Name: Hanoi, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Address: VN

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the political and cultural centre of the country's north, a city of roughly 8.5 million people built around a chain of lakes on the Red River delta. Its compact core layers a thousand-year-old market quarter, a French colonial grid of villas and boulevards, and the ceremonial state architecture of Ba Dinh Square within a few kilometres of one another.

Cultural orientation

Essential context for travellers.

Insight

Do's and don'ts

Quick guide to local norms.

Do

Do say 'xin chao' when entering shops, eateries and hotels, and 'cam on' when leaving
Do dress modestly at pagodas, temples and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex — long trousers or a long skirt, shoulders covered, no hats or sunglasses inside
Do remove shoes at private homes, homestays and wherever a shoe rack is provided
Do insist on the meter in a taxi, or use the Grab app for a fixed quoted fare, before the vehicle moves
Do carry small notes (10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 VND / USD 0.38, 0.77 and 1.92) for street food, coffee and cyclo rides — vendors often cannot change a 500,000 VND / USD 19.23 note
Do try egg coffee (ca phe trung), pho, bun cha and cha ca at the places where locals queue rather than at the places with English menus outside
Do cross the street slowly at a steady, predictable pace without stopping or running — motorbike riders steer around a pedestrian they can read
Do learn that Vietnamese names put the family name first, and that 'Anh', 'Chi', 'Ong' and 'Ba' are used with the given name
Do bargain with a smile in Dong Xuan Market and Old Quarter souvenir shops, and accept a refusal gracefully

Don't

Don't stick chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice — it mirrors incense burned for the dead
Don't touch anyone on the head or point the soles of the feet toward a person or a Buddha image
Don't talk, film, cross the arms or put hands in pockets inside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum; the guards will correct anyone who does
Don't touch or sit on altars, statues or offerings inside pagodas and temples
Don't display heated public affection; couples keep physical contact modest in public in Hanoi
Don't bargain in supermarkets, malls, cafes or restaurants, where prices are fixed and haggling causes offence
Don't flash a phone or swing a bag on the traffic side of the pavement near Hoan Kiem Lake or in the Old Quarter — snatch theft from passing motorbikes happens
Don't discuss politics, the government or the war in a confrontational way; curiosity is welcome, criticism is not
Don't ride a motorbike or drive after any alcohol — Vietnam enforces a zero-tolerance limit with heavy fines

Local customs

Traditions and practices you'll encounter.

Etiquette by setting

How to navigate everyday situations.

Useful phrases

A few words go a long way.

Xin chào

Hello / Good day

sin chow (falling tone on chow)

Cảm ơn

Thank you

gahm uhn

Xin lỗi

Sorry / Excuse me

sin loy

Bao nhiêu tiền?

How much is it?

bow nyew dyen

Đắt quá

That is too expensive

daht kwah

Giảm giá được không?

Can the price come down?

zam zah duhk khohng

Tính tiền

The bill, please

ting dyen (Northern: dinh dyen)

Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu?

Where is the toilet?

nyah vay sing uh doh

Tôi ăn chay

I eat vegetarian

doy an chai

Không cay

Not spicy

khohng kai

Không đá

No ice, please

khohng dah

Ngon quá

Delicious

ngon kwah

Bạn có nói tiếng Anh không?

Do you speak English?

ban kaw noy tyeng ahn khohng

Một, hai, ba, dzô!

One, two, three, cheers! (the standard Vietnamese toast)

moht, high, bah, yoh

Religion & spirituality

Understanding faith in Hanoi.

Context

Items:

Faith
Tam Giao (Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism blended with ancestor worship)
Proportion
The majority practice in Hanoi; nearly every home and shop keeps an ancestor altar and a God of Wealth shrine, with incense burned on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month
Visitor notes
Tran Quoc Pagoda (Thanh Nien Road, West Lake, Hanoi's oldest, founded in the 6th century) and Quan Su Pagoda (73 Quan Su, Hoan Kiem) are free to enter; the Temple of Literature (58 Quoc Tu Giam, Dong Da) charges 70,000 VND / USD 2.69 and Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake charges 50,000 VND / USD 1.92
Faith
Roman Catholic
Proportion
Roughly a tenth of Vietnam's population; Hanoi's seat is St Joseph's Cathedral, consecrated in 1886 on the site of the former Bao Thien Pagoda
Visitor notes
St Joseph's Cathedral, 40 Nha Chung, Hoan Kiem; free entry outside Mass, with daily Masses in Vietnamese and very large crowds on Christmas Eve
Faith
Protestant
Proportion
A small community concentrated in a handful of congregations across the city
Visitor notes
Hanoi Evangelical Church, 2 Ngo Trạm, Hoan Kiem, holds Vietnamese services; some international congregations meet in Tay Ho
Faith
Islam
Proportion
A very small community of Vietnamese Cham Muslims, resident expatriates and traders
Visitor notes
Al-Noor Mosque (Hanoi Grand Mosque), 12 Hang Luoc, Hoan Kiem, built in 1890 and the city's only mosque; Friday prayers at midday, modest dress required, visitors welcomed outside prayer times