Finding Marj

9 Things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam (a travel diary)
Solo Travel Edition

Travel Date: July 31-Aug 5, 2025

1. Try their Vietnamese Coffee.
I went to Giao Mua Coffee since it’s just walking distance from my Hostel.
The cafe has a very distinct and modern interior and exterior. Literal na fresh from the pinterest board.
I ordered their Salted Cream Coffee worth 65,000 VND.

2. Roam around Old Quarter.
Sobrang kakaiba yung magic ng Old Quarter. It gets busy during peak time, so i suggest you roam around early or pa-gabi para hindi na din masyadong mainit. Maraming hidden spots that offers good foods, and good deals if you are into shopping.

3. Try to book a Grab.
The Grab culture in vietnam is out of this world.
The fare could go as low as 40 pesos if very short distance.
Since i am travelling solo, i used grab every single time.
Palakasan na lang din siguro ng guardian angel, kasi sobrang daming motor sa lahat ng corner ng Hanoi.

4. Try the Hop on - Hop Off Bus Tour from Klook
Less than P300 and you get to roam around the Old Quarter na din for more or less an hour. May options if you want to hop on-hop off. On my case, i chose the non-stop since i just want to see the attractions sa area.
I tried both afternoon and evening, and i must say, mas worth it ang evening view.
Best din ito sa mga tight ang schedule nila sa Hanoi, since it’s all attractions in one na. And if you got time, of course, you can visit those different places on your own pace na.

5. Go to Train Street.
I don’t know what kind of magic there is sa train street, pero this is a MUST on your Hanoi Itinerary. Make sure lang to check the schedule of the trains para you get to experience the full package.
Expect lang din na foods and drinks are way expensive here kasi Tourist Spot yung place (business is business)
For me twice ako bumalik kasi nung unang punta ko, nakadaan na yung train.
If you want magtipid, you can simply buy any drinks there, and kain na lang kayo somewhere.

6. Try Local Foods.
I can’t stress this enough, vietnam offers rich culture through their foods.
You can find different stalls everywhere, and on my experience, malinis naman yung mga foods nila. Sometimes, nakikita mo pa kung paano nila niluluto, somehow entertaining din.
Usually you can get 1 dish for as low as 40,000VND na, and if hindi naman malakas kumain, good for 2 na din sya.
On my end, sad kasi i can’t order so much dahil i am solo travelling, and wala akong kahati sa food. Hopefully next time, i’d get to try more kapag may kasama na ako 🙂

7. Souvenir Shopping
You will see bunches of souvenir stores in Hanoi, but the place where i bought all of my pasalubongs are from Ate Ha Store.
She is so welcoming, and even gave me 20,000VND because i am pinoy (cute right hahahaha) which i use din to pay for everything. She even gave me discounted price. She also accepts card (YES - card payment) in case you don’t have enough cash kasi mapapabili ka talaga ng madami.

8. Cafe Hopping.
Again, the coffee culture in Vietnam is top tier.
Almost every single streets, you’ll stumble upon different coffee shops who offers good coffee.
This one that i just discovered the same day is May Kitchenware and Coffeeshop. I ordered their Matcha Latte, and by far, the best Matcha Latter i’ve ever tried on this trip.

9. People and Street Watching.
I went to Hoan Kiem Lake, walked around, then stumbled upon Cong Caphe in front of the Lake. I ordered the Coconut Coffee, and have told myself why didn’t i discovered it on my day 1? It was that good. I just stayed sa veranda ng cafe, watching people passing by kasi i was on the 2nd floor. It was a good way for me to reflect everything that had happened in my life, and watching different people passing by just made me feel small in this big world.

Hanoi Vietnam is rich in culture through foods, people, and so much more.

In case that you will be visiting the country, you can also use my Agoda Code for 10% discount: FINDINGMARJ

I can’t wait to share with you my Sapa Journey.
In case you wanna know my Vietnam Itinerary and Budget, please let me know in the comment section.

And if you reached this far, please do know that you are more than what you are earning. Don’t be afraid to step out of your circle, and live your life. Remember, it only has to make sense to you, girl!

Other resources:
Vietnam Esim: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1GUcYRivnf/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Vietnam Hop on - Hop off: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18W712Jvyd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

How to got to Sapa via Sleeper Bus: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18cMv32Wqe/?mibextid=wwXIfr

You can also follow me on my social media accounts:
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/marjlamocot

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