2 Days in Hanoi, Vietnam

While on a working holiday visa in Australia, I decided on a whim to fly to Southeast Asia for a few months. My first stop would be Hanoi, Vietnam, a place that I fell in love with in 2018. I was excited to revisit the city, this time at a slower pace.

Day 1 – Coffee Shops and Train Street

I arrived around mid-morning and then visited The Note Coffee, a cute café where you can leave handwritten notes on the walls. The coffee was just okay, but at least now I can say I’ve been there. I walked around Hoan Kiem Lake next and then stopped at Uniqlo to buy a few more summer clothes; I had forgotten just how hot and humid it was! Afterwards, I wandered through the Old Quarter and admired all the shops, while dodging motorbike traffic along the way.

The Note Coffee

The Old Quarter

Later that afternoon, I joined a walking tour with my hostel, Mad Monkey Hanoi. We explored a bit more of the Old Quarter and then headed to Train Street, which is famous for its cafés that sit right next to operable train tracks. We didn’t see any trains pass through, but I did enjoy a very nice egg coffee (a Vietnamese speciality) on one of the café balconies. Soon it was time for dinner; I went to Bun Cha Ta which had been recommended to me by a tour guide back in 2018! Bun cha is my favorite Vietnamese dish, and the restaurant was really good. I spent the evening at my hostel’s trivia night and then had a fun night out with some new friends. The city was just as amazing as I had remembered it!

Train Street

Amazing egg coffee (it’s much better than it sounds!)

Day 2 – Sightseeing and a Street Food Tour

The next day I visited Ma May’s House, which is a recreation of one of the ancient houses built in Hanoi in the late 19th century. I then headed to Ngoc Son Temple, a temple located in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake. After spending some time admiring the architecture, I headed to the meeting spot for a street food tour with Vietnam Experience Company (booked through Get Your Guide).

Ngoc Son Temple

We began our tour near the Lake and tried many incredible dishes throughout the afternoon. We had banh cuon first, which was my favorite meal of the tour. Then we tried a beef noodle salad and a fried banana. Next was banh xeo, a really good crispy pancake dish. After that was a pork and pâté banh mi. Finally, we tried ice cream sticky rice and an egg coffee. Our guide was really friendly and knowledgable about the different dishes we tried, and I highly recommend the tour.

Banh cuon

After eating all that food, I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the air conditioning. For dinner, I went to a Michelin-recommended restaurant called Bun Cha Dac Kim. All of the shops around it were trying to imitate it and had the same name and address of the real shop which I thought was funny. Thankfully I was able to find the correct one that matched the Google photos. The food was really good, and I was happy to have even more bun cha. I headed back to Hoan Kiem Lake to admire the nighttime lights and then had an early night at the hostel to prepare for my next adventure. While I only spent a short time in Hanoi, I was happy to have had another chance to visit the chaotic yet endearing city.

Hoan Kiem Lake after dark

Bun cha, a must-try in Hanoi