2.85/5
1,144 reviews
Photo by Tran Phu via Unsplash

Hanoi

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english

food

great

friendly

coffee

beautiful

locals

stay

person

air

street

weeks

long

nightlife

egg

bad

speak

Hanoi receives mixed feedback from digital nomads and travelers. On the positive side, the city offers excellent affordability — food, drinks, and basic services are very cheap. The local cuisine is largely praised, especially dishes like egg coffee. Internet is fast and reliable, and for those interested in tourism, Hanoi serves as a great hub for visiting northern destinations like Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh. Coffee shops and cafes are abundant, catering to both casual visitors and those seeking to work remotely.

However, numerous issues repeatedly surface in reviews. Hanoi’s urban environment is frequently described as chaotic and dirty, with serious concerns around air pollution. Streets can be disorganized and noisy. Traffic is intense and not pedestrian-friendly. There is a strong reliance on cash, even in upscale establishments, which many find inconvenient. Some travelers also report feeling unwelcome or scammed, and language barriers can be an issue, as English is not widely spoken outside of tourist zones. Certain parts of the city, like Tay Ho, are more suited for expats, while others can feel overwhelming. Ultimately, Hanoi may appeal to those seeking authentic local culture and budget-friendly travel, but it isn’t an ideal long-term spot for every nomad.

AI-generated summary of reviews
3 months ago

Tip from a Hanoian: Hanoi may seem chaotic at first, but slow down and go with the flow
— that’s when you’ll feel its charm and colonial nostalgia.
Skip touristy English spots in Hoan Kiem; ask locals or search in Vietnamese.
Want a business vibe? Try Duy Tan.
For shopping malls, head to Vincom, Lotte, or IPH (like Bangkok’s Siam).
Craving street food or student life? Explore Dong Da.
Stay in Tay Ho for the expat scene,
but Ba Dinh or southern Tran Hung Dao street offer a more authentic Hanoi feel.
Stay open — the city rewards curiosity.

3 months ago

Two weeks in Hanoi. Really enjoyed the city. Besides, the pollution, a nice charming city. Great access to all the tourist destinations in the north Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Sa Pa. WiFi is excellent. Food is excellent. People are friendly. Not a nightlife person or coworking space but it's available. Cafes are everywhere and yes egg coffee is amazing. Definitely recommend.

1 year ago

The most vietnamese city in Vietnam. The Old Quarter and West Lake are the highlights. If you come, try the egg coffee. Be mindful Vietnam has cracked down on visas, and it is not as friendly to foreigners. I was able to relax after I received a 5-year spousal visa.

3 years ago

Hanoi feels more like a "large village" than a proper city. It's also what I call "unapologetically Vietnamese" given the way most places and shops are occupied and used by locals. English penetration isn't bad, but maybe because I speak Vietnamese I never had much of a problem in Hanoi. Prices for coffee, juice, smoothies, and food are insanely affordable. I wouldn't say the locals are "friendly to a fault" and mostly have left me alone.

Yes, the old town city center is dirty, garbage on the sidewalks and streets are a common sight. Traffic is chaotic but I never found it a nightmare, no worse than other SE Asian cities I've been to. I wasn't really prepared nor never liked how "cash only" heavy Hanoi is, even higher end cocktail lounges don't accept cards.

3 years ago

I do not like Hanoi. I would not recommend it. I would rather go to Mexico city (cleaner and easier to get around). The driving situation is bizarre and scary. Gab app only works with cash, and honestly, most things only work with cash. The streets are dirty and disorganized. People barely speak English here (I found more english speakers in Da Nang, Vietnam). I tried to stay in Truc Bach and it was so dirty and loud that i left to West lake (which is supposed to be one of the nice area). It is a bit cleaner but still, the air quality is horrendous in this city. The internet is okay, its functional but not great. I am not a fan of the people either, so far they have scammed me and deceived me. The people in Da Nang, Vietnam are much nicer and friendly. Honestly, i would not waste a ticket or money on a long stay here. If you want to come to go to the famous attractions, cool. But i would not recommend staying here for a long time. Not a place for nomads based on my standards.

4 years ago

Cheep bear and party place. But only have 3-4 beautiful places to visit. I stayed 5 days and thanks! There are more beautiful places in Asia than Hanoi. I don´t think I come back. Good food and cheap but nothing more..

4 years ago

Could never tolerate this city beyond a couple of weeks. Always felt like an alien here because the locals are even more antisocial than southern and central Vietnamese. That is, unless they were trying to hassle me for free English lessons.

5 years ago

I lived in Hanoi for 3 full months and I really loved it.

Hanoi has a big foreigner district called 'Tay Ho'. If what you are looking for is somewhat foreigner(English) friendly, the spot is yours. However I preferred to stay in the Japanese area that was full of good sushi.

The charm of the city comes from the people. Vietnamese are aggressively kind and way too friendly.

I even rented a piano from a local shop, placed it at home and played it. Took private Muythai lesson from a local gym where the instructor speak no single word of English. Had beautifully tasted egg coffee from a local coffee shop and delicious bun-cha, pho and bahn mi. Went to a local market to buy fruits and veggies. Had beers and hookah in the old quarter. Made a best friend with piano teacher and my bf's barber(!).

Hanoi is the city that wonderful things happen :)

6 years ago

Terrible place. Don't go!
I jest. I loved my three weeks in Hanoi. Going to beer street and drinking 50 cent beer while munching on spring rolls with beautiful locals. The interesting architecture which is infinitely more beautiful than Saigon, which is an ugly city in comparison. Hanoi just has this vibe that you're actually in a foreign country. The old town is great, the prices are great, the food is great. It's a wonderful place. The downsides are the air quality and the enforced curfew for bars. The cops come out and shut down all the bars at midnight. But that doesn't mean the party stops. Everyone just goes to the underground parties after that. I think Hanoi is a great place and you all shouldn't go there.

6 years ago

Hanoi is great, it's bursting with culture, tasty food and beautiful people. I lived here for almost 3 months and loved it. Summer is really hot and air quality is bad so check what time of year you go! Make sure you hit up Sapa - get the overnight train, also Ninh Binh is perfect for a weekend trip!

6 years ago

My wife and I have been living in Hanoi now for over five months. After having lived in Japan for nine years, KOREA for four months, Kunming, China for four months and Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia for two months each we’ve decided that Hanoi is our favorite city of all (when factoring in cost of living—and probably regardless of cost-of-living). I don’t agree with the current traffic safety assessment. I walk everyday all
Over the city—on average, 10 miles a day and in every direction. I’ve personally witnessed six or seven motorcycle accidents and been hit from behind by a motorcycle while walking, sustaining painful injuries requiring months to heal. I have had direct contact with three other people involved in motorcycle accidents. Love the city and still walk every day, but safe...NO.

Meanwhile, I do agree with most of the cost factors I see listed. What amazes me is the assessment that there is “bad nightlife” here???! What?? If all you’re looking for is a place to get drunk and pick up women, maybe. But what I love most about the city is that nightlife is evident in every neighborhood, coffee shop, cafe and on every sidewalk every evening. People are out relaxing, eating, drinking and socializing everywhere I go every night, and in every neighborhood—not just in the “entertainment districts”—which almost always bore me, anyway. So I guess it depends on what kind of traveler you are.

Further, this city is resplendent with interesting architecture, historical buildings and monuments, temples, lakes and the rivers, and has a fantastic international community. I’m Caucasian but have interacted frequently with people of all races, and most frequently with the local Vietnamese community. While unfortunately it does seem that Hanoi is not freer of racism than New York, London, Tokyo, Sao Palo, or any other major city in the world I certainly feel that is less racist than many places—just my personal perception. I’ve only spoken with one person in five months (a beautiful Indian woman) who talked about feeling discriminated against, and that was in reference to getting an English teaching job. Yes, it does seem that a white face, even with non-native English, can get hired as an English teacher far more easily than an Asian or person of other racial heritage, even if that person speaks English almost like a native—as this woman did.

Ultimately I can only go by my own experience. People have been kind, mostly extremely honest, helpful and friendly and it is the Hanoians themselves who have been mostly responsible for my love affair with this city. The delicious coffee and food and interesting places to walk with no fear of being attacked, accosted or robbed have only helped. Now, if they’d just do something about the air pollution—second worst in Asia by many accounts.

7 years ago

✅ Very affordable

✅ Great food

✅ Fast internet

✅ Good access to northern Vietnam destinations

✅ Affordable to live

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here

✅ Many Nomads.com members here all year round

✅ Very easy to make friends

✅ Easy to do business

✅ Good hospitals

❌ Dirty streets

❌ Chaotic traffic

❌ Air pollution

❌ Cash-based economy

❌ Unfriendly locals (for some)

❌ Limited English spoken

❌ No freedom of speech

❌ No democracy

❌ Not much to do

❌ Very hot in the summer

❌ Bad air quality today

❌ Feels crowded

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Roads can be dangerous

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not safe for women

❌ Not family friendly

❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+

❌ Many people smoke tobacco

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

19°C / 66°F mild

23°C / 73°F mild

29°C / 84°F warm

34°C / 93°F hot

50°C / 122°F scorching

49°C / 120°F scorching

41°C / 106°F scorching

25°C / 77°F warm

23°C / 73°F mild

22°C / 72°F mild

Real (median)

19°C / 66°F
mild

23°C / 73°F
mild

26°C / 78°F
warm

28°C / 82°F
very warm

33°C / 91°F
hot

34°C / 92°F
hot

33°C / 91°F
hot

32°C / 90°F
hot

30°C / 86°F
very warm

25°C / 77°F
warm

23°C / 73°F
mild

22°C / 72°F
mild

Humidity

nice
71%

nice
79%

nice
89%

sweaty
95%

sweaty
90%

sweaty
82%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
91%

sweaty
93%

nice
85%

nice
73%

nice
71%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

dry
5mm

dry
37mm

dry
38mm

rainy
106mm

rainy
101mm

rainy
221mm

rainy
245mm

rainy
298mm

rainy
258mm

rainy
126mm

dry
23mm

dry
4mm

Cloud

cloudy
51%

pockets
47%

cloudy
61%

cloudy
62%

pockets
48%

cloudy
58%

cloudy
54%

cloudy
56%

pockets
49%

cloudy
57%

cloudy
50%

pockets
46%

Air quality

bad
129 US AQI

bad
113 US AQI

bad
112 US AQI

okay
97 US AQI

okay
72 US AQI

okay
74 US AQI

okay
64 US AQI

okay
78 US AQI

okay
96 US AQI

bad
110 US AQI

bad
129 US AQI

bad
132 US AQI

Sun

seek shade
5 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

Remote workers

1,729 people

2,040 people

1,863 people

2,150 people

2,000 people

1,585 people

894 people

1,012 people

1,727 people

1,688 people

2,214 people

2,386 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

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Help pick the best photos for Hanoi and improve this page's look by tappingclicking on them and the site saves your feedback Vote photos

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$1,150 / mo

20 Mbps

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 33° 91° 29° 85°

✈️3h

$5,020 / mo

🌇 Also went here510 people

Ubud, Bali

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 16° 61° 16° 60° AQI 24

✈️12h

$6,469 / mo

🌇 Also went here350 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 24° 75° 24° 75° AQI 32

✈️14h

$4,076 / mo

🌇 Also went here375 people

1,400 remote workers in Hanoi now, of which 4+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.85/5 (Rank #108) 1144 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍11 liked it 👎5 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Good
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,077 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 10 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Bad
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 26°C79°F (feels 30°C86°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 92%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	😍 Very high: 90%
💨 Air quality (now)	😷 Unhealthy : 153 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	😐 Moderate: 95 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Bad
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Bad
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🤝 Lack of racism*	Bad
🎓 Education level*	Low
⚡️ Power grid	Great
💰 Income level*	Very low: $181 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
😤 People density	🧘‍♀️ Low density: 9k ppl/km² (1 per 11x11m)
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Bad
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Good
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city	Bad
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Okay
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Okay
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Bad
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Asia
🚩 Country	Vietnam
🗓️ Average trip length	7 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	10 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌧 26°C 79°F + 😊 Comfy (92%) = feels 30°C 86°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👎☠️ 153 US AQI = 🚬 🚬 / day
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 96 US AQI = 🚬 / day
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🧔 Best neighborhood to stay	Long Bien District: Cu Khoi Ward
🚀 Upcoming neighborhood	Long Bien District: Ngoc Thuy Ward
🚕 Best taxi app*	Grab
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 100,000 VND in USD	USD 3.79
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	VND 10,000,000 = USD 379
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	ClickSpace
☕️ Best coffee place	Moca Cafe
🏪 Best 24/7 coffee place	Puku Cafe & Bar
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍13% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	4,300,000 visitors
📸 Tourists now	82,409 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	7,200,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$2,171 / year
😤 Population density	🤨 busy: 11x11m (121m²) per person
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 83% 👱‍♀️ 17%
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Nguyen Kim
🏠 Apartment listings	Airbnb
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Air Asia
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Etihad

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$1,077 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$728 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$1,641 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$469 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$733 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,132 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$364 / month
🏠 Median home price	$113,610
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$34 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$37 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$98 / month
🍛 Dinner	$2
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$0
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$1
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$2
👩‍🏫 International school	$12,091 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$7 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$2 / trip