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.
Hanoi is a safe destination with low violent crime. Visitors mainly face petty theft, motorbike bag snatching, traffic hazards, taxi and cyclo overcharging, and seasonal air pollution. Emergency numbers are 113 (police), 114 (fire), and 115 (ambulance); the 24-hour national tourist support hotline is 1080.
Current safety advisory
Low
Essential safety tips
Practical advice that applies everywhere.
Emergency numbers: police 113, fire 114, ambulance 115. Most operators speak limited English, so ask a hotel to call for you.
Crossing the street: walk slowly and steadily at a constant pace; motorbikes will flow around you. Never stop or run mid-street.
Motorbike snatch theft occurs in the Old Quarter; carry the phone and bag on the side away from the road and do not walk holding a phone at the curb.
Use Grab or Xanh SM electric taxis, or well-known taxi brands such as Mai Linh and Vinasun, instead of unmarked cabs. Taxi meter scams are common outside the airport.
Agree the price before a cyclo or motorbike taxi ride or use a fixed-price app.
Drink bottled water and eat where locals queue; ice in restaurants is generally commercially made and safe, but avoid it at very informal stalls if you have a delicate stomach.
Travel insurance with medical cover is strongly advised; quality hospitals include Vinmec International Hospital (458 Minh Khai Street, hotline 1900 2388) and the French Hospital of Hanoi (1 Phuong Mai Street, +84 24 3577 1100).
Air pollution peaks October to February; check an air-quality app and use a mask when the AQI is over 150.
Take the hotel's business card with the address in Vietnamese to show taxi drivers.
Common scams to avoid
Recognise and sidestep tourist-targeted scams.
Taxi meter tampering and overcharging
Some unmarked taxis and airport touts use fast meters or refuse to use the meter, charging several times the normal fare, especially from Nội Bài Airport and around Hoàn Kiếm Lake.
How to avoid: Use Grab, Be, or a reputable metered taxi (Mai Linh +84 24 3833 3333, Vinasun, Xanh SM). Confirm the meter is on. An airport-to-Old-Quarter trip should cost roughly 350,000-450,000 VND (~$13.50-17.30).
Cyclo and street photo overcharging
Some cyclo riders quote a low price per ride, then demand a much higher amount at the end; street vendors with shoulder poles pose for photos and then request payment for goods or a photo.
How to avoid: Agree the total price in writing on a phone calculator before starting; refuse pole-vendors placing baskets on the shoulder; use hotel-arranged cyclo tours priced at about 200,000-300,000 VND (~$7.70-11.50) per hour.
Shoe-shine glue and street shoe repair
Street vendors may glue or 'repair' a shoe and then demand 200,000-500,000 VND (~$7.70-19.20).
How to avoid: Do not allow anyone to touch shoes; say no firmly and continue walking.
Fake or copycat hotels, tour agencies, and shops
Copies of well-known hotels, tour agencies, or bus companies in the Old Quarter mislead visitors. Taxi drivers may claim a hotel is closed or full to divert visitors to commission hotels.
How to avoid: Verify the hotel's exact address on Google Maps, call the hotel directly, and book tours through reviewed agencies with a fixed-price receipt.
Friendly 'students' inviting to cafes or galleries
Friendly strangers invite tourists for coffee or an art exhibition, then present an inflated bill or press for purchases.
How to avoid: Politely decline unsolicited invitations to unlisted venues; always check the menu price first.
Motorbike snatch theft
Thieves on motorbikes grab phones and handbags from pedestrians near the road, especially around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Tạ Hiện, and Nguyễn Thái Học.
How to avoid: Carry bags across the body on the side away from traffic; do not use the phone near the curb.
Health considerations
Staying healthy on your trip.
- Vaccinations
- Routine vaccines plus Hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended; Hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, and rabies may be advised for longer stays. Consult a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before departure. Dengue occurs year-round with peaks in Jun-Nov; no vaccine is routinely available to travelers, so avoid mosquito bites.
- Water
- Tap water is not safe to drink. Use sealed bottled water (8,000-15,000 VND, ~$0.31-0.58 per 1.5 L) or filtered water; brush teeth with bottled water if sensitive.
- Food
- Street food is generally safe when cooked fresh and served hot; choose busy stalls, avoid raw herbs from unclean sources if prone to stomach upsets, and carry oral rehydration salts.
- Facilities
- Hanoi has excellent international-standard private hospitals (Vinmec, French Hospital Hanoi, Family Medical Practice) and many pharmacies (nhà thuốc). Public hospitals such as Bạch Mai are crowded and have limited English.
Safety for specific travellers
Tailored advice for different groups.
Emergency contacts
Numbers to know before you go.
- Police
- 113
- Medical
- 115 (ambulance)
- Fire
- 114
- Tourist Hotline
- 1080 (24-hour national tourist support line; English support limited)
- General Emergency
- 113 for police; 115 for medical; 114 for fire (each dialed from any phone in Vietnam)
- Main Hospital
- Vinmec International Hospital (Times City), 458 Minh Khai, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội; +84 24 3974 3556; hotline 1900 232 389
- Embassy Us
- US Embassy Hanoi, 7 Láng Hạ, Ba Đình: +84 24 3850 5000
- Embassy Uk
- British Embassy Hanoi, 31-34 Hai Bà Trưng, Hoàn Kiếm: +84 24 3936 0500