Hanoi

Currency

Gold and jewellery shops in the Old Quarter traditionally offer the best exchange rates — better than banks. Count the zeros carefully: 500,000 and 50,000 notes look similar and mix-ups are the most common tourist mistake.

ATMs & cards

Use Vietcombank, BIDV or Techcombank. Most Vietnamese ATMs charge 20,000-50,000 VND per withdrawal and cap withdrawals low, so take the maximum. TPBank often has higher limits. Decline conversion.

Most machines charge 20,000-50,000 VND and cap low. TPBank usually allows the largest single withdrawal.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

One of the safest capitals in Asia — violent crime against visitors is very rare and walking at night is normal. The hazards are practical rather than criminal: cross roads slowly and steadily so the scooters flow around you, and carry bags on the shoulder away from the road.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies for longer stays
• Japanese encephalitis for long rural stays

Getting treated

International hospitals and clinics in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City are good, English-speaking and inexpensive compared with Europe. Public hospitals are cheap, crowded and rarely English-speaking. On Phu Quoc the facilities are basic and serious cases go to the mainland.

Dengue is common in the rainy season. Malaria is not a risk in the cities or the usual tourist areas. Traffic injuries are by far the most common reason visitors need a hospital.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Hanoi is the birthplace of pho and bun cha. Eat on plastic stools on the street where the locals are — that is where the good food is, not in restaurants. Egg coffee is a Hanoi invention worth trying.

Getting around

• Walking — the Old Quarter is dense and best explored on foot, though crossing roads takes nerve
• Grab — the ride-hailing app for both cars and motorbike taxis, cheap and avoids haggling
• Motorbike taxi — fastest through traffic, always agree via app rather than on the street
• Cyclo — tourist-oriented, agree the price and duration before starting
• Airport: Bus 86 to the Old Quarter (45 min, 45,000 VND) or Grab (~250,000 VND)

Must-see

Things to do

• Walk the Old Quarter at dawn
• Eat bun cha for lunch
• Circle Hoan Kiem Lake
• See a water puppet show
• Visit the Temple of Literature
• Cruise Ha Long Bay overnight

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Vietnamese

• HelloXin chàosin CHOW
• PleaseLàm ơnlam URN
• Thank youCảm ơngam URN
• Yes / NoVâng / Khôngvung / khom
• Excuse meXin lỗisin LOY
• How much is it?Bao nhiêu tiền?bao nyew TYEN
• The bill, pleaseTính tiềnting TYEN
• Cheers!Một hai ba, dô!mot hai ba, yo

Tonal, so the same syllable said flat means something else entirely. Nobody expects you to get it right and the attempt lands well regardless.

Religion

Folk religion and Buddhist, officially atheist state

Most Vietnamese practise ancestor veneration at home regardless of what they call it. Remove shoes and hats at temples, and do not photograph people at prayer.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Cross roads slowly and steadily without stopping — the scooters flow around you, and hesitating is what causes accidents
• Remove shoes entering homes and temples
• Use both hands to give and receive
• Haggle in markets, cheerfully, and accept that a small foreigner premium is normal

Don't

• Do not touch anyone’s head, and do not point your feet at people or altars
• Do not show public affection beyond a hand on an arm
• Do not photograph military sites or personnel
• Do not leave chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice