The first stop on our 4 month backpacking trip was Hanoi, Vietnam. This city is buzzing with life at every corner and has something for everyone to enjoy. We spent 5 nights here and really fell in love with this beautiful, bustling place. In case you ever find yourself in the lively capital of Vietnam or need some reasons to visit, here are 11 things that we enjoyed and recommend.

1) Visit Lotte Tower

This skyscraper has 65 floors and is the second tallest building in Hanoi. Lotte Tower has a grocery store, a department store, and a 5 star hotel, but what attracted us to check this place out was its observation deck.

At the top floor, you can enjoy panoramic views of the entire city and it is truly breathtaking.

There is also a bar, so naturally we grabbed a beer, found a comfortable couch and watched life happening beneath us. To make things even more fun, there is a skywalk that is not for the faint-hearted. There is just something about walking on glass 65 floors high that gets your adrenaline pumping.

Lastly, to top off the experience, there are photo props scattered around the observation deck that make for some really good photos. 

To learn more about pricing, hours, and attractions, visit: https://lottecenter.com.vn/eng/observation/overview.asp

2) Rent a Motorbike

Upon arriving in Hanoi, you can’t help but notice the legion of motorbikes that cover the roads, sidewalks, heck, even the inside of hotel lobbies. In a city of 7 million people, there are roughly 5 million motorbikes.

Being motorcycle lovers, we knew we had to join the chaos for ourselves. We spent the first couple days observing the traffic and by day 3 we decided to rent a bike. 

Riding along hundreds of people is crazy, fun, and a little scary, but an incredible experience!

In Vietnam, the locals transport anything and everything you can think of on the back of their bikes. Within minutes of being on the road, we saw someone next to us balancing a full sized fridge.

Some tips if you do decide to rent a motor bike: 

1) Only rent a motorbike if you have a motorcycle license and are fully confident in your ability to drive in the traffic. 

2) Have an international drivers permit

3) Have travel insurance that covers driving motorbikes 

4) Always wear protective gear including a helmet, eyewear and a face mask as the fumes from the bikes are very strong.

If you do not want to rent a bike yourself, but still want to experience riding through the city, there is the option to use Grab Motorbike, which is essentially like Uber, except instead of being transported in a car, you get to ride on the back of a motorbike with a skilled driver to your destination. 

3) Take a Walk Around Hoan Kiem Lake

A trip to Hanoi is not complete without a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake. This beautiful lake located in the Old Quarter is the perfect place for a morning, afternoon, or evening stroll. 

Located on a small island in the lake is Ngoc Son Temple (The Temple of the Jade Mountain) which you can easily visit for a small fee. 

Also in the lake is the Turtle Tower which sits peacefully alone. 

Surrounding the Hoan Kiem Lake are many shops, cafes, restaurants and of course street food vendors.

4) Sip Butterbeer at a Harry Potter Themed Cafe

If you are a fan of the boy who lived, then a trip to the Always Cafe is a must. 

We stumbled upon the cafe by accident and had to check it out. 

The cafe is decked out with Harry Potter decorations and of course serves delicious potions such as Felix Felicis, Amontentia and Polyjuice. 

Along with serving magical drinks, the cafe also has a costume rack with house robes that you can try on for free to take some photos. 

You can check out their facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/alwayscoffee8bhangtre/

5) Tour the Temple of Literature

Built in 1070, the Temple of Literature is the oldest university in Vietnam and is dedicated to Confucius. The temple is made up of 5 courtyards. It is a very beautiful and peaceful place to walk through.

We recommend doing the audio tour to get the full understanding of how the temple was used and what each courtyard represents.

6) Get a Tattoo

If you are someone who loves tattoos and are up to getting inked in Vietnam, 1984 Tattoo and Piercing Studio is the place to go!

This shop is highly reviewed, and for good reason. 

Located in the Old Quarter, 1984 Tattoo is very clean and the staff are phenomenal.

7) Visit the One Pillar Pagoda

The One Pillar Pagoda is a small, but unique Buddhist temple that was built in 1049. Based on a dream of the emperor of that time, the temple is located in a pond and is designed to resemble a lotus flower, which is the symbol of purity in Buddhism. 

It is considered one of the most iconic temples in Vietnam and is definitely worth checking out.

8) Eat All The Street Food

If there is one thing I am certain of, it is that you will not go hungry in Hanoi.

Everywhere you look the streets are scattered with vendors selling delicious bowls a pho or fresh off-the-grill banh mi's. 

There is just something about sitting in tiny chairs at tiny tables on the sidewalk chowing down on "barbecue" that makes life grand.

Our first banh mi was good that Ricky went back for another before we even walked away.

9) Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Presidential Palace

Located right next to the One Pillar Pagoda, the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum are an interesting site to visit. 

The mausoleum is huge and houses the embalmed body of former Vietnam leader, Ho Chi Minh.

We unfortunately did not get to tour the inside of the mausoleum because it was closed when we stopped by, but even still it was interesting to see the elaborate memorial from the outside. 

In the same complex is the Presidential Palace. The palace was built under French rule and thus is of French style architecture.

Although you cannot actually go inside, you can walk around the grounds for a small fee.

10) Drink Egg Coffee

As the worlds second largest exporter of coffee after Brazil, Vietnam is home to some of the most delicious and unique coffees including robusta and weasel coffee (yes, weasel).

But the coffee that is must try for a true Hanoi experience is egg coffee.

This style of coffee is said to have been invented after the war when dairy was scarce. 

The eggs are beaten or whisked with sugar and milk and then boiled. The coffee is then poured into the mixture and it creates a creamy, rich foam on top.

We did try a cup and were pleasantly surprised at just how tasty it was. The foam was the perfect amount of sweetness to offset the bitterness of the robusta coffee.

11) Celebrate NYE

To be honest, we chose Hanoi as our first destination simply because it was the cheapest place to fly to from our area. 

We landed in Hanoi 2 days before January 1st, 2019 and were so excited to be ringing in the New Year in a foreign country, even though we had no idea what kind of festivities to expect.

Turns out, while many bars and hostels throw their own parties, there is a massive celebration right next to Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter, drawing thousands of people. 

There are live performances, a countdown, and of course - fireworks. Oh, and lets not forget the booze, lots of it. (even though we were lame and didn't drink on NYE because we were jet-lagged)

In the hours leading up to the big celebration, the area around Hoan Kiem Lake is blocked off from cars and vendors set up selling all kinds of party favors.

Well, those are our 11 things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Even though Hanoi can be a little overwhelming on the senses (especially for small town folks like us haha), it is an incredible city filled with culture, history, delicious food, and the friendliest people.

Let us know in the comments if you found this article helpful or if there is anything you recommend for Hanoi!

Cheers!

Written by Katelin Brooke