Most people who’ve been to Hanoi quite like it and I can see why, but I’ve been to Vietnam three times now and each time go away feeling a bit disappointed. Much like Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi is just missing something that I can’t quite get my head around. Stayed at the Sheraton Hanoi, check out more about that here. About a 5-10 minute taxi into the town or 30 minute walk.  Not bad but nothing special and probably wouldn’t stay there again.

Hanoi has a pretty laid back atmosphere, there are parts of the town that are pretty busy, mainly with motorcycles that Vietnam is famous for but it’s nothing compared to say Ho Chi Minh.  The cycling tour which took us outside the city was mediocre, the photo tour walking around Hanoi was not bad and the golf was good apart from my drunken golf partner who set a new record for most amount of pick up holes in one round (17).  You can read more about them in the Things To Do in Hanoi section.

Overall I’m glad I went but wouldn’t go back again in a hurry but there are worse places to go in Asia. There’s nothing really bad about it but not any one or combination of things to do or see to make you go back. If you’ve done a bit of traveling and are just looking for somewhere different to go, then by all means, it’s worth a visit, I’d say 2 or 3 days is sufficient to check out most of the things in the city and if you’re going on a golf trip there, you could do a few more days not get too bored.

For more info about things to do and places to visit in Hanoi, check out our Things To Do page and Toucan’s Hanoi map.