Food & Coffee · 5 min read
What a Hanoi Food-Stop Table Looks Like (Before You Order)
A practical read of low tables, shared herbs, and pay-the-vendor stops on a Hanoi food walk — what you can see before choosing a dish.
Hanoi · Journal
The Hanoi Journal
Field notes from the local guides who walk Hanoi with our guests every day — a companion to our practical Hanoi Knowledge guides.
For dated photos and walk records, see Real Moments. To meet our guides and read how reviews work, visit Guides & Trust.
Browse Hanoi Knowledge →All articles
18 articles
Read article →
Read article →Neighbourhoods · 5 min read
Long Bien Bridge: Walking Context (Not a Photo Stunt)
How to approach Long Bien Bridge on foot — working railway, river views and safety — without treating the span as an isolated selfie stop.
Read article →Plan Your Trip · 4 min read
Hanoi Weekend Night Market: How to Walk It
What the Old Quarter weekend pedestrian market is for — browsing, street food and crowd rhythm — and how to keep the evening manageable.
Read article →Heritage · 6 min read
Temple of Literature Hanoi: A Place Where Learning Became Memory
A story-led introduction to Hanoi's Temple of Literature: its courtyards, scholar stelae and enduring place in Vietnam's culture of learning.
Read article →Plan Your Trip · 3 min read
Hanoi Weather: Best Time to Visit Hanoi (Month by Month)
When is the best time to visit Hanoi? A month-by-month breakdown of weather, temperature, rainfall and what to pack — from local guides who walk the city year-round.
Read article →Food & Coffee · 8 min read
Top 10 Hanoi Street Food Dishes You Must Try (Local Guide)
Ten Hanoi street-food dishes to recognise, order, and enjoy on a walk — practical local context rather than a list of restaurant claims.
Read article →Food & Coffee · 4 min read
Bun Cha Hanoi: The Story Behind Obama's Favorite Dish
The grilled pork noodle bowl Barack Obama ate with Anthony Bourdain — what makes Hanoi bun cha unforgettable, and where locals actually eat it.
Read article →Heritage · 7 min read
O Quan Chuong Gate: Last Surviving Gate of Hanoi's Old Quarter
How to find, read, and respectfully include O Quan Chuong Gate in an Old Quarter walk — its 1749 origins, later name, architecture, and eastern-edge setting.
Read article →Food & Coffee · 4 min read
Banh Mi in Hanoi: A Cultural Connection in Every Bite
Bánh mì in Hanoi is a quick, adaptable street meal: how to recognise a good stop, what to order, and where it fits between a morning walk and an afternoon coffee.
Read article →Plan Your Trip · 9 min read
Shopping in Hanoi: Markets, Streets and When to Go
Where shopping in Hanoi actually happens — Old Quarter trading streets, Dong Xuan Market, craft lanes and modern malls — and how to choose a route that fits your trip.
Read article →Food & Coffee · 4 min read
Sipping Serenity: The Best Cafes in Hanoi (Local Picks)
A practical guide to coffee stops in Hanoi: how to choose a café, drink egg coffee thoughtfully, and fit a slow cup into an Old Quarter walking day.
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Heritage · 3 min read
Lunar New Year Feasts in Hanoi: Tet Food Traditions
What's on a Hanoi family's Tet table — banh chung, gio lua, mut and the rituals that turn a meal into the most important moment of the Vietnamese year.
Read article →Plan Your Trip · 3 min read
Hanoi in Spring: Weather, Flowers and Walking Pace
What spring usually feels like in Hanoi — cool mornings, drizzle, peach blossoms and festival weekends — and how to plan walks without treating one season as a guarantee.
Read article →Culture · 5 min read
Buddhism in Vietnam: Major Branches & Hanoi Practice
A traveller's guide to Vietnamese Buddhism — Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana — and how to experience it at Hanoi's living temples like Tran Quoc, Temple of Literature and Kieu Lady Temple.
Read article →Food & Coffee · 4 min read
Grilled Beef, Northern Style: Bò Nướng in Hanoi
Bò nướng — Northern Vietnamese grilled beef — is one of Hanoi's defining street-food experiences. A guide to the marinade, the charcoal, the herbs and where the dish fits into local culinary heritage.
Read article →Heritage · 4 min read
St Joseph's Cathedral Hanoi: Gothic Landmark & Christmas Guide
Hanoi's St Joseph's Cathedral is a 19th-century Gothic Revival masterpiece in the Old Quarter — and the city's most atmospheric place to experience Christmas Eve. A complete visitor guide.
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Food & Coffee · 3 min read
A Narrow Bánh Rán Shop on Thai Thinh (VnExpress Profile)
What a 2019 VnExpress feature recorded about Mr Khanh's tiny Thai Thinh bánh rán shop — family recipe, salty filling, and how to read the story without treating it as live operating data.
Read article →Heritage · 4 min read
Kieu Lady Temple Hanoi: 800 Years on Hoan Kiem Lake
The Kieu Lady Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake honours the mother goddess Lieu Hanh and has stood at the heart of Hanoi for nearly 800 years. A concise guide to its history, architecture and festivals.
More to explore
Journal articles add culture, food, and neighbourhood context. Pair them with these pages when you are planning a walk.
- Real Moments — dated photos and stories from recent walks
- Guides & Trust — meet the guides and read our review approach
- Places — landmark and neighbourhood guides