Day-by-day eating plans for Hanoi. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Hanoi weekend: the classics, done right ★ 4.7

First-time visitor, two days2 days

A two-day weekend built around the dishes Hanoi invented, the cafes that wrote the egg-coffee rulebook and one Michelin-starred dinner. Anchored in the Old Quarter with a Truc Bach side trip.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: Old Quarter pho, bun cha lunch and Bib Gourmand dinner

    Morning
    Breakfast at Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan at 06:30. Pho tai nam with quay fried dough. Walk Hang Bo and Hang Gai through the silk shops, then climb to Cafe Pho Co at 11 Hang Gai for an egg coffee on the rooftop balcony.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Bun Cha Huong Lien on Le Van Huu at 12:00. The Combo Obama: bun cha, seafood spring roll, Hanoi beer. The preserved Obama-Bourdain table is upstairs. Walk to Dong Xuan Market for the afternoon, then back to Banh Mi 25 on Hang Ca for a 16:00 banh mi snack.
    Evening
    Dinner at Mien Luon Chan Cam at 19:00 for the Michelin Bib Gourmand crispy eel glass-noodle. Then walk to Nê Cocktail Bar on Tong Duy Tan at 20:30 for the flaming Pho cocktail.

  2. Day 2: Day 2: Truc Bach pho cuon, Michelin star dinner and bia hoi night

    Morning
    Breakfast at Cafe Giang on Nguyen Huu Huan at 08:00. Original 1946 egg coffee, the cafe's own recipe. Then walk to Banh Cuon Gia Truyen at 14 Hang Ga for a second breakfast of silky rice rolls.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Pho Cuon Huong Mai on Ngu Xa, Truc Bach at 12:30. Rolled pho with stir-fried beef plus pho chien phong puffed pho on the side. Afternoon at the Temple of Literature; walk to Maison Marou on Tho Nhuom for a 16:00 chocolate break.
    Evening
    Dinner at Tam Vi at 19:30 for the one-Michelin-star Northern Vietnamese set menu. Then walk to the Bia Hoi Corner at Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen for 22:00 fresh draft on plastic stools.

Hanoi vegetarian: Buddhist tables and Tay Ho cafes ★ 4.5

Vegetarian or vegan, two days2 days

A two-day plant-based plan covering the Michelin Bib Gourmand vegetarian kitchen Uu Dam, Tay Ho's vegan brunch row and the Old Quarter's vegetarian counters. Egg-coffee shops included.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: Old Quarter vegan and Bib Gourmand dinner

    Morning
    Breakfast at Cafe Giang at 08:00 for the original egg coffee (vegetarian; not vegan). Walk to Banh Mi 25 on Hang Ca for the vegetarian banh mi loaded with mushrooms.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Bao An Vegan on Tran Hung Dao at 12:30 for a vegan pho or banh mi. Walk to The Hanoi Social Club at 6 Hoi Vu for an afternoon coffee in the 1920s colonial villa.
    Evening
    Dinner at Uu Dam Chay at 19:30 for the Michelin Bib Gourmand vegetarian Buddhist banquet. Walk back via Hoan Kiem Lake.

  2. Day 2: Day 2: Tay Ho vegan butcher and Michelin Green Star

    Morning
    Breakfast at Maison de Tet Décor on Tu Hoa at 08:30 for a vegan smoothie bowl and a Vietnamese arabica filter coffee in the Tay Ho garden.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Kiez Vegan Butcher on Dang Thai Mai at 13:00 for vegan eggs Benedict and a side of mock pork. Walk to Loving Hut on Au Co for an afternoon vegan ice-cream stop.
    Evening
    Dinner at Lamai Garden on De Quai at 18:30 for the Michelin Green Star sustainable plant-based tasting; 14 seats only, book ahead.

Hanoi late-night: from bia hoi to midnight pho ★ 4.6

Night owl, one evening1 night

A single-night Old Quarter food crawl from bia hoi at 18:00 to midnight pho ga at Phu Doan, with one cocktail-bar stop and a bun dau detour after midnight.

  1. Day 1: Single night: bia hoi, dinner, cocktails and post-midnight pho

    Morning
    Late afternoon arrival on Ta Hien at 17:30 for a bia hoi or two at the Bia Hoi Corner. Snack on dried squid and chilli salt from the passing vendors.
    Afternoon
    Walk five minutes to Don Duck Old Quarter at 19:30 for the Michelin Selected roast duck and table-grilled duck breast.
    Evening
    After 21:00 head to Nê Cocktail Bar on Tong Duy Tan for the flaming Pho cocktail. Move to Polite & Co on Bao Khanh by midnight for the 50% happy-hour menu. Close out at Phở Gà Nguyệt on Phu Doan, open until 00:30, with a bowl of chicken pho before bed.

Hanoi to Ninh Binh: goat meat day trip ★ 4.4

Day-tripper from Hanoi, single day1 day

A single-day excursion 100 km south to Ninh Binh's limestone karst landscape and the regional goat-meat lunch, with a Trang An boat ride before the drive back.

  1. Day 1: Day trip: Hoa Lu temples, Tam Coc boats and goat-meat lunch

    Morning
    Early start at 07:30 from Hanoi: take the Hanoi-Ninh Binh expressway, 1.5-2 hours by car. Stop at Hoa Lu's 10th-century temples and com chay scorched-rice cracker stalls.
    Afternoon
    Lunch in Tam Coc village at 12:30: de tai chanh (lime-cured goat), de nuong (grilled goat) and de hap thien (steamed goat) with rice wine. Boat ride at 14:00 through the Tam Coc rivers.
    Evening
    Return drive to Hanoi by 18:00. Late dinner at Cau Go on Cau Go street for the Central Vietnamese set with a Hoan Kiem Lake terrace view.
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