Hà Nội (Hanoi) is the capital of Vietnam and its cultural heart, a city of lakes, tree-lined French colonial boulevards, and a thousand-year-old Old Quarter where every street once specialised in a single trade. Visitors come for street food such as phở and bún chả, egg coffee, water puppet theatre, temples and museums, and easy access to Hạ Long Bay, Ninh Bình, and the northern mountains.
Local currency: Vietnamese đồng (VND).
Daily budget by traveller style
Typical per-person daily spend in Hà Nội.
- Mid-range
- 2,300,000 VND (~$88.50)/day
- Luxury
- 6,500,000+ VND (~$250)/day
Cost breakdown
Typical price ranges across major spending categories.
Accommodation
- Hostel
- 150,000-300,000 VND (~$5.80-11.50)
- Budget
- 400,000-800,000 VND (~$15.40-30.80)
- Midrange
- 900,000-2,000,000 VND (~$34.60-77)
- Luxury
- 3,000,000-8,000,000 VND (~$115-308)
Food
- Street
- 30,000-70,000 VND (~$1.15-2.70)
- Local
- 80,000-200,000 VND (~$3.10-7.70)
- Midrange
- 250,000-600,000 VND (~$9.60-23)
- Fine
- 1,000,000-3,000,000 VND (~$38.50-115)
Transport
- Bus
- 7,000-12,000 VND (~$0.27-0.46)
- Taxi
- 80,000-250,000 VND (~$3.10-9.60)
- Airport
- 30,000-450,000 VND (~$1.15-17.30)
- Daytrip
- 400,000-1,500,000 VND (~$15.40-57.70)
Activities
- Museum
- 40,000-100,000 VND (~$1.55-3.85)
- Sites
- 30,000-175,000 VND (~$1.15-6.70)
- Tour
- 500,000-1,500,000 VND (~$19.20-57.70)
- Excursion
- 1,000,000-2,500,000 VND (~$38.50-96)
Trip budgets by length
What a typical trip to Hà Nội costs end-to-end.
Weekend escape
A short city break covering essentials and a few highlights.
One-week tour
Comfortable pace including major attractions and day trips.
Two-week explorer
In-depth exploration covering multiple regions.
Money-saving tips
Practical ways to stretch your budget further.
Travel in shoulder season — fewer crowds and significantly lower accommodation rates.
Use public transport instead of taxis where possible. Day passes often pay for themselves after 3 trips.
Eat where locals eat — markets and neighbourhood eateries offer better food at a fraction of tourist-strip prices.
Book accommodation with kitchen access for longer stays so you can self-cater some meals.