The best way to get around Hanoi’s historic centre is on foot. For longer journeys, Grab or the bus are good options, whilst the metro is of limited use for the average tourist.

I myself mainly got about Hanoi on foot. The city centre is compact, the distances between individual places are short, and you’ll always come across something interesting along the way anyway.

Walking does, however, have its own challenges. Pavements are often blocked by parked motorbikes, crossing the road requires caution, and for some journeys it’s simply more comfortable to hop into an air-conditioned car or bus.

A good hotel location in Hanoi will save you a lot of travelling. I stayed at the WECOZY Hanoi – Railway Side apartment, which was close to both the city centre and the main railway station. I compare other areas and specific hotels in the article ‘Where to stay in Hanoi’.

Which mode of transport should you choose?

Transport	When to use it	Price
On foot	Old Town, around the lake	Free
GrabCar	Longer journeys, rain, luggage	As per the app
GrabBike	Shorter journeys for one person	As per the offer in the app
Bus	Cheap journeys around town	Depending on the route; usually 5 000 vnd
Underground	Journeys to the west and south-west	Single fare approx. 9,000–19 000 vnd

For a first visit , I’d be fine just walking, using a ride-hailing app once and Google Maps for buses. I wouldn’t prioritise accommodation near a metro station when exploring the historic centre. At least not for now, as the metro doesn’t run to the centre (that’s set to change around 2032).

Walking around Hanoi

You can easily walk to Hoan Kiem Lake, St Joseph’s Cathedral, Bach Ma Temple or Dong Xuan Market.

The distances are greater when heading towards the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum or Tran Quoc Pagoda. You can walk there too, but given the heat and fatigue, I’d happily cover part of the journey by bus or Grab.

The pavements aren’t always suitable for pedestrians

The biggest surprise for me wasn’t the distance, but the obstacles. Motorbikes are parked on the pavements, restaurant tables and shop goods spill out onto them, and sometimes you have to step onto the road for a moment.

You’ll make particularly slow progress if you’re carrying luggage or pushing a pram.

The promenade around Hoan Kiem Lake or Thong Nhat Park offers a more pleasant setting for a leisurely stroll.

How do you cross the road?

Even at a marked crossing, I couldn’t count on approaching vehicles automatically giving way to me.

Predictability was what helped me most:

1. If there’s a crossing with traffic lights nearby, use it.
2. Before stepping onto the road, look around and wait for a suitable gap.
3. Walk calmly and at a steady pace. Avoid suddenly breaking into a run or making unpredictable changes of direction.
4. Keep an eye on the traffic at all times whilst crossing. If a collision seems imminent, reacting to the situation takes priority over carrying on at all costs.

The traffic lights worked quite well for me in Hanoi. Even when the light is green, however, keep an eye out for motorbikes, which may appear from an unexpected direction or fail to obey the lights.

At weekends, parts of the area around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter become pedestrian zones. It’s pleasant for a stroll, but if you’re being picked up by car, you’ll need to get in at the edge of the zone.

Grab and other apps

For me, Grab was the easiest way to book a car in Hanoi without having to haggle over the price with the driver.

I selected my pick-up point and destination, saw the price quoted and, after confirming the booking, tracked the driver’s arrival.

In my experience, it worked without any problems. Compared to Bangkok, for example, however, the availability of cars seemed lower. On one occasion, I waited for about 15 minutes around 6.00 pm; the usual wait was 7–10 minutes.

During rush hour, therefore, make sure you allow extra time for the driver’s arrival.

Which apps work in Hanoi?

Apps	What it offers	Why use it
Grab	Cars and motorbike taxis	The version I’ve tried
Green SM	Electric cars and motorbikes	An alternative for comparing offers
Be	beCar, beBike and other services	Another option during a long wait

Green SM is the newer name for the Xanh SM service, under which you will still find it in older guides. The brand was renamed in April 2026.

Green SM also offers a booking service via the local telephone number 1555. Be is another viable alternative, but personally, I used Grab during this visit.

GrabCar or GrabBike?

• GrabCar is a car. I’d choose it if you’re travelling with luggage, in a group, in the rain, or if you want a more comfortable journey.
• GrabBike is a motorbike taxi for a single passenger. It’s suitable if you don’t have much luggage and are happy with the local traffic. Make sure you wear a helmet.

Check the type of service before booking. The price quoted for a car is split between your fellow passengers, whilst a motorbike taxi is based on a single passenger.

How much does Grab cost?

You’ll only find out the exact price once you’ve entered a specific route into the app. It depends on the distance, journey time, type of service and current demand.

For a rough estimate of the cost of short city journeys of a few kilometres, I’d expect it to be in the region of:

• 15 000 vnd 20 000 vnd for a motorbike taxi
• 30 000 vnd up to 60 000 vnd for a car

This is a rough estimate, not a fixed price list or a price guaranteed for every occasion. In the rain or when demand is high, the fare may be higher.

Payment: cash or card?

Please check the payment method in the app before booking:

• Cash: you pay the driver at the end of the journey.
• Card in the app: payment will be taken via your saved card. Grab accepts most international payment cards.

Personally, I’ve always found that paying by card via the app has worked without any problems every time.

Practical tips for booking

I’d set up the app before setting off, whilst you can still easily receive verification text messages.

When booking, make sure you pay particular attention to the following:

• Pick-up point: the marker on the map may not be at the actual hotel entrance.
• Access by car: in narrow streets or pedestrian zones, it may be more practical to be picked up on a nearby main road.
• Vehicle registration number and driver: check that the details match your booking.
• Payment: if you’ve chosen to pay by card, do not pay for the same journey again in cash.
• Price changes: if the destination changes or, for example, the airport entry fee changes, the final amount may differ.

Stay connected during your stay in Hanoi and get a local data eSIM, for example via airalo.com.

Traditional taxis and taximeters

I wanted to try a traditional taxi with a meter in Hanoi. I only managed to do so on the journey to the airport.

On other occasions, the drivers wanted to agree on a price with me in advance, so in the end I decided to book a Grab instead.

I take this as my experience with specific journeys. Taxis with meters do work in Hanoi, but I wouldn’t count on every driver you flag down in the street automatically switching it on.

Even in 2026, travel forums still feature accounts of significantly overpriced short journeys and instances of banknotes being swapped during payment.

These are individual, independently unverified accounts from travellers; however, they do illustrate why I would prefer to use an app.

If you want a traditional taxi:

• Ask the hotel to call one for you, or book with a well-known company such as Mai Linh or Taxi Group.
• Before getting in, make sure the meter is on, or confirm the total fare.
• If you are not happy with the way the fare is calculated, choose another taxi.
• If paying in cash, check the banknote you hand over and the change you receive.

The fact that the meter is switched on does not in itself guarantee that the final fare will be reasonable.

💬 Have you had any personal experience with traditional taxis in Hanoi? Please share any tips on specific companies or tricks for avoiding overpaying in the comments below the article – thanks!

Buses: cheap and more practical than they look

At first glance, the bus system seemed like a confusing mess to me. But once I realised that Google Maps is good at planning public transport routes, I started using buses quite often.

They’re a good option for travelling outside the very centre if you want to save money and don’t mind approximate departure times.

Planning via Google Maps

In Google Maps, enter your destination and switch to public transport. For the suggested journey, check:

• the route number and its direction,
• the exact location of the stop,
• any sections you’ll need to walk at the start and end,
• whether you’re travelling directly or changing services.

Google Maps always planned my routes well, but the times were very approximate.

During my journeys, the buses didn’t stick to the exact departure times shown on Maps. However, there were plenty of them running, so it wasn’t a major problem.

I’d allow plenty of time to get to the train station or any other fixed appointment.

As an additional resource, you can use Tìm Buýt, which is linked to by the transport operator Transerco, or the VinBus route map for its electric buses.

How do you board, pay and alight?

1. At the bus stop, it’s best to wave to the approaching bus.
2. Check the route number and direction, then board via any of the front doors (you can use whichever one you like).
3. There’s always a conductor on the bus. Just get on and the conductor will come round to collect the fare.
4. Have some small notes ready and keep the ticket you’re given.
5. Before your stop, press the STOP button and get ready to get off.

If you’re paying for each journey in cash as you go, bear in mind that you’ll need another ticket when changing buses.

How much does the bus cost? My experience with 5 000 vnd

On my journeys, I’ve always paid 5 000 vnd, even though Google Maps has shown 10 000 vnd on several occasions.

However, there isn’t a flat fare for the whole of Hanoi. As well as the length of the journey, the fare now also depends on the part of the city and the method of payment.

Toll sections and the difference compared to Google Maps

For example, a fare distance of 3–4 km works out at 5 000 vnd.

Carriers’ online price lists may operate under a different system: VinBus, for example, still quotes 10 000 vnd per journey for route E07.

Treat the price shown on Google Maps as a guide only. Check the actual fare with the conductor and against your ticket. For a short visit, cash is a convenient option, but it may not work out at the same price as a correctly used electronic ticket.

Can you pay by card on the bus?

Contactless payment is available on some buses, but it cannot be automatically assumed to be available across the entire network or for every foreign card.

Personally, though, card payments didn’t work for me on a single journey, so I’d definitely take some cash with me.

Useful links for visitors

Please check the bus number in the timetable planner before you set off.

Route	When to use it	Practical information
02	Hoan Kiem Lake → Temple of Literature	6–8 Trang Thi → 92–94 Ton Duc Thang
34	Temple of Literature → north of the Old Quarter	Nguyen Thai Hoc → 80 Tran Nhat Duat
11	North of the Old Quarter → Thong Nhat Park	From the Tran Nhat Duat area to the Công viên Thống Nhất stop
E07	From the city centre towards the new military museum	Long Bien → towards Smart City; allow for a short walk

Details of specific entrances can be found at the Temple of Literature, Thong Nhat Park and the Vietnam Military History Museum.

The BusMap Ha Noi mobile app (available on: Google Play / App Store) provides clear information on the location of stops, routes and current fares.

When do the buses run?

Operating hours vary depending on the route. For many city buses, you can generally expect services to run from 5.00 am to 9.00–10.00 pm, although some finish earlier or later.

The Hanoi Metro

For the time being, the metro is not a practical means of transport for tourists. It does not serve the area around Hoan Kiem Lake or the airport.

It is more suitable for journeys to the western and south-western parts of the city, or if you simply want to experience a metro ride.

Which lines are in operation?

Route	Route section	Single-journey fare paid in cash
2A	Cat Linh – Yen Nghia	9,000–19 000 vnd
3.1	Nhon – Cau Giay	9,000–15 000 vnd

Please note the name of the Nhon – Ga Ha Noi line. It often refers to the entire project, but the section to the main station via the city centre is still under construction. The section currently in operation ends at Cau Giay.

Cat Linh station on Line 2A is relatively close to the Temple of Literature, but when travelling from the Old Quarter, the metro alone does not provide a practical direct connection.

How do you buy a ticket and pass through the turnstile?

For foreign visitors, the two most practical options are:

1. Tapping a contactless Visa card

Direct payment by Visa card is confirmed on both routes, including via a supported mobile phone or smartwatch.

Tap your card when boarding and alighting. Always use the same card or device. Only one passenger may use a single card at any one time.

2. Single-journey ticket from the ticket counter

If you do not wish to use direct Visa payment, you can buy a single ticket at the ticket counter. For foreign visitors without a local travel card, the transport operator will issue a paper QR ticket, which you can use at the turnstile.

You do not need to create an account on the Hanoi Metro app for a single journey. Registering as a foreigner on the app requires passport details, and according to the transport operator, approval can take around three days.

All-day ticket and operating hours

• All-day ticket: 40 000 vndvalid on the day of use.
• Normal operating hours for both routes: 5.30 am–10.00 pm.
• Frequency: approximately 6–15 minutes depending on the time of day; at weekends, the operator states 10 minutes.

For a typical tourist visit to the city centre, I wouldn’t buy an all-day ticket in advance. First, check whether you’ll actually be using the underground on your planned route.

You can find official information on the Hanoi Metro website.

Rickshaws, car and motorbike hire

A cycle rickshaw, known locally as a xích lô, is ideal for a sightseeing tour of the Old Quarter. Make sure you confirm the total price, the duration of the ride and the number of passengers covered by the agreement in advance.

For everyday travel during a short visit, I’d stick to walking, apps and buses. I wouldn’t opt for a car or motorbike hire due to the traffic, parking and the nature of the city centre.

Where should you stay to minimise the need for transport?

For a first visit, I’d look for accommodation in the Old Quarter or within walking distance of Hoan Kiem Lake. Staying near one of the current metro stations won’t, in itself, make exploring the city centre any easier.

Depending on your budget, I’d choose from options such as these:

• North Hostel N.2 – a simple private room with an en-suite bathroom for a tight budget. The basic room is small and the facilities are basic.
• WECOZY Hanoi – Railway Side – an apartment with a kitchenette that I’ve tried myself. For 900 czk per night, I had a large, clean and modern space, close to both the city centre and the main railway station. Bear in mind that there may be some noise from the trains.
• Peridot Grand Luxury Boutique Hotel – a more luxurious option in the Old Quarter with a rooftop pool, from where you can set off on foot.

You can find a more detailed comparison of areas and other specific options in the article ‘Where to stay in Hanoi’.

Transport from the airport and travelling further around Vietnam

Transport from the airport is covered in a separate article, ‘Transport from Hanoi Airport’, where I compare the bus and car journeys. There is currently no metro service to the airport.

If you’re travelling on to Da Nang, do also read about my experience on the Hanoi–Da Nang night train.

Have you travelled by bus in Hanoi? Please write in the comments the route number, the date, the fare you paid and whether you were able to pay by card. It is precisely these specific experiences that will help to further refine this article.