It's a city that will entice your every sense, overwhelm you with amusing and exciting sites, and stuff you with fabulous cuisine.
Hanoi, Vietnam, has a wealth of entertainment; luckily, most things are affordable from a budget traveler's perspective.
The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (VND), which has the equivalence of 1 USD to 23.3 VND. Based on my experience, here is the cost of travel in Vietnam.
Travel Costs
Accommodation
The span of accommodation options is close to limitless in Hanoi. Many people stay somewhere within the Old Quarter portion of the city, close to many famous sites and jammed with traffic, people, and street food.
There is no shortage of hotels, guest houses, and hostels in the Old Quarter. As with much of Asia, guest houses are usually arranged in double rooms, making it most affordable to have a partner to room up with.
The cheapest room with two beds in Hanoi costs about $6 - $10 per night (140,000 - 233,000 VND).
Dorm beds can be found for around $5 (117,000 VND) per night. If you increase the budget, you can use every decent room with air conditioning (for the summer) for about $12 - $15 per night for two.
One more baby step up the budget, and you stay in near-luxury hotels for $20 (465,000 VND) per night.
Food
Those who derive tremendous excitement from food (like myself) will be thrilled with the supply and cost of Hanoi street food options.
Most street stall meals average $1-$2 (23,000 - 46,000 VND) per dish, though portions aren't overly large.
If you are a big eater, you might need 2 or 3 meals from the street to fill up, but that might only cost $2-$3.
For Vietnamese sit-down restaurants (off the street side), except to pay anywhere from $3 - $8 (69,000 - 186,000) per person.
One night in Hanoi, I engorged at one of the town's fancier and fashionable Italian restaurants and spent $8 bucks or so (186,000 VND).
One of the pleasures of visiting Vietnam is taking advantage of their incredible coffee.
A standard cup of coffee at any typical coffee shop costs much less than $1 (23,000 VND) and is traditionally served with a pot of tea! A big bottle of water - $0.50 (12,000 VND)
Drinking Alcohol
Those who enjoy beer will rejoice in Vietnam for several reasons.
- The price for a single bottle/can of beer is about $0.50 - $1 (12,000 - 23,000 VND)
- Draft beer by the cup is super cheap - Most of the time, no more than $0.40 (10,000 VND) per cup.
- Locals enjoy drinking on the side of the streets of Hanoi and will frequently invite you for a few drinks with them - free of charge.
- Drinking at bars/clubs may cost anywhere from $1 - $2 (20,000 - 50,000 VND) for a drink. Some clubs charge a cover on certain nights.
Transportation
Taxis in Hanoi are notorious for ripping customers off and giving threats to get more money; everyone seems to have a story. When I was in Hanoi, I avoided taxis.
Buses are incredibly affordable at less than $0.25 (4,000 VND) per ride and go around the entire city.
For those who join Hanoi's motorcycle madness, motorbikes can be rented for about $5 (120,000 VND) daily.
Buses usually cost about $1.50 (37,000 VND) per hour for traveling throughout Vietnam, depending on where you are headed.
Examples: 10-hour bus ride = $15. It's a popular option to travel by train in Vietnam. Hanoi to the town of Hue (central Vietnam) costs around $22 (512,000 VND).
Sites and Attractions
- Famous Water Puppet Show - $3 (70,000 VND)
- Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - Free
- Ho Chi Minh Museum - $0.75 (17,000 VND)
- Temple of Literature - $0.50 (12,000 VND)
- Ngoc Son Temple - $0.50 (12,000 VND)
- Museum of Fine Art - $1 (23,000 VND)
- Long Bien Market - Free
Halong Bay
It will seem like everyone in Hanoi will attempt to sell you a tour of Halong Bay. There are so many tour agencies, and I don't think anyone knows precisely how the complex outsourcing system works.
It's often easiest to see what your hotel/guest house offers and pay a tiny commission for them to book it for you.
The most popular Halong Bay trip is all-inclusive for two days and one night and usually costs around $30 - $40 (700,000 - 1 million VND) per person; however, there are all sorts of ranges in price.
From a traveler's standpoint, spending time in Hanoi or the rest of Vietnam is quite affordable.
After visiting a few attractions, relax and enjoy the bustle of the city by sitting on the street and sipping coffee and tea (or beer) like the locals!
