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3 Days of Hanoi Like a Local

Highlights

  • Try the best street food in the world, from pho to banh mi to egg coffee
  • Stay in a luxurious boutique hotel in the centre of the atmospheric Old Town
  • Get to know Hanoi like a local, as your guide shows you the hidden gems in the city
From £179 pp
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What you'll do

Overview

Dive into the madness of Hanoi and emerge after tasting world-class street food, finding hidden local gems and the capital's highlights, all from a unique, local perspective.

Once you arrive in Hanoi, you’ll be met by your local guide who will take you to your accommodation where you can relax and get used to your surroundings, before you get stuck into this vibrant, chaotic and lovable city.

You’ll discover the intensity and energy that swirls through this culturally rich city, as you soak in all the sights, sounds and smells crash around the city. You’ll take in thousand-year-old traditions at water puppet shows, eat your way through the atmospheric Old Quarter, and experience the full chaos of Hanoi traffic in a traditional cyclo.

Understand the history and the culture of the city as you get a feel for it, helping you dig beneath the surface and learn what really makes Hanoi tick. Your guide will use their local knowledge to show you the best spots, completely unknown to tourists, as you sit in trackside bars in the Old Town, sipping a cold beer with the locals as trains go rattling through the very busy streets.

Accommodation will be in a boutique hotel such as the L’Heritage Hotel, where luxurious rooms combined with the charming, atmospheric location in the Old Town make a wonderful place to call home on your stay in Hanoi.

Welcome to Hanoi

Arrive in Hanoi, and your guide will meet you and take you to your accommodation for the next two nights in the atmospheric streets of the Old Quarter.

Relax, recover from whatever journey you’ve taken to get here, then we recommend you use any spare time you have to go and soak up the bustle of Hanoi’s 36 Streets area, or the Old Quarter.

In the evening, you’ll be taken to sit down at a traditional water puppet performance. This northern tradition is thought to date back around one thousand years, and is performed to the sound of traditional Vietnamese music that makes use of bamboo flutes, drums, wooden bells and horns.

After this essential cultural experience, you’ll head back to your accommodation to get ready for a full day of exploring.

Accommodation

Hotel L’Heritage (or something similar)

Located on an ancient street in Hanoi’s historic Old Quarter, the newly opened Hanoi L’Heritage Hotel offers a panoramic view of ancient streets with luxurious and stylish design in 55 rooms widely ranging from Superior, Deluxe to Suite.

All rooms are en-suite with air-conditioning, safety box, WiFi, coffee & tea maker and hairdryer.

Take to the Streets

Today, you’ll be exploring Hanoi and all the madness, the sights, smells, tastes, the rushing crowds and traffic and the little oases of calm by foot.

Although the traffic is pretty intense, exploring from ground level is by far the best way of seeing this fascinating city, and by the end of your adventure through the colourful, buzzing streets, you’ll have a real feel for Hanoi.

Start with the elegant Ngoc Son Temple, the gem in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake, and get local insight into Vietnamese culture and religion from your local guide.

Then, after the relative calm and spirituality of the temple, head for streets and experience the organised, and not so organised, chaos of the streets on a cyclo, and become part of the tsunami of scooters and bikes that flood the roads.

Later, you’ll stroll back to the Old Quarter, stopping along the famous train tracks in a little spot only the locals know and use, to sample the Hanoi institution ‘Bia Hoi’.

A wonderfully fresh beer, brewed and served up by the friendliest locals you could hope to meet, a glass sets you back around 25 American cents.

While away the hours in the convivial atmosphere, sipping cold, refreshing beers and eating incredible street food as the trains go rattling through the peeling, colourful streets.

Accommodation

L’Heritage Hotel (or something similar)

On to Your Next Adventure

The tour comes to an end this morning, and we’ll bid you a fond farewell from Hanoi. If you are spending more time in the city or in Vietnam, we are more than happy to help you book your next accommodation or onward travel.

What's included

Included

  • Two nights of accommodation in Hanoi
  • Transport
  • Activities in the itinerary
  • All entrance tickets and permits as mentioned in the itinerary
  • English speaking local guides
Your local host

Anh

Quynh Anh (QA) graduated in tourism from Hanoi university and is super passionate about travel. She has exceptional people and communication skills and always finds a way to create the best holiday experience for her customers. QA is a very experienced tourism professional and knows all the hidden gems in Vietnam. She is based in Hanoi but spends a large part of her time in the local communities in North Vietnam developing IMPACT projects in the local communities. QA’s colleagues and customers all value her kindness and friendship. She will ensure you have the best time in her home country.

Quynh Anh (QA) graduated in tourism from Hanoi university and is super passionate about travel. She has exceptional people and communication skills and always finds a way to create the best holiday experience for her customers. QA is a very experienced tourism professional and knows all the hidden gems in Vietnam. She is based in Hanoi but spends a large part of her time in the local communities in North Vietnam developing IMPACT projects in the local communities. QA’s colleagues and customers all value her kindness and friendship. She will ensure you have the best time in her home country.

Anh image
Sustainability Efforts

What Sustainability Efforts are we Taking?

At Not in the Guidebooks we’re committed to empowering the local communities in Costa Rica. We work closely with the local people and their businesses to make sure that they receive a fair percentage of the money you spend on your holiday there. By partnering with local guides and suppliers, we’re able to create meaningful, authentic experiences that directly benefit the people who call this incredible country home.

Learn More

Location

Spend a couple of fun-filled days discovering Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, located in the north of the country.

You will be picked up from anywhere in Hanoi upon arrival (airport, bus stations etc.) and taken to your accommodation in the Old Town.

At the end of the experience, we’ll help you book more accommodation for your next stay, organise transport to another part of Vietnam, or take you to an airport, bus station.

What our travellers are saying...

I am glad we did this tour. It was lovely to meet local people, share their home and their stories and of course try their delicious food.

Bridgette

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