We will give you the best advice for visiting Hanoi for the first time in this new post from our OneDayOneTravel travel blog . A 3-day – 4-night stay in the land of the Dragon in March 2020 and concocted by the online travel agency Shanti Travel with whom you too can discover Hanoi and Vietnam. We usually visit Southeast Asia on our own but we admit that their expertise on the country helped us save time on preparation but also once there , especially since we went there when the Corona virus began to spread in the city and throughout the country. The crisis management was impeccable, which is good to know when you go on vacation with a travel agency.
The capital of Vietnam is a bustling city in Southeast Asia that has managed to keep its authentic soul . Hanoi is exciting to explore. This city in northern Vietnam is also an excellent introduction before setting off to explore the country and its wonders in Ninh Binh, Halong Bay or Bai Tu Long, Hue or Hoi An, not to mention Ho Chi Minh. The destination is open to all travelers. Everyone will find something for them, especially since in addition to the must-see visits, the city of Hanoi is ideal for meeting locals but also for tasting an infinite variety of gastronomic specialties .
Here are our tours and activities not to be missed if you come to visit Hanoi for the first time. You will also find here our travel stories with our good addresses, our practical advice and good plans to live Hanoi as best as possible, video (vlog) included.
Formalities and practical information for traveling to Vietnam
What about visas for traveling to Vietnam?
French people are exempt from visa for stays of less than 15 days (entry and exit days included). If you do not plan to apply for a visa, do not forget that your time will be limited to visit the country . If you plan to stay beyond 15 days, you will have to apply for a visa on the official website of the Vietnamese embassy .
Also remember to always check the latest updates related to the situation in the country where you plan to travel on the official website of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs .
What about plane tickets to travel to Vietnam?
Many flights and many companies serve Hanoi from Paris. The code for Hanoi’s international airport, Noi Bai International Airport, is HAN .
We invite you to visit the Skyscanner website to compare flight offers and prices. Only Air France and Vietnam Airlines provide direct flights to/from Paris. The option of making 1 stopover can significantly reduce the cost of transport. Qatar Airways, Emirates, Thai, Aeroflot or Turkish Airlines are good options to explore.
When to travel to Vietnam and when to visit Hanoi?
Hanoi has a humid tropical climate characterized by 2 seasons: the rainy season and the dry season.
Between January and March, the weather is mostly overcast with a fairly low ceiling. Between March and May and between September and December are the best times to visit Hanoi . Between June and August, temperatures reach peaks which is not necessarily conducive to stays in the second most populated city in Vietnam and in addition, it rains very regularly.
We are visiting Hanoi for the first time in this month of March 2020. In 5 days, the temperatures varied between 18 and 28 degrees. Not a single day of rain. The day before our arrival, the capital of Vietnam was very heavily rained. The weather is therefore very difficult to predict around here.
How to get around Hanoi? Visit Hanoi with an agency or independently
The advantage of traveling with an agency like Shanti Travel is that we are most of the time accompanied by a French-speaking guide for our visits, in addition to a local driver . They both wait for us in the morning at the hotel and the day goes by without any hassle .
If you decide to visit Hanoi independently or to visit the Vietnamese city on your own, walking is a good way to soak up the city at your own pace, especially if you stick to the historic center. For any other type of travel, we recommend using the Grab application, which is widely used in Hanoi. Travel is cheaper than a taxi and thanks to the application, you know the amount to pay when ordering the ride.
Don’t confuse guide and driver when you travel in Asia and even more so in Vietnam. The locals as a whole don’t speak a word of English . When someone tells you “not a word”, it really isn’t a single word. Our driver didn’t even know how to say “Good morning”, “bye bye” or “Welcome”. We had never seen that. And if we add the lack of expression on his face, it’s fair to say that it was better to be accompanied by a French-speaking guide in addition to know exactly where we were going.
What about the SIM card in Hanoi and Vietnam?
We once again chose to buy a SIM card package on the Explod website for this trip . As we are very data-hungry, we never ran out during our stay in Hanoi. We recommend Explod 100% for the rates offered, the ease of use and what’s more, you receive your SIM card directly at home by mail before you leave and with no delivery costs. If you change countries during your trip, you don’t need to change your SIM card . Practical!
The technical advantage is that your phone connects to the most efficient network based on its location , which is not the case when you buy your SIM card directly at the airport or if you extend your subscription with your usual operator in France. Finally, your connections are completely secure unlike the wifi in public places (airports, hotels, restaurants, etc.). We tried to connect our Mac to the hotel wifi during our stay in Hanoi. When we saw our antivirus go crazy, we quickly stopped and preferred to use the data from our Explod SIM cards via a shared connection . The process is also very easy to set up and only takes a few seconds.
We strongly advise you to read our article on travel insurance even for stays of less than 90 days . You will realize that you may not be so well insured during your trips, especially if you plan to do sports activities . Insurance linked to bank cards covers you as well as your civil insurance. But have you already studied and compared the ceilings and ultimately all the services offered with travel insurance like those offered by Chapka Assurance? In any case, it costs nothing to request a quote online !
Like you probably, we and insurance were two different things. But when we started, we realized that we weren’t necessarily that well covered. Chapka Assurances is an expert in online travel insurance . They insure thousands of travelers all over the world all year round, including us since the beginning of 2018. We highly recommend them. Reimbursements are also known to be fast .
It is best to consult your doctor before leaving to visit Hanoi and travel to Vietnam, in particular to check if you are up to date with your vaccinations and to be aware of the situation regarding malaria . On this point in particular, there is no problem in the city. If, on the other hand, you plan to wander around Vietnam, the precautions to take depend on the regions visited .