Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, is not only crowded in the daytime, but it is also sparkling and busy at night. Let's explore the atmosphere of Hanoi nightlife with Handspan Travel Indochina!

The article includes the top 08 activities you should not miss for a wonderful night in Hanoi below.

Let's find detailed information on each of the activities!

Exploring Hoan Kiem Lake and the surrounding areas

Hoan Kiem Lake, located in the city center, is one of the popular attractions in Hanoi. No matter if you visit the lake in the daytime or nighttime, the lake has its own beauty to explore. The street lights create a sparkling scenery of the lake and the Old Quarter at night. Walking along the lake and the surrounding area, you can feel the pace of life and the serene and ancient beauty of the Hanoi nightlife.

Hoan Kiem Lake at night

Besides walking and admiring the scenery, and visiting Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter at night, you should not miss these activities below.

• Strolling around Hang Ma Street to enjoy the crowded atmosphere
• Dropping in the best cafés in Hanoi Old Quarter
• Trying street food around Hanoi Old Quarter
• Drinking lemon tea in St. Joseph's Cathedral

Especially if you visit the lake at the weekend, you can enjoy the crowded atmosphere in the pedestrian streets around the lake. Coming here, you will have the chance to go shopping in various stalls selling clothes, shoes, decorations, souvenirs, handicrafts, etc., and enjoy the vibrant music and dance from street artisans. 

Let's come here and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Hanoi nightlife!

Drinking beer in Ta Hien Street

Ta Hien Street is one of the best places to enjoy Hanoi nightlife. Unlike the peaceful scenery in the daytime, Ta Hien Street at night is extremely bustling with street vendors and the tourists' laughter. The street has a combination of Asian and the West's cultures with both modern and ancient characteristics. 

Coming to Ta Hien Street at night, you will feel impressed with the stalls lying side by side that serve Hanoi street food and beers. You can easily order yourself and your friends some cups of Steam beer or bottles of beer at any Ta Hien stall. The images of young group people and Westerners gathering to sip fantastic beer and try some snacks have made a strong impression on Hien Street's first-time visitors.

Ta Hien Street at night

Besides the stalls along the street, Ta Hien Street is also bustling with pubs and bars in which you can enjoy vibrant and lively music and some cups of cocktails. Below is the list of some featured bars in Ta Hien Street that you should drop in.

• 1900 Le Theater Bar
• Prague Pub
• Hay Bar

Let's invite your friends to come to Ta Hien Street and have a wonderful time!

Enjoying the crowded atmosphere at famous bars in Hanoi

The bar is the most favorite place for gathering and enjoying Hanoi nightlife. Besides the bars in Ta Hien Street, Hanoi also has many other bars with lively, rock, and soothing music. Coming to the bar, you can immerse yourself in the music and glistening lights, chat with friends, and try tasty drinks made by professional baristas. You can refer to these bars below for a wonderful night in Hanoi.

The Rooftop Bar

• Address: 83B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
• Opening hours: 09.00 a.m. - 11.30 p.m.

The Rooftop Bar is one of the most popular bars in Hanoi. Located on the 19th floor of the Pacific Place Building, the bar is an ideal place to admire a panoramic view of the city. The most special feature of The Rooftop is the extremely luxurious and elegant space.

Bee'Znees 

• Address: 163 Phung Hung Street, Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
• Opening hours: 07.00 p.m. - 00.00 a.m.

Unlike other regular pubs and bars, Bee'Znees is a Speakeasy Bar. Stepping inside the bar, you will have a relaxing, gentle feeling. No noise or heat, just the musical sound of jazz music playing.  

Tadioto Bar

• Address: 24 Tong Dan, Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
• Opening hours: 09.00 a.m. - 02.00 a.m.

Unlike other crowded bars, Tadioto Bar attracts guests with its soothing music and gentle decoration. Everything in Tadioto Bar shows its owner's delicacy, from abstract paintings, artistic decorations, and fabric lanterns to steel bars. The gentle tempo and moderate volume of music in the bar create a suitable space for people to talk. Sometimes, you can catch up with poetry reading sessions, live music performances, and art exhibitions in Tadioto Bar.

Tadioto Bar

Besides these bars above, you can refer here for more wonderful bars in Hanoi.

Let's come to the bars with your friends and enjoy the best of Hanoi nightlife!

Admiring Hanoi from the rooftop cafés

Besides famous attractions, Hanoi is also popular with drinking coffee culture. Coming to Hanoi, you can find various cafés, from small stalls along the streets to luxury cafés. Especially at night, the cafés look incredibly glittering. If you would like to enjoy delicious and attractive coffee and drinks while admiring Hanoi nightlife from above, choosing a rooftop coffee will be an advisable choice. Let's find some rooftop cafés in Hanoi you should not miss.

Trill Rooftop Café & Bistro

• Address: 26th floor, Hei Tower, 01 Nguy Nhu Kon Tum, Nhan Chinh, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi
• Opening hours: 8.00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m.
• Price: from VND 50,000

Trill Rooftop Café is located on the 26th floor of the Hei Tower Building, with a total area of 420 square meters. Coming to Trill Rooftop, you will feel impressed with the rustic design of plain tones and handmade decorations. Besides, the café's swimming pool on the rooftop also attracts guests coming to enjoy drinks and take beautiful photos.

Avalon Café & Lounge

• Address: No 73 Cau Go Street, Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
• Opening hours: 7.00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m.
• Price: from VND 40,000

Avalon Café is one of the rooftop cafés in Hanoi you should not miss. Staying in Avalon, you can appreciate an overall view of Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, and Hanoi Old Quarter. 

Eden Coffee

• Address: 02 Nha Tho, Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
• Opening hours: 8.00 a.m. - 10.00 p.m. 
• Price: from VND 30,000

Eden Coffee impresses its guests with its Bohemian decorations and large glass windows inside and the rooftop with opening space in the outside area. Staying here, you have the chance to admire the panoramic view of St. Joseph's Cathedral and the streets around it.

Please refer here for more rooftop cafés to admire the Hanoi nightlife from above!

Watching a water puppet show in the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

Water puppets have been a unique traditional folk theater art form in Vietnam for more than a hundred years. If you would like to learn about Vietnam's traditional customs and culture, watching a puppet show at night will be a suitable choice for you. Through the performances, you can understand the mythical legends and heroes of Vietnam.

Water Puppet in Hanoi

Watching the show, you will feel amazed by the performances and the artisans' skills. The water puppet performances are built in the middle of a pond or lake, symbolizing Vietnamese rural houses' roofs. Puppets are made of wood, and performed by controlling the people behind the backdrop through a system of rods and strings. Under the Cheo melodies or folk songs in the Northern Delta of Vietnam and other instruments like drums and bamboo flutes, the water puppet show is more appealing to tourists. 

In Hanoi, the best place to enjoy this art type is Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. It is the only theater in Asia to hit the record for performing water puppetry 365 days a year. 

Let's come here and enjoy your night!

Immersing yourself in the dynamic of the West Lake

Besides Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake is also a fantastic place for enjoying Hanoi nightlife. West Lake is the largest natural lake in Hanoi, with a total area of 50 hectares and 20 kilometers surrounding the lake. The lake is not only an exciting place in the daytime but at night as well. Coming here at night, you can choose yourself a peaceful corner in the lake to chat with your friends, or walk around the lake and try street foods such as shrimp cake, ice cream, and grilled meat while admiring the romantic scenery under the light. 

Surrounding the lake, you can find many exciting bars and pubs that are open until night. Below are some bars you should refer to feel the atmosphere of crowded Hanoi nightlife.

• Sunset Bar at Intercontinental Hotel
• 88 Lounge - Restaurant & Wine Lounge
• Babylon Bar Club
• The Local Sports Bar

Besides, there are many other exciting characteristics in Westlake waiting for you to explore. Let's immerse yourself in the atmosphere of West Lake at night!

Visiting the Quang Ba flower market

Quang Ba Flower Market is one of the largest night flower markets in Hanoi you should not miss. The market on Nghi Tam dyke in Tay Ho District is always crowded with sellers and buyers every night, especially from 01.00 a.m. to 02.30 a.m. 

Quang Ba Flower Market

Coming here, you will have a chance to admire various flower stalls with different types and colors of flowers, from roses, and yellow daisies to lilies, tulips, etc. Besides, you can enjoy the bustling atmosphere of Hanoi nightlife from the laughter, the talk between sellers and buyers, and the sound of large and small flower cars crowded in and out. 

Experiencing the night tours in Hanoi

Hanoi is now having more and more professional night tour services to serve tourists. Joining these tours is also an ideal way to experience Hanoi nightlife. Below are some outstanding night tours in Hanoi you may want to join. 

Hoa Lo night tour: “Sacred night” Hoa Lo

The Hoa Lo “Sacred Night” tour was created to recreate the most complete moments of the war in Vietnam. Hoa Lo Prison is one of the places that preserve the indomitable past of the Vietnamese people during the resistance war against the enemy. This show will realistically depict the truths of the war. It takes place every Friday and Saturday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The price for the Sacred Night 2 tour is VND 399,000 and the Sacred Night 3 tour is VND 499,000.

Hoa Lo Prison night tour

Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long night tour at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

The night tour “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” starts at 7 p.m. and lasts about 1.5 hours. Joining the night tour, you will have a chance to visualize a part of the history of Thang Long Imperial Citadel spanning from the 7th to the 19th century, throughout the Dai La, Ly, Tran, Mac Le, and Nguyen Dynasties. 

Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

Watching the Quintessence of Tonkin show

The Quintessence of Tonkin show (Tinh Hoa Bac Bo) is the first real scene show in Vietnam. The show's stage lies at the foot of the Thay Pagoda mountain in Sai Son Commune, Quoc Oai District, about 30 kilometers from the center of Hanoi.

The Quintessence of Tonkin show

Watching the show, you will have a chance to learn about the old countryside of Northern Vietnam, from poetry to music, Buddhism, beliefs, etc. Through the combination of lighting systems, sounds, music, voice, storytelling, and the performance of actors, and actresses, you can immerse yourself in ancient cultural life.

In conclusion, through the article, you have just learned about the best activities to enjoy Hanoi nightlife. Hope that with these pieces of information, you can have an exciting time in Hanoi! For further things to know before traveling to Hanoi, please refer to our blog post here: Hanoi travel guide.