when sharing a table. Never stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, because it resembles incense offered to the dead. Pass and receive things with two hands if the person is older than you. Say cam on (thank you) and smile. Tipping at street stalls is not expected, though rounding up is welcome. In restaurants, check whether a service charge has been added to the bill before adding more.
Bargaining is part of market life, but not at food stalls where prices are fixed and low. If you are unsure of the price, check what the person next to you is paying, or ask politely before you order. In the busiest tourist lanes some stalls quote a higher number to foreigners, so a calm “how much?” before sitting down is wise.
Finally, a note on pace. Meals here are quick and the stool is not yours for the afternoon. Eat, pay, and move along, particularly at crowded breakfast stalls where others are waiting. If you want to linger, order a coffee at a cafe and settle in there.
When to go, and what the weather does to your appetite
Hanoi has four real seasons, which surprises people who think of Vietnam as hot all year. Winter, from about December to February, is cool and damp, with grey skies and temperatures low enough to want a jacket. That is when a bowl of pho feels like medicine. Spring, from March to April, is mild with drizzle. Summer, from May to August, is hot, humid and stormy, with iced coffee and fresh fruit doing the heavy lifting. Autumn, from about September to November, is for many people the sweet spot: clearer skies, warm days, cooler evenings. For comfortable street dining I would aim for the cooler, drier months from October to April.
| Season | Months | What it feels like | What to eat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Sep – Nov | Warm days, cooler nights, clearer skies | Bun cha, grilled meat, seasonal green sticky rice sweets |
| Winter | Dec – Feb | Cool, grey, damp | Pho, bun thang, hot pots, roasted sweet potatoes |
| Spring | Mar – Apr | Mild, drizzly | Banh cuon, spring rolls, fresh herbs |
| Summer | May – Aug | Hot, humid, stormy | Che, fruit, iced egg coffee, bia hoi |
One more timing note: the Lunar New Year (Tet), usually in late January or February, shuts many shops and stalls for several days and makes travel across the country difficult. The city feels magical, with flowers and lights, but the best food stalls may be closed. Plan around it, or embrace the holiday menus in the days before.
Getting there, getting in, and getting around
Noi Bai International Airport is about 45 minutes from the Old Quarter by road, longer at rush hour. Taxis, ride-hailing apps and airport buses all run; a ride-hail car is usually the least stressful for first-timers because the price is shown up front. If you want less queueing on arrival, an airport fast-track service is listed on HolidaySG from S$23.49. For the journey home, an airport lounge at Noi Bai is listed from S$43.93.
Flights from Singapore to Hanoi take roughly three and a half hours, and fares move around with the season and school holidays. If a visa application asks for proof of onward travel or a dated itinerary before you buy a ticket, our flight reservation service gives you a dated reservation document to include with the application. It is a reservation for the paperwork, not an issued ticket, so book the real flight once your plans are firm.
For entry rules, check the latest requirements for your passport at HolidaySG visa requirements. As of our last check, Singapore passport holders can enter Vietnam visa-free for up to 30 days, and most other nationalities can apply for a Vietnam e-Visa online, with a government fee of about USD 25 and processing of about three working days. Apply five to seven days before you travel. Your passport should be valid for at least six months with blank pages. Rules change, so confirm before booking.
| Passport | Typical route in | Stay | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Visa exemption on arrival | Up to 30 days | Passport valid 6+ months, 2 blank pages |
| Most other nationalities | Vietnam e-Visa | Up to 90 days | Apply online 5–7 days ahead; fee about USD 25 |
| Transit travellers | Check transit rules | Duration of transit | Onward ticket and visa status for your final destination |
Around the city you will mostly walk. For longer hops, ride-hailing cars and motorbike taxis are cheap and the price is fixed in the app, so there is little arguing. Crossing the road is a skill: walk slowly and steadily, look ahead, and let the traffic flow around you. Do not run, and do not stop suddenly.
Beyond the bowl: sights that pair well with food
Hanoi rewards a loose mix of eating and looking. Between meals, wander the Temple of Literature, walk around West Lake, see the mausoleum area from the outside, and spend an hour in a cafe watching the street. If you like a structured day, the Highlights of Hanoi full-day city tour (from S$36.81) strings the main sights together; the Hanoi city day tour (S$33.84) is a lighter version.
For something more playful, try a cyclo ride through the Old Quarter. The cyclo and egg coffee tour (S$23.46) combines a slow ride with a stop for the signature coffee. In the evening, a performance of traditional water puppetry is a charming break from eating: tickets for the Thang Long Water Puppet Show are listed from S$7.39.
If you have an extra day, a trip to the limestone landscapes of Ninh Binh or the islands of Ha Long Bay is the classic escape. The Ha Long Bay day tour is listed from S$54.01 and usually includes a seafood lunch, though the journey is long, so check departure times against your eating plans.
What to bring home
Food souvenirs are some of the best things you can carry. Vietnamese coffee, packed in sealed bags or small tins, is cheap and good. Look for dried lotus tea, packaged sticky-rice sweets, and a small phin filter to brew coffee the traditional slow way. Check your own country’s customs rules for meat, fresh produce and dairy before you pack anything perishable. Dried goods and sealed packets are usually fine, but rules differ, so confirm before you leave.
And bring the habit. The most useful thing I took home from Hanoi was not an object but a rhythm: get up early, eat something small and excellent, take a long break in the heat, and eat again when the light turns soft. It makes any city friendlier.
Mistakes first-time visitors make
Eating only in the tourist lanes. A few streets cater almost wholly to visitors, with menus in five languages and prices to match. Walk three or four lanes away and the same dish costs half as much.
Sleeping through breakfast. The best pho and banh cuon stalls often run out by mid-morning. Plan one early start, at least.
Trying everything on day one. You will be tempted. Your stomach will not thank you. Spread the sampling across several days.
Skipping the tour altogether. A guide can unlock stalls that have no sign and no English, and explain the order of things. One good evening walk early in the trip pays back for the rest of the stay.
Forgetting cash. Cards work in hotels and bigger restaurants but not at the places you will love most. Withdraw dong at an ATM in the city and keep small notes.
Ignoring the weather. In winter pack a warm layer; in summer, a compact umbrella. Hanoi’s storms arrive quickly, and a covered spot is easy to find if you move fast.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best food to try in Hanoi for a first-timer?
Start with pho bo for breakfast, bun cha for lunch and a banh mi as a snack. Add egg coffee for the signature drink and banh cuon or xoi when you want something lighter. If you only have a short stay, those five cover the core of the city’s cooking.
Is street food in Hanoi safe to eat?
Generally yes, if you pick busy stalls with fast turnover and food that is cooked and served hot. Be cautious with ice and raw salads at quiet places, drink bottled water, and introduce new foods gradually. Most upset stomachs come from trying too much too quickly.
How much does food cost in Hanoi?
A bowl of pho or bun cha at a local stall is typically 50,000 to 80,000 dong, about S$2.60 to S$4.20. A sit-down meal is often 150,000 to 250,000 dong. A keen street eater can manage on 300,000 to 500,000 dong a day. Prices are higher in the most visited lanes and around the lake.
When is the best time of year to visit Hanoi for food?
October to April is the most comfortable for street dining, with cooler and drier weather. Winter is great for hot noodle soups, while summer is hot and stormy. Avoid the days around Tet if you want stalls to be open.
Should I book a food tour or explore on my own?
Both work. A guided food walk on your first or second evening teaches you what to order and how, so you can go it alone later with confidence. HolidaySG lists several walking, motorbike and cooking-class options, with current “from” prices shown on each page.
Do I need a visa to visit Vietnam?
It depends on your passport. Singapore passport holders can currently enter visa-free for up to 30 days, while many other nationalities can apply for an e-Visa online. Check the latest rules on our visa requirements page before you book, and make sure your passport is valid for at least six months.
Is Hanoi food suitable for vegetarians?
Yes, with some care. Look for com chay or quan chay (vegetarian) restaurants, which are often near temples. Many noodle soups use meat-based broths and fish sauce, so ask clearly and show a written note on your phone.
How many days do I need to eat my way around Hanoi?
Three days is a comfortable minimum for a good introduction: one for the basics, one for deeper dishes and a cooking class, and one for a day trip with a regional lunch. If you can stretch to four or five, you will have time to repeat your favourites.
Featured experiences in this guide
Plan your Hanoi food trip
Pick one guided evening, one early-morning stall crawl and one day out of the city, and you will taste most of what makes Hanoi special. Browse tours, tickets and food experiences on HolidaySG, starting with the night market and street food walk, listed from S$23.94. See the night market food tour →