This is Day 1 of our 5D4N Hanoi & Halong Bay itinerary, starting from airport arrival to Old Quarter walks, egg coffee, pho and the Hanoi Weekend Night Market.
Arrival into Hanoi from Singapore (SQ192)
We flew into Hanoi on Singapore Airlines SQ192, departing Singapore at 9:05am and arriving into Noi Bai International Airport at 11:30am.
The flight was a comfortable 3 hours and 25 minutes. Just enough time for a movie and a meal before landing in Vietnam.
Do you need Fast Track Immigration in Hanoi?
While doing my research, I saw countless ads for Vietnam airport fast-track services. They claim immigration is a nightmare, the queues were notorious, and I’ll admit, I was tempted to pay for it. But since we were travelling free & easy and not in a rush, we decided to skip the extra cost.
In reality? It wasn’t that bad. Maybe only for us because we were early or there were not much flights around the same time?
Yes, the queue looked long, but it moved steadily. We cleared immigration in about an hour, which is quite standard compared to other countries.
However, what actually took longer was… baggage collection. When we arrived at the baggage belt, our baggage were not out yet. In fact, the wait for the baggage was longer than the immigration, considering our baggage was one of the last few to come out.
How to Get from Hanoi Airport to the Old Quarter
The easiest and most reliable way to get from Noi Bai Airport to Hanoi Old Quarter is by using the Grab app.
- Cost: ~250,000–300,000 VND (approx. SGD 12–15).
- Duration: 30–45 minutes depending on Hanoi’s famous traffic.
- Pro Tip: Ignore the “freelance” drivers at the exit holding Grab signages and claiming to be Grab. Always book through the app to ensure a fixed price. Our fare was 284,000 VND (~SGD 14).
Where to Stay: Hanoi Fiesta Grand Hotel & Spa (map)
For first-time visitors, the Hanoi Old Quarter is the best area to stay. We chose the Hanoi Fiesta Grand Hotel & Spa because it is within walking distance to Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple and Hanoi Weekend Night Market. In addition, the Google reviews was a steady 4.9 rating, I read that it’s new and I quite like the woody look & feel of the room.
We had booked a City View Suite (~SGD 99) via Agoda, but upon arrival, the receptionist informed us that they had overlooked our booking and the suite was no longer available. They offered us an Executive Double Room with Window instead.
Not the best start – but since we were only staying for one night, and given that they were really apologetic about it, we decided to make do with it. To their credit, they stopped us on our way out to lunch after dropping our bags in the room and offered to refund the price difference. Oh wow – great service discovery.
Breakfast (Next Morning)
Breakfast is served on the rooftop with a nice view.
- Pho & egg station
- Small buffet (salad, bacon, hotdogs, bread)
Pretty limited but simple and sufficient for us.
Lunch at Sen Trang An Vietnamese Restaurant (map)
While in the Grab earlier, we were already searching for where to eat in Hanoi Old Quarter and found this restaurant with a strong 4.9 rating just a few steps away from our hotel.
The shop is quite easy to miss – small shopfront, and not very obvious. We walked past it once before finding it. For your benefit, just look out for the shop directly next to Pizza Belga.
We ordered bún chả – a iconic Hanoi-style Vietnamese dish featuring smoky, grilled pork belly and savory minced pork patties served in a light, tangy, and slightly sweet fish sauce broth, accompanied by soft rice vermicelli noodles and a side of fresh herbs like lettuce, perilla, and coriander. The owner even offered us free spring rolls.
The Verdict: Maybe we were very hungry but the soft rice vermicelli dipped with the light sweet & sour fish sauce broth against the smoky grilled pork belly and minced meat patties tasted really GOOD!
I personally prefer the minced meat patties as they were softer, while I feel the pork belly a bit too hard to bite (given my old teeth).
Exploring Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
After lunch, we took a 5-minute stroll to Hoan Kiem Lake often described as the heart of Hanoi. We saw couples, elderly locals exercising, and photographers everywhere capturing ladies in beautiful Áo dài (traditional dress).
Hoan Kiem Lake
Ngoc Son Temple
We crossed the famous red Huc Bridge to visit the temple. Entrance fees is 50,000 VND (~$2.70 SGD) for foreign visitors.
A walk around Hoan Kiem Lake
Turtle Tower
Egg Coffee at The Note Coffee (map)
It was pretty chilly, so we decided to stop for some hot drinks, and we chanced upon The Note Coffee – a whimsical, multi-story cafe (well, you guessed it) covered in colorful sticky notes. They provided sticky notes and pens on each table so you can add your own notes to the wall.
Egg Coffee (Cà Phê Trứng)
We ordered ginger tea and an egg coffee to try out. You can’t visit Hanoi without trying Egg Coffee (Cà Phê Trứng).
What is Egg Coffee?
It’s a mix of egg yolk, sugar, and condensed milk whisked into a frothy cream over bold Vietnamese coffee.
The Verdict: It’s rich, creamy, and basically a liquid dessert. Surprisingly, I quite liked it. Definitely something I would order again next time I am in Hanoi.
Hanoi Weekend Night Market (Fri–Sun Only)
We love night markets, so we planned our trip specifically to catch the Hanoi Weekend Night Market. The market stretches from Hang Dao Street to Dong Xuan Market, turning 3km of road into a pedestrian paradise selling everything from clothing, winter wear to bags to handicrafts to souvenirs.
Opening Hours: Friday to Sunday, 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm.
Tip: If you’re planning your Hanoi itinerary, try to align your dates with the weekend.
Dinner: Pho at Pho Ly Quoc Su (map)
After all the walking, we had worked up an appetite and were ready for dinner. And what best, then a hot satisfying bowl of chicken pho.
We stopped at Phở Lý Quốc Sư and my god, the bowl of pho did not disappoint. Nothing beats a bowl of hot comforting clear chicken soup with springy clear rice noodles. I added chillies and lime, which made it even better.
Warning for those who can’t take spicy foods – these chillies are really spicy – be careful how much you add if you don’t want to ruin your whole of pho.
Continue to Day 2: 2D1N Halong Bay & Lan Ha Bay Cruise Experience, including what to expect, activities and whether it’s really worth it.
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