Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city has a lot to offer, from the mausoleum of Uncle Ho Chi Minh, the One Pillar Pagoda, the crazy new buildings being built in the business district, and of course the great food and drink that can be enjoyed in the fabulous old quarter. Even Donald Trump and Marshal Kim Jong Un decided to come here.
But if you really want to understand the life and attitude of the Hanoians, then the only way is to jump head-first into the fabulous Hanoi street food scene.
There’s a lot of sights, sounds and smells to deal with when sampling Hanoi street food, but don’t be put off! Let The Street Food Guy guide you to the top 5 spots for Street Food in Hanoi!
The Best Street Food of Hanoi
Bia Hoi
Old Quarter, Hanoi
Oh and get this! It costs 5000 dong a glass! Now that might sound a lot, but it’s 20 cents a glass. Let that sink in a bit. The glasses are small though, and there’s a 100-beer challenge if you’re so inclined.
Phở Bo Gia Truyen
Old Quarter – 49 Bat Dan
You can (and will) see and eat Phở everywhere, but at Phở Gia Truyen it’s so good that people line up around the street to get it every morning.
Lẩu Thái
Seemingly most backstreets of Hanoi
Vietnamese hot pot differs from its Chinese cousin in that you get your salt, and calamansi (small lime), pineapple, and Vietnamese hot sauce! A fine Vietnamese meal.
Bánh Tôm
Bo Dinh District and most backstreets
The bright colours come from the tamarind and the natural colours of the shrimp and sweet potato, and you can either eat it as it is, or wrap it in a lettuce leaf and then dip it in the nuoc mam cham spicy dipping sauce! As you can imagine this tends to make a great post-beer snack after you’ve knocked back a few in the Old Quarter.