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.
Best souvenirs
Authentic items worth bringing home.
Vietnamese Silk Scarves and Ao Dai
Hand-woven and machine-made silk from Van Phuc village and Hang Gai Street, from scarves and shirts to tailored ao dai, the traditional long dress
Price: 150,000-800,000 VND (~$5.80-31) for a scarf; 800,000-3,000,000 VND (~$31-115) for a tailored ao dai
Where: Hang Gai Street (Silk Street), Van Phuc silk village, Khai Silk
Vietnamese Robusta Coffee and Phin Filter
Ground or whole-bean robusta from the Central Highlands with a small stainless-steel phin drip filter for brewing at home; egg-coffee kits are also sold
Price: 80,000-300,000 VND (~$3.10-11.50) per 250-500 g; phin filter 30,000-80,000 VND (~$1.15-3.10)
Where: Old Quarter coffee shops, Highlands and Cong Caphe branches, Dong Xuan Market, supermarkets
Bat Trang Ceramics
Glazed tea sets, bowls, vases and blue-and-white dishware from the ceramics village of Bat Trang, known for over 500 years
Price: 30,000-1,500,000 VND (~$1.15-58) depending on size and glaze
Where: Bat Trang Ceramic Village and market, Old Quarter shops on Hang Bo and Hang Bac
Lacquerware and Mother-of-Pearl Inlay
Lacquered bowls, coasters, boxes and paintings with eggshell or mother-of-pearl inlay, made in workshops around Hanoi such as Ha Thai village
Price: 100,000-2,000,000 VND (~$3.85-77)
Where: Tan My Design, Craft Link, Hang Trong and Hang Gai Streets
Dong Ho Folk Woodblock Prints and Hang Trong Paintings
Colourful folk paintings printed on traditional do paper with natural dyes, showing pigs, roosters, wedding scenes and Tet motifs; Hang Trong paintings were historically sold near the Old Quarter
Price: 30,000-500,000 VND (~$1.15-19)
Where: Hang Trong Street, Craft Link, gallery shops near Hoan Kiem Lake
Thai Nguyen Green Tea and Lotus Tea
Fragrant northern green tea from Thai Nguyen province and Hanoi's prized lotus-scented tea made with West Lake lotus, packed in decorative tins
Price: 100,000-800,000 VND (~$3.85-31) per 100-200 g
Where: Hang Buom and Hang Bac tea shops, Dong Xuan Market, specialty tea stores in the Old Quarter
Conical Hat (Non La) and Bamboo Products
The iconic palm-leaf conical hat, lightweight bamboo and rattan baskets, bags and lanterns
Price: 40,000-200,000 VND (~$1.55-7.70)
Where: Hang Non (Hat Street), Dong Xuan Market, souvenir shops on Hang Gai
Silver Jewellery from Hang Bac
Handmade silver rings, bracelets and pendants from the guild street that has worked silver since the 15th century; check hallmarks and weigh items before paying
Price: 300,000-3,000,000 VND (~$11.50-115)
Where: Hang Bac Street, Dong Xuan Market
Dried Fruit, Cốm and Sweets
Green sticky rice flakes (com), lotus seeds, banana chips, candied ginger and Hanoi sweets such as banh com Nguyen Ninh; Autumn is the cốm season
Price: 40,000-300,000 VND (~$1.55-11.50)
Where: Hang Duong (Sugar Street), Hang Than, Hom Market, Dong Xuan Market
Water Puppets and Musical Instruments
Small painted wooden water puppets modelled on those used in the Thang Long theatre, plus bamboo flutes and the single-string dan bau
Price: 50,000-1,500,000 VND (~$1.90-58)
Where: Lo Su and Hang Gai Streets, Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre shop
Ethnic Minority Textiles and Embroidery
Cushion covers, bags and hangings hand-embroidered or batik-dyed by Hmong, Dao and Thai communities of northern Vietnam, sold by fair-trade shops
Price: 100,000-1,500,000 VND (~$3.85-58)
Where: Craft Link, Hanoi Weekend Night Market, Hang Bong Street
Traditional markets
Where locals shop and travellers find treasures.
Dong Xuan Market
Hanoi's largest covered wholesale and retail market, opened in 1889 and rebuilt after a 1994 fire, with hundreds of stalls across three floors selling clothing, fabric, kitchenware, dried goods and household items
Where: Dong Xuan Street, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem
Hours: Daily about 6AM-6PM; weekend night market outside Fri-Sun 6PM-midnight
Hanoi Weekend Night Market
A 3-kilometre pedestrian night market running from Hang Dao Street through Hang Ngang and Hang Duong to Dong Xuan Market, with clothes, phone cases, toys, souvenirs and street food
Where: Hang Dao to Dong Xuan Street, Old Quarter
Hours: Fri-Sun approx. 6PM-midnight (pedestrian street)
Hom Market (Cho Hom)
A multi-storey local market south of the Old Quarter known for fabric, tailoring supplies, lace, clothes and household goods, popular for getting clothes made cheaply
Where: 79 Pho Hue, Hai Ba Trung District
Hours: Daily about 6AM-6PM
Quang Ba Flower Market
Hanoi's biggest flower market beside West Lake, supplying florists across the city with fresh roses, lilies, orchids and seasonal blooms; the pre-dawn hours are when it is busiest
Where: Au Co Street, Tay Ho District
Hours: Open around the clock; best 2AM-6AM for wholesale, retail through the day
Bat Trang Ceramic Village Market
A village that has produced ceramics since the 14th century, with dozens of shops and factories, a ceramic market and hands-on pottery workshops where visitors can throw and paint their own piece
Where: Bat Trang, about 13 km southeast of Hoan Kiem Lake
Hours: Daily about 7AM-6PM
Hang Gai (Silk Street)
The Old Quarter's best-known street for silk, tailoring, embroidery, lacquer and handicrafts, historically home to hemp-rope sellers and now a magnet for shoppers and made-to-measure ao dai tailors
Where: Hang Gai Street, Old Quarter
Hours: Shops daily about 8AM-9PM
Long Bien Market
Hanoi's biggest wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market, an atmospheric pre-dawn scene next to the historic Long Bien Bridge, where traders unload trucks and motorbikes stacked high with produce
Where: Beside Long Bien Bridge, Hoan Kiem
Hours: Open overnight; busiest 3AM-7AM
Craft Link
A not-for-profit fair-trade shop opposite the Temple of Literature selling handicrafts made by ethnic minority and disadvantaged producers, with fixed, labelled prices
Where: 43 Van Mieu, Dong Da District
Hours: Daily 9AM-6PM