A Detailed Hanoi Itinerary for 3 Days (From a Repeat Visitor)

I’ve lived in Vietnam for over a decade and love my home city of Saigon, but even I admit that Hanoi is the country’s best city for tourists. It’s just so culturally vibrant, walkable, and full of gorgeous natural features like pristine lakes and lush green parks. It’s also got great food, lots of the best museums in Southeast Asia, and many French colonial buildings that showcase Vietnam’s 20th century history. This 3-day itinerary is designed to show first-time visitors all the different sides of Hanoi, from history to culture to cuisine to modern metropolis, while avoiding tourist traps and maximising time spent on immersion, and most of the food stops are locally-priced and authentic. Best picks to fit in your Hanoi itinerary Before going into further detail on my itinerary, let me first provide you with this quick reference table. It includes each major stop along with the anticipated cost. Total budget (not including hotel + transport): ~3,362,000 VND ($127.60) Is 3 days in Hanoi enough? For the city itself, yes, comfortably. Hanoi’s centre is compact enough to cover on foot and by short Grab rides, and 3 days gets you the Old Quarter, Ba Dinh, the French Quarter, West Lake a...