Hanoi City Guide: First‑Timer’s Guide to Hanoi & The Truth About Train Street

Why start your Vietnam trip in Hanoi?

Hanoi is an ideal starting point for a Vietnam small group tour. It has:

• An atmospheric Old Quarter full of life
• Big, bustling markets where you can dive straight into local culture
• Beautiful lakes where you can sit with a coffee and just take it all in
• Easy access to Halong Bay and the north

It is also a gentle crash‑course in Vietnam: the traffic, the street food, the heat and the rhythm of daily life. Spend even 24–48 hours here and you will feel far more settled for the rest of your trip.

Landing in Hanoi without the stress

Flights and first impressions

From the UK, most flights to Hanoi involve one stop on the way. By the time you arrive, you are likely to be:

• Jet‑lagged
• Slightly crumpled
• And, if you land in the evening, stepping into a warm, busy, unfamiliar city in the dark

On my trip, we flew from London to Hanoi with a stop en route. Using airport lounges made the journey far more bearable: somewhere quiet to shower, eat something decent and reset before continuing. It is worth building that into the plan for long‑haul.

We also booked an airport transfer through the tour operator for arrival, and I am so glad we did. After a long travel day, the last thing I wanted was to haggle with taxi drivers or worry about being taken to the wrong hotel.

Instead, we walked out of arrivals, spotted our name on a sign and were whisked straight to the hotel used by our small group tour. We reached our room around midnight and basically fell into bed. Zero thinking required.

For nervous travellers, solo travellers or anyone arriving late, I would absolutely recommend arranging a Hanoi airport transfer in advance, whether through a tour or a private service.

We had booked one extra pre‑night at the same hotel the group would use. This is something I now recommend as standard:

• It gives you a buffer if flights are delayed
• You have a day to catch your breath and start to explore before the official itinerary begins
• You can gently get used to the climate, currency and traffic

Rather than bursting straight into a full sightseeing programme, you can enjoy a softer landing.

First morning in Hanoi: getting your bearings

Step outside your hotel and you will very quickly understand why people fall in love with Hanoi Old Quarter. Narrow streets are lined with low‑rise buildings, small shops and cafés, all slightly higgledy‑piggledy in that wonderfully photogenic way. Scooters are everywhere, often loaded with impossible cargo, and there is always something happening on the pavement.

I will admit I expected chaos and grime. Instead I found Hanoi to be spotlessly clean, super friendly and far less overwhelming than I had imagined. Yes, there is noise and traffic, but it is not aggressive. People were welcoming and helpful.

One of our first stops was Dong Xuan Market, and if you want to jump straight in at the deep end of local life, this is the place to do it.

It is a huge, covered market where you can find absolutely everything:

• Piles of fresh produce
• Household goods
• Fabrics and clothing
• Snacks and spices

It is busy and bustling, with narrow aisles and lots to take in, but wandering around is a brilliant way to understand just how much is happening behind the scenes to keep this city ticking.

A few tips:

• Go earlier in the day when it is a touch cooler
• Keep small notes handy if you want to buy anything
• Take your time and look up occasionally; it is a real slice of Hanoi life
• Haggle - it is expected

Even if you do not buy a thing, it makes for fascinating people watching.

After the market, we did what I recommend to almost everyone on their first day in Hanoi: we found a café by the water, ordered tea, and simply sat.

Around Hoan Kiem Lake in the city centre you will find plenty of spots to do exactly this. Locals walk and jog around the shore, couples take wedding photos, and families bring children out for a stroll. It is a beautiful antidote to any lingering jet lag.

If you are feeling brave, this is also a good place to try:

• Vietnamese iced coffee
• The famous egg coffee, which is far nicer than it sounds
• Lemon tea or fresh juices

That simple act of sitting with a drink, looking over the lake, helps you arrive in your own head as well as on the map.

Eating and drinking in Hanoi: first tastes

Our first lunch in Hanoi was seafood, and it was delicious. Fresh, flavoursome and very reasonably priced. If you are nervous about street food, you can be reassured that that:

• You do not have to dive straight into the tiniest pavement stall on day one
• Following your guide’s recommendation or joining a Hanoi street food tour is a brilliant way to build confidence
• Busy places with a strong local clientele are generally a good sign

A guided food tour on that first or second evening in the city is one of the best investments you can make. You get to try dishes you would never have ordered alone, and you learn what to look for for the rest of your trip.

Hanoi also does a fine line in evening drinks, from fresh beer (bia hoi) in the streets to rooftop bars. Before we reached Train Street we had our first proper gin and tonics in the city, which felt like a gentle bridge between the familiar and the new.

Handy phrase to learn:

Mot, hai, ba, zo! – “One, two, three, cheers!”

You will hear it shouted enthusiastically all over Vietnam.

Hanoi Train Street: what it really is and how to visit responsibly

What is Hanoi Train Street?

If you have seen those photos of people sipping coffee inches from a passing train, that is Hanoi Train Street.

In simple terms, it is:

• A stretch of active railway line that cuts through a narrow residential lane
• With houses, cafés and tiny shops built right up to the tracks
• Where, at certain times of day, locals and visitors gather in cafés along the line and then press themselves up against the walls as the train roars past

It is both utterly surreal and completely everyday for the people who live there.

Where is Train Street? Well there are a few different sections of Train Street, mostly:

• Close to the Old Quarter
• Near Hanoi Railway Station
• Along streets such as Phung Hung, Le Duan and Tran Phu

You can easily get there by a short taxi ride or a 15–20 minute walk from many central hotels. Most travellers visit in the late afternoon or evening when it is cooler and the atmosphere is livelier.

Is Train Street open? This is where it gets a bit complicated. Authorities have repeatedly tried to close down commercial activity on Train Street for safety reasons. In 2019, cafés were ordered to shut, and similar crackdowns have happened since. However, they have a habit of quietly reopening, and the situation can change.

The important thing is:

• Do not assume that just because you saw it on Instagram last month, it will be operating in the same way when you arrive
• Be prepared for the possibility that your guide will say “we cannot go there safely or legally right now”
• If you do go, accept that you need to follow the lead of local staff and your guide at all times

What it felt like when the train came through

On our visit, commercial activity was running again on our section. Here is how it actually unfolded:

• We walked down the narrow lane and chose a little café with low stools right by the track
• Ordered drinks – in our case, G&Ts – and settled in to wait
• Life went on around us: locals chatting on doorsteps, washing hanging overhead, staff calling out to each other
• As train time approached, the mood shifted; staff started shepherding people closer to the walls and away from the tracks
• Then you hear it before you see it: the horn, the rumble, the slight vibration under your feet
• The train thunders past within a couple of feet, filling your field of vision, and for a few seconds it is all noise and movement

And then, just as quickly, it is gone. Tables are nudged back into place, drinks are topped up, conversations resume.

It is dramatic, definitely Instagrammable, and slightly bonkers. But it is also a real residential area with people living their lives around this railway every day.

Safety and etiquette on Train Street

If you or your clients plan to visit Hanoi Train Street, please, please emphasise safety and respect:

• Go with a local guide or on a reputable Hanoi evening tour if possible
• Only sit at cafés that are clearly operating in an organised way, not random unsupervised sections of track
• When staff tell you to move back from the rails, do it immediately and without argument
• Keep bags, tripods, limbs and cameras well away from the track itself
• Remember this is a neighbourhood, not a theme park: keep noise reasonable, do not block doorways, and be thoughtful about photographing residents, especially children

It is absolutely possible to experience Train Street in a way that is safe and respectful, but it requires maturity and cooperation.

The train was much bigger and faster than I had anticipated. It was really quite shocking!

Evenings in Hanoi: welcome meetings and first nights on tour

If you are joining a Hanoi small group tour, your first evening will probably include a welcome meeting. Ours was held in the hotel, and it covered:

• The full itinerary from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
• Optional activities and free time suggestions
• Practical details like money, tipping, dress codes and local customs
• A chance for everyone to introduce themselves and ask questions

For solo travellers or anyone slightly anxious about being in a new country, this is incredibly reassuring. You suddenly realise you are not doing this alone: you have a guide who knows the country inside‑out and a group of fellow travellers to share it with.

A classic first night in Hanoi

After our welcome meeting we headed out into Hanoi for supper, then made our way to Train Street. Between the food, the first proper G&Ts in the city, the surreal sight of a train passing inches from our café table and the buzz of being in a new place with a new group, it was the perfect “we’ve really arrived now” moment.

Your first evening might look different – perhaps rooftop drinks or a street food tour instead – but that combination of:

• Great food
• A slightly mad or memorable experience
• And good company

is what Hanoi does so well.

24–48 hours in Hanoi: a simple plan

If you are planning your own trip around a tour that starts in Hanoi, here is a simple structure that mirrors what worked well for us.

If you have 24 hours in Hanoi

• Morning / arrival: Check into your hotel, shower and rest if needed. Take a gentle walk around the Old Quarter and the lake to get your bearings. 
• Visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum (make sure you dress with shoulders and knees covered
• Afternoon: Visit Dong Xuan Market and maybe a temple or two, then pause for a drink overlooking the water.
• Evening: Join a Hanoi street food tour or follow your guide’s recommendation for a local restaurant. If Train Street is operating and your guide is happy with it, this is the time to go.

If you have 48 hours in Hanoi

Day one as above, then:

• Day two morning: Add in museums, pagodas or a more in‑depth Old Quarter walking tour.
• Day two afternoon: Coffee time, last wander through the markets, and perhaps a traditional water puppet show.
• Day two evening: Head to Train Street, try a different area for dinner, or sample a rooftop bar for views over the city.

This gives you enough time to experience the energy of Hanoi without feeling rushed, and to tick off Train Street, markets, lakes and those first bowls of pho before you head to Halong Bay or southwards. - see my blog about Halong Bay Cruise Experience

Who Hanoi is perfect for

Hanoi will particularly appeal to:

• First‑time visitors to Vietnam who want structure but not a rigid coach tour
• Food lovers, thanks to its incredible street food and café culture
• Travellers who enjoy characterful, slightly scruffy‑around‑the‑edges cities rather than polished capitals
• Solo travellers who appreciate the security of a small group tour, welcome meetings and arranged airport transfers

If Hanoi and Train Street are on your wish list, I can help you plan a Vietnam itinerary that includes them safely and comfortably, whether that is as part of a small group tour from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City or a tailor‑made trip designed just for you.

Read my full two week blog here - Two Weeks in Vietnam on a Small Group Tour

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