Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published
2 to 3 full days is the right amount of time in Hanoi: one for the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, one for the Temple of Literature, the Ba Dinh monuments and the French Quarter, and a third for West Lake and the slower edges of the city. We spent about 2.5 days at the start of our Vietnam trip, arriving from Tokyo at midday on 20 April 2023 and leaving for Ninh Binh on the 23rd, which covered the first two days but felt tight. Then add days for Ha Long Bay or Ninh Binh, rather than squeezing them in as day trips.
Hanoi's main sights are close together, but the city is best on foot and in the early morning and evening, with a rest through the midday heat. That leaves room for roughly one district per day. Two days covers the Old Quarter, the lake, the Temple of Literature and Ba Dinh; the third adds West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda and a look at Train Street.
Count arrival days honestly. We landed at midday, so our 2.5 days were really two full days plus an afternoon. If you arrive in the evening or are jet-lagged, book three nights to get two good days.
• Day 1, the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake: walk the trade streets with no fixed route in the morning, eat pho or banh cuon from a street stall, then cross the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple and stay for sunset over the lake. On weekend evenings the streets around the lake close to traffic.
• Day 2, Ba Dinh and the French Quarter: be at the Temple of Literature when it opens at 8am, then the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum area (formal, with a modest dress code, and it closes early in the afternoon), the Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda. Come back through the French Quarter and the Opera House in the afternoon.
• Day 3, West Lake and Train Street: Tran Quoc Pagoda in the late afternoon light, the lakeside cafés, and bun cha or bun oc. Train Street is officially restricted, so check our Train Street guide for its current status before going.
Our 3 days in Hanoi guide has the full version with food and photo stops; for a two-day stay, drop its West Lake day.
Most people add one of the two from Hanoi. The trade-off is travel time:
• Ha Long Bay: the drive from Hanoi takes roughly 2 to 2.5 hours each way on the expressway, more by bus, so a day trip means about 5 hours on the road for a few hours on the water. An overnight cruise is the better use of the journey.
• Ninh Binh: about 90 km south, roughly 2 hours 15 minutes by train or about 2 hours by limousine van. A day trip is doable, but the Trang An boats are best early, before the Hanoi tour groups arrive, which is easiest from a hotel near Tam Coc. Our Hanoi to Ninh Binh guide compares train, bus and tours.
We chose Ninh Binh and gave it 4 days rather than a day trip, and we would do the same again. If you only have time for one, Ninh Binh is the shorter journey and is on the way south; Ha Long is a detour east.
Hanoi is the natural start or end of a north-to-south trip. In our 4-week Vietnam route, it came first, then Ninh Binh, Hue, Hoi An, Da Lat, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City. Looking back, Hanoi at 2.5 days was the tightest stop on that route, and moving a day from Hoi An to Hanoi would have balanced it better.
For weather, autumn (September to November) is Hanoi's best season. Our late-April visit was warm and humid with low cloud, and May to August is hot with heavy afternoon showers, so plan the walking for early mornings and evenings. Check the Vietnam e-visa rules before booking.
Yes, for the essentials: the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake on one day, and the Temple of Literature, Ba Dinh and the French Quarter on the other. Count only full days, not your arrival afternoon.
No. The third day covers West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda and Train Street, and gives you room to walk the city in the early morning and evening, which is when it is at its best.
Yes, but it means about 2 to 2.5 hours each way on the expressway, roughly 5 hours on the road in total. An overnight cruise makes better use of the journey.
Ninh Binh is the shorter trip, about 2 hours by train or van, and it is on the way south. Ha Long Bay is a detour east and works best as an overnight cruise.
About 5: 2 to 3 days in Hanoi and 2 nights in Ninh Binh. We spent 2.5 days in Hanoi and 4 in Ninh Binh.
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