Explore Hanoi in 24 Hours: Your Ultimate One-Day Travel Guide

Guangxi borders Vietnam and is a great choice for a short independent city walk. For a three to four day holiday in March, the fourth stop of the weekend trip was Hanoi, Vietnam.

Preparation:
1️⃣ Get the visa done a week in advance through FlyPig; the closer to the departure date, the more expensive it gets. The passport must have at least 6 months of validity!
2️⃣ Book the hotel a week in advance. Try to use Agoda for online payment in RMB. We could only book AJISAI homestay for 400 yuan at the last minute, with two bedrooms and a living room.

Offline payment was a bit more expensive, but the environment was very nice, and the receptionist spoke Chinese and was very friendly, so it was worth it.

[Day 1 > Departure]
⏰ Morning: Nanning Langdong Bus Station → Vietnam, 188 yuan.
⭐ It takes about 2 hours to pass through Liangshan via the Friendship Pass, and you need to change vehicles. Try to leave early as the queues get longer later in the day. Bring some lunch and snacks. Departing at 7:40 AM, we arrived in Vietnam around 4-5 PM.

[Day 2 > Street Exploration]
1️⃣ For breakfast, queue up for Pho10 beef noodle soup, which tastes good, but be careful with the spicy chili!
2️⃣ Nearby is St. Joseph’s Cathedral, where you can start your street exploration.
3️⃣ The internet-famous shark-mouth building and boat-shaped cafe by Hoan Kiem Lake are said to be scheduled for demolition at the end of April.

The view from the cafe across the street is quite nice, and you can try the special egg coffee☕.
4️⃣ The Old Quarter has many unique shops and snacks. Take your time, eat small portions, and try different foods. Go to the places with the most people for rice porridge, fried dough sticks, and grilled meat noodles.

5️⃣ Tong Chun Market has a strong local atmosphere, and you can take many cultural photos.
6️⃣ The cathedral in the North Gate area is quiet with few people and has a rich color background.
7️⃣ Visit Tran Quoc Pagoda and Zhenwu Temple to experience the local religious culture.
8️⃣ At Ba Dinh Square, you can deeply feel the brotherly friendship.

9️⃣ In the evening, there are many small hot pot stalls near Train Street. A Tom Yum hot pot costs about 40 yuan per person, and the fried chicken wings are sweet, crispy, and delicious. Choose the stalls with the most people.
🔟 Train Street is full of cafes. Find a nice one to sit in, and every half hour, a train passes by, giving a sense of time travel, but be careful!

Afterword: You can basically cover all the above spots in one day, walking and stopping. Each spot is about 10-20 minutes apart on foot. The roads are narrow, and taking a taxi can be very congested. Although it’s tiring, there will be many unexpected little surprises along the way. It’s recommended to eat small portions and try the popular snacks. On the third day, we will head to Halong Bay. Stay tuned! ❤️