Hanoi · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
The Old Quarter is one dense square kilometre of hostels, bia hoi stools and northbound bus tickets.
The Old Quarter
Hostels pack the lanes around Ma May, Hang Bac and Ta Hien, five minutes from Hoan Kiem lake and every night-bus desk in the city.
What a day costs
Dorm 130,000–280,000 VND, pho and bun cha 100,000–200,000 VND, buses and Grab bikes 50,000–100,000 VND. Around 300,000–550,000 VND, roughly 12–22 USD.
Getting around cheap
City buses charge a flat few thousand dong, the Cat Linh–Ha Dong elevated metro cuts across the southwest, and Grab motorbikes cost less than a coffee.
Free by day
The Hoan Kiem lake circuit, the weekend car-free streets around it, and the walk out along Long Bien bridge over the Red River.
Ta Hien bia hoi corner
The junction where fresh draught beer is served on kerbside stools for a few thousand dong — the default first night for anyone arriving alone.