We may receive a commission if you make purchases through affiliate links (at no extra cost to you). Read why our approach to travel is different.
Oh, Hanoi, my second home, how glorious you are! With your delicious pink sunsets…Over the last decade, the capital city of Vietnam has soared in popularity. Every third person I know is on their way to Hanoi. Living here for seven years gave me a lot of local insights.
For anyone traveling here soon, I suggest swaying away from the typical tourist attractions that you’d visit if you booked a guided holiday tour (how boring), like the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and Hoan Kiem Lake — don’t get me wrong, they’re incredible sightseeing landmarks, but they’re heaving with tourists and are probably already on your radar.
Take it from someone who lived here, spending weekends exploring the hidden treasures and experiencing life as a local: Hanoi is full of so much cool stuff to do! So, instead, why not discover the most unusual things to do in Hanoi for your next visit?
Local Hanoi Travel Insights: Ultimate 4 Days Hanoi Itinerary: An Insider’s Perspective
Skip to...
- 1. Banana plantations: Discover a “beach”
- 2. Ba Trang Pottery Village: Pottery paradise
- 3. Flower Fields: Discover a “Little Holland”
- 4. Gemstone Ring Workshop: Create your own jewelry
- 5. Le Mat Village: Ready to eat snake?
- 6. Tofu-making class: For the vegans and foodies
- 7. Local explorations: Cycle from Tay Ho to Truc Bach
- 8. Hỏa Lò Prison: Former Vietnamese prison
1. Banana plantations: Discover a “beach”
Kicking things off with an area you’d only know existed if you dug a little deeper below the surface, Hanoi’s banana plantations basically run parallel to the whole of Au Co (the main city “highway”), so across the road on the other side of the Old Quarter, along the Red River. Sometimes you’ll hear it called by the name Banana Island, or locally as Đảo Chuối.
Home to local communities and farms, the area feels extremely tropical, raw, and untouched, and it’s a little green reprieve from Hanoi’s general buildings on top of each other — and mayhem!
You will need a motorbike to get here, or know an expat who lives in Hanoi, in which case you can jump on the back of a bike, playing passenger. Another option is to rent a bicycle and cycle here.
We aptly nicknamed the banana plantations “the beach” because parts of it run along the banks of the Red River, and we’ve swum in the waters many times. If you’re not keen on dipping your toes, pack a picnic and chill on the sands watching the local barge boats sail by.
2. Ba Trang Pottery Village: Pottery paradise
I’ll never forget the first time I visited Ba Trang Pottery Village — I love it so much I’ve visited at least eight times. And I would always bring visiting friends and family here. The village itself was founded as a potter’s village all the way back in the 14th century, and has continued to operate as one ever since!
As you enter the village, you’ll notice local houses brimming with pottery because most of the residents here are potters!
Adding to the unusual things to do in Hanoi, you can take a pottery class at Ba Trang, sitting behind the potter’s wheel. There’s also this covered open-air pottery shopping paradise, with stalls selling all sorts of pottery and ceramics under the sun (especially those with traditional motifs). Lastly (and I don’t know how many people know about this), there’s a section behind the village along the riverbank. It’s here where the broken or non-perfect ceramics are disposed of. Some are hidden underneath the sand, and it requires some elbow grease to dig them up. But I always love hunting for these treasures!
P.S. It’s known by a few names, including Bát Tràng Ceramic Village and Bát Tràng Ancient Village, but all roads lead here. Local buses also run to the village, and there are local tours available. Also you’ll find here the Bát Tràng Pottery Museum, a recent-ish addition opening up in 2018.
3. Flower Fields: Discover a “Little Holland”
I seriously believe that I was born in the wrong era! Or, perhaps I chose the wrong career (jokes) and should have been a florist! To say I am besotted with flowers is an understatement. Call me a flower child, I’ll happily claim the label!
Nothing brings me greater joy than frolicking among fields of flowers. Whenever I am in Northern Thailand, I always make a point of visiting one or more of its flower fields.
One thing you’ll notice all over the city is the insane amount of flowers, sold or left with hardly a petal turning brown after being discarded post-shrine time. Flowers are so cheap in Hanoi, too! One thing you’d never realise, but one of the most beautiful of the unusual things to do in Hanoi, is discovering its floral paradise. There are so many spots!
In Tay Ho, there’s a flower garden tourist attraction, Thung lũng hoa hồ Tây. We expats affectionately named it “Little Holland” because there’s a windmill in front with an ever-changing flower display decorating around it, and tulips peeping out. You’ll find a restaurant here and some cute activities. Some of my other favourite spots are West Lake Flower Valley, Tay Tuu Flower Village, Red River Rock Flower Garden, and Nhat Tan Flower Village.
When the clock strikes 12 pm, head out to the Quảng Bá Flower Market in Tay Ho, which only operates at night from about midnight.
4. Gemstone Ring Workshop: Create your own jewelry
Along with my penchant for flowers, another thing that deems me a ’70s hippie child at heart is my love for crystals and gemstones! Did you know that the locals (both young and old) of Hanoi love crafting and are really good with their hands? I think this goes for the whole of Vietnam!
A gemstone ring-making workshop offers something creative and different to do, hence it’s one of the unusual things to do in Hanoi. Plus, if you’ve always wanted to work with metals, now is a perfect opportunity. Pick between various workshops (make sure to pre-book online), or pop into one of the local silversmiths offering classes, like M.Land (Vùng Ký Ức), conveniently located along Ma May in the centre of the Old Quarter.
A little secret I discovered for any fellow gem-loving friends. Along Hoàng Hoa Thám Street, i.e., Plant Street (off Lac Long Quan Street near Tay Ho side), there are a few local chi ois selling gemstones for unbelievably cheap prices! I’d always buy hundreds and gift them to my students come year-end.
5. Le Mat Village: Ready to eat snake?
Did you know that eating…snake…(yes, you read that right) is common in certain parts of Vietnam? Near Hanoi, the Le Mat Village is perhaps the country’s most famous snake-eating spot. It’s not a typical Hanoi street food, though.
Believed to contain medicinal properties, as well as relating to ancient folklore, you’ll find restaurants here where the snake is cooked like a family-style meal. Don’t worry, they won’t just drop a snake head on a plate — although they do preserve these in rice wine and then sell them! (You will spot them in specific souvenir shops around Hanoi city.)
Instead, the snake is treated like any other meat. Dare to try it, if you’re brave enough!
The snake village is located in Long Bien, just across the way from the Old Q over the iconic Long Bien bridge. For a convenient way to experience it all, I’d recommend booking a dinner tour.
Foodie Insighters: 11 Traditional Foods in Hanoi You Have to Try
6. Tofu-making class: For the vegans and foodies
Swapping culinary pursuits, this one is a little less daunting and involves NO animal parts whatsoever!
Tofu is extremely popular in Vietnam, and is featured not only in dishes without any meat source, but also often, along with meat and vegetables. Made from soybeans, the process that it follows is a little like making cheese.
But how cool?! Especially if you’re vegan/enjoy hosting/are a budding cook/foodie, this is certainly an epic skill to have in your arsenal! Apart from this specific cooking class, general vegan cooking classes are available among the unusual things to do in Hanoi.
Vegetarians: Don’t miss out on these 14 Delicious Vegetarian Vietnamese Foods to try in Vietnam
7. Local explorations: Cycle from Tay Ho to Truc Bach
Out of all of Hanoi’s neighborhoods, Truc Bach is my personal favorite. Situated between the start of the Old Quarter and the start of Tay Ho, the area is built around a lake, with dreamy coffee shops and a very local way of life, where the buildings whisper for you to take photographs of them, or you could easily spend a couple of hours wandering around the little streets and pathways parallel to the lake.
Hire a bicycle from Tay Ho (a little closer than the Old Quarter) or from within the Old Quarter and explore this part of Hanoi on two wheels! You can stop and start at your leisure, pulling over for anything that catches your attention.
At Truc Bach Lake, hire swan peddle boats, buy banh xeo (trust me) from one of the locals on the main road, or ice-cream from Hanoi’s oldest ice-cream shop, Quán Kem Hồ Tây. My favorite bookstore is located in Truc Bach: the magical Bookworm Hanoi. It’s the best place/option for buying English novels, with a fantastic spiritual section!
Local Guide: Discover some of the best cafes around Hanoi!
8. Hỏa Lò Prison: Former Vietnamese prison
Hỏa Lò is typically included in city tour agendas as it’s a famous landmark, but I had to include it in this list because it’s not very often that you have an old prison (in any country) with so much history to share that becomes such a major attraction! Not just that, but the prison served as one for various cultures and wars!
For this reason, it’s one of the unusual things to do in Hanoi that you cannot miss out on, especially if you’re a history buff.
Established by the French (when they invaded) circa 1896, when it was called Maison Centrale, they detained Vietnamese here. Then, after the locals claimed their country back and the infamous Vietnam War ensued, the Vietnamese held American soldiers hostage here! It now serves as a museum, with bone-chilling displays, real artifacts, and loads of educational insights.
P.S. The area around Hỏa Lò is really beautiful, so go explore on foot!
Covering the unusual things to do in Hanoi, luckily for you, you’re reading alongside a Hanoian pro over here, and I have loads more to share about the city. Looking for the best bars in Hanoi? Got you covered! Or how about Hanoi’s best French restaurants? You bet! If you’re based in the Old Quarter, discover my top eateries around Hanoi’s Old Quarter here.
Moving on to some more things to do in Hanoi, there are so many epic museums around the city! Use this convenient 3-day Hanoi itinerary to plan around it all.
Share This Article
Traveling soon? Subscribe to The Insight below and get exclusive access to our personalized travel advice community via WhatsApp so you can ask all your burning travel questions.
Looking for the best comprehensive travel insurance? SafetyWing has you covered.
And for your eSIM in every country, there is only one option we recommend: Airalo.
Read more of our best insights from around the world
