Café$old-quarterDaily 07:30-22:30Work-friendlyWifi
Tranquil Books & Coffee in Hanoi is a literary cafe opened in 2015 by poet Nam Lu, with bookshelves of thousands of volumes and specialty Vietnamese coffee.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Order: A filter coffee with the cafe's house blend; the small attic upstairs is the quietest reading nook.
Tip: Four branches in Hanoi: Nguyen Quang Bich is the flagship. Strong Wi-Fi and quiet at weekends.
Café$$tay-hoDaily 08:00-21:00Work-friendlyWifi
Maison de Tet Décor in Hanoi is a vintage French-villa cafe in Tay Ho's Quang An, with healthy brunch plates, garden seating and a slow-pour coffee bar.
Signature drink: Vietnamese arabica filter
Order: The avocado toast with poached eggs, or the smoothie bowl with the slow-pour Vietnamese arabica.
Tip: Garden tables fill first in the cool months; indoor air-con upstairs for summer. Strong Wi-Fi and laptop-friendly.
Café$$old-quarterDaily 08:00-23:00Work-friendlyWifi
The Hanoi Social Club is a 1920s French colonial villa in the Old Quarter serving filter coffee, brunch and live acoustic music to remote-working expats.
Signature drink: Vietnamese filter coffee
Order: A Vietnamese filter coffee with the all-day brunch board; vegetarian options on every page.
Tip: Three floors; the rooftop is the quietest for laptop work. Live music in the evenings, check schedule.
Café$$french-quarterDaily 08:00-22:30Work-friendlyWifi
Maison Marou in Hanoi is the chocolate cafe and shop of Vietnam's bean-to-bar Marou, plating French pastries with single-origin Vietnamese chocolate.
Signature drink: Single-origin Vietnamese hot chocolate
Order: The single-origin hot chocolate from Tien Giang or Ba Ria beans, with a chocolate-and-almond croissant.
Tip: Watch the chocolate kitchen at work through the back-room windows; the bar sells single-origin bars to take home.
Café$old-quarterDaily 07:00-22:00Wifi
Café Giảng in Hanoi is where egg coffee was invented in 1946, served down a narrow alley off Nguyen Huu Huan in the Old Quarter by the founder's descendants.
Signature drink: Cà phê trứng egg coffee
Order: Ca phe trung: whipped egg yolk and condensed milk on Vietnamese coffee, the original recipe from 1946.
Tip: Down a narrow alley off Nguyen Huu Huan; the cafe is at the back of a small courtyard. Egg coffee 35,000 VND.
Café$old-quarterDaily 08:00-22:30
Cafe Pho Co in Hanoi is the rooftop egg-coffee balcony hidden behind a silk shop on Hang Gai, reached through a corridor, courtyard and home staircase.
Signature drink: Cà phê trứng egg coffee with Hoan Kiem Lake view
Order: Ca phe trung with a seat on the rooftop terrace; the iced coconut coffee runs a close second.
Tip: Enter through the red-fronted silk shop at street level, then follow the corridor to the courtyard and climb to the roof.