Local Information

This page contains some tips and information I would recommend to visitors who come to Hanoi.

• This webpage can help you build a list of places you should visit when arriving to Hanoi and other places in Vietnam. You can also enjoy Hanoi Food Tours. Some recommended dishes are phở (noodle soup with meat (usually beef or chicken) and vegetables, pronounced fuh), chả cá (grilled fish with dill), bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls), bánh mì (sandwich), and bún chả (a dish of grilled pork with noodles).
• The webpage also contains information about visa requirements for entering Vietnam. In particular, if you are invited by VIASM, you should also look at this page.
• You should prepare some cash in Vietnamese Dong (VND). You can withdraw cash from several ATMs accepting international cards (Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express, etc.) or exchange money via some currency exchange vendors inside the airport or around the city. (The 20,000 VND and 500,000 VND banknotes have similar colors. It is better to double-check before you pay.) You can also exchange money in almost any bank around the city.
• Be careful, keep your money, your passports, your cards, your smartphones, and other important and valuable personal belongings close to you in public places, especially crowded ones like markets and train stations. Pickpocketing can happen. Don’t wander about lonely alleys late into the night and stick to streets where you see other people.
• You should buy a Vietnamese prepaid SIM card to keep you connected everywhere in Vietnam. (Roaming is usually expensive.) It is easy to buy one at the airport. Some online shops are selling eSIM. (You can look them up online. I never used any of these shops, so I won’t recommend anything.)
• The cheapest way to move around the city is by bus (I think).
  • From the Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), you can use Bus Express 86 (operating from Noi Bai International Airport to Hanoi Railway Station (Le Duan Street) and vice versa) to reach the central of the city. The cost of one ticket is 45,000 VND and as far as I know you can pay with either cash or your Credit/Debit Cards.
  • You can use Google Maps, Tìm Buýt, or BusMap to find the bus routes.
  • You should get on the bus via the front door and get off via the back door. (Sometimes, people use both doors for both getting on and off.)
  • After getting on, a collector will ask you to buy a bus ticket, and the price is usually from 7,000 to 15,000 VND for buses inside Hanoi and from 25,000 VND to 50,000 VND for buses heading to nearby provinces. Most buses are operating by Transerco and you need to pay for the ticket by cash. (If possible, you should pay with the banknotes of small denominations like 1,000 VND, 2,000 VND, 5,000 VND, 10,000 VND, or 20,000 VND. On some buses, you can now pay with ATM/Credit/Debit Cards too.) On buses operating by VinBus, you can also pay by ATM/Credit/Debit Cards. (I am not sure whether the cards issued in foreign countries can be used.) Remember to keep your purchased ticket during your ride.
  • Usually, at a bus stop, you will easily find the information (bus number, first stop, last stop) about the buses passing through that stop (in Vietnamese, of course). (If you are not sure which bus stop is correct, use Google Maps to find and check your routes.)
  • You should wear a face mask when getting on a bus.
• You can use Grab or Be not only for moving around (ride-hailing services, similar to Uber, providing options for reserving a car, taxi, or motorbike) but also for ordering foods and groceries, mobile top-up, and some other services. As far as I know, Grab accepts international cards and Be accepts Apple Pay. These services can also be used when moving between the airport and your hotel, or moving around the city if you don’t want to use buses. A new service is Xanh SM. I have not yet used Taxi Mai Linh, but some people also recommended this service. You can download and install the corresponding apps on your smartphone and use them. You will need a phone number that can receive SMS to sign up. You can always pay by cash for all these services.
• You can also enjoy Hanoi Metro. Currently, I think only line 2A from Cat Linh to Ha Dong is active and the price for a ticket is from 8,000 VND to 15,000 VND, depending on your travel distance.
• The standard power voltage in Vietnam is 110/220V, and the frequency is 50Hz. Common power plugs types are A, C (which also works with E and F), and D.
• Vietnam does not have tipping culture and tips are not expected.
• The rainy season in Vietnam is typically from May to October. In the rainy season, there may be many falls of rain of short duration. Be prepared!
• In general, traffic can be chaotic, especially in urban areas, with a high volume of motorbikes, bicycles, and pedestrians. Be careful when crossing the street and be aware of your surroundings at all times. (People do not always follow the road rules. In several cases, even when the traffic light is red, some people riding cars or motorbikes don’t stop.) To cross the roads safely, one way is to follow some local pedestrians. Additionally, in many places, motorbikes and cars are parked on the sidewalk, so you cannot always walk on it and have to use the road.
• Ask for the price before buying local street foods or souvenirs. When you are foreigners, sellers tend to ask you to pay a higher price. You can also bargain or walk away if you feel that the price is too high. A recommendation for bargaining is “Start with half of their opening price and work your way upwards until you both agree on a price. Sometimes you may need to pretend to walk away politely to get the best price but remember that sellers need to make money too. Be reasonable with the prices you expect.”
• Don’t touch an adult Vietnamese person on the head. This is extremely rude.
• Dress respectfully when visiting religious spaces like Buddhist, Hindu, Confucian and Taoist temples, churches and other religious buildings. (It is best to cover your legs and upper arms, and you may need to take off your shoes and hat to enter.)
• Be careful of mosquitoes and bring repellent. Don’t drink tap water.