Hanoi Street Food Tour

Book a Hanoi street food tour as soon as you arrive in this bustling capital of Vietnam. You won’t be sorry.

You see, I hated Hanoi in the first hours after I arrived in the city. Crazy motorbike riders. Trash piled up on the sidewalks. The constant toot-toot blowing of horns. Congested streets. It didn’t make sense to my jet-lagged brain. I wanted to hide in my hotel room.

But I know the only treatment for fear is action. So, despite traveling for 30 hours—with four separate plane trips to London, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, and Hanoi—I had to brave Vietnam’s capital. Luckily, I was starving, so I was motivated to find food.

The hotel reception clerk wasn’t helpful when I asked for a good restaurant nearby.

“Lots of good restaurants on this street,” she counseled. “Just try.”

So I stepped outside my hotel lobby and began looking at the cafes selling egg coffee, pho ga, noodles, Bun Cha Ha Noi, and more. I didn’t know any of the items on the menu except pho, so I kept moving on.

The good part about procrastinating about where to eat is that I began to notice the historic architecture, the street art, and the people. The Old Quarter of Hanoi began to slowly enchant me (except for the damn motor bikes) as I wandered down crisscrossing streets and alleys.

Still struggling to decide where to eat, I eventually responded to the Vietnamese teenager’s urging to eat at his family’s restaurant.

“Madam, try this place.”

He acted so sweet that I walked into the cafe. I was immediately reassured that all the tables were filled with locals wielding chopsticks. 

I didn’t know that the restaurant only accepted cash. But the manager exchanged my U.S. currency for Vietnamese dongs so I could stay.

Anthony Bourdain

Food is ridiculously cheap in Hanoi (and throughout Vietnam). For $12, I bought spring rolls, skewers of marinated beef, rice noodles, and fresh veggies. My Saigon beer was warm, but I didn’t want to risk chilling it in my glass of ice cubes. I regret that I didn’t order a dessert or Vietnamese coffee.

What I learned from this awkward first tourist activity in Hanoi was transformative. The city was going to steal my heart through its food. Anthony Bourdain, host of CNN travelogue Parts Unknown, was right.

“All of the things I need for happiness: Low plastic stool, check. Tiny little plastic table, check. Something delicious in a bowl, check.”—Anthony Bourdain

Bourdain particularly loved Bún bò Huế and Banh mi Phuong, and the way Vietnamese cuisine is a part of daily life, not just an experience.

Hanoi Street Food Tour

Luckily, I had a premonition that learning about Hanoi’s food scene might be wise, as I booked a three-hour street food tour for my first full day in the old quarter.

In my first 24 hours in Hanoi, I couldn’t risk getting run over by motorbikes, so I booked a taxi through the Grab app. It is super efficient, safe, and cheap.

I always try to do a walking tour when I arrive in a new city, as I learn so much from the locals about their food and customs. (Check out my articles about street food tours in Dublin and Sicily.)

Now I used Viator to find this Hanoi Street Food tour. However, you can also research options through the Get Your Guide or Klook travel apps. There is a wide price range ($25-$50). Based on its reviews, I chose Vietnam Creative Travel’s lunch tour. The tour lasted four hours (11:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.). You start and end in the Old Quarter.

Tour Guide

So my young guide, James, was in his final year at university. Before our tour started, we chatted for 15 minutes about Vietnam and the U.S.A. (He wanted to practice his English on me!)

Since only three people signed up for the tour, we could visit up to nine different establishments in three hours. I was also fortunate that the other attendees had just finished a three-week vacation in Vietnam, so they had a lot of advice on food and places to visit.

James was instrumental in helping me overcome my fear of motorbikes. He just told us to follow him, and then he proceeded to walk into the stream of traffic. He didn’t stop in fear; he didn’t run; he just walked confidently. (Note: Over the next three weeks of my vacation in Vietnam, I would try to find “my inner James” and confidently march into the stream of crazy motorbikes roaring down the streets.)

James’ curated selection of family-run cafes, shops, and sidewalk street vendors made a huge impression on me as I really didn’t know a lot about Vietnamese food specialities.

He provided context about why Vietnamese chefs favor lots of herbs and crunchy vegetables in all their appetizers and entrees. 

He also discussed the casual nature of how the Vietnamese eat on the streets at their favorite eatery.

Stop 1: Fresh Summer Rolls

We had to climb a long staircase to the second floor, where the cafe set up small stools and a big table. We all became chefs as we assembled our summer rolls. Luckily, James demonstrated how to do it first.

Our dish was called “Nem nướng Nha Trang,” which translates to Nha Trang summer rolls.

We started with thin rice paper (bang Trang). I filled one side with lettuce, papaya, carrots, herbs, pork, shrimp, rice, or vermicelli. Then I rolled over once (to hold all the food), folded over both sides, and then rolled entirely to the end. 

Typically, you dip your spring roll into nước chấm (a dip made of fish sauce) or a peanut sauce.

Stop 2: Fried Spring Rolls

Next, we stopped at a street vendor’s stand to eat her Banh Goi (fried spring rolls). Freshly fried in oil, the glistening golden rolls burnt my fingers. The chef typically combines commonly seasoned ground meat, mushrooms, and diced vegetables such as carrots in the mixture.  

I just crunched the end to start. Hot pork, vegetables, and basil exploded in my mouth. 

Stop 3: Bun Cha

Our following sample was eaten on the outdoor patio of a family-run eatery. Even before we sat down, I could smell the fragrant pork sizzling in a pan. 

This was a Hanoi specialty called Bún chả, which translates to Bun Cha (grilled pork with noodles). The dish consisted of grilled pork patties and pork belly slices marinated in aromatic spices.

James demonstrated how to assemble the bowl of Bun Cha (check out my YouTube link here.)

The grilled pork was served in a dipping sauce with rice noodles, fresh basil, and crunchy pickles.

Stop 4: Craft Beer (and a side of Morning Glory)

Beer lovers rejoice. You can drink craft beer brewed in Hanoi if you don’t always want to order canned beer, such as Saigon and Tiger.

Our guide also surprised us by ordering bowls of “Bia hoi Ha Noi,” a savory bowl of stir-fried morning glory (water spinach). Garlic is the critical ingredient. I wanted to eat this side dish at every dinner. It is healthy and delicious.

Stop 5: Vietnamese Coffee

Before I came to Vietnam, I really didn’t understand all the fuss about their coffee. Frankly, I thought the idea of mixing condensed milk into strong coffee sounded disgusting. But then James changed my mind.

He took us to Cafe Giang; it was filled with locals. Our waiter brought us a cup of egg coffee suspended in a bowl of hot water, and a cloud of cream floated on the top.

“Do not stir your coffee,” warned our guide.

The key to drinking an egg coffee is to nudge your spoon along the side of the cup to get part cream and part coffee. 

A restaurant owner invented egg coffee (Cà phê trứng) 80 years ago. The son of Café Giang’s founder Nguyen Giang claims that his father developed the recipe for the drink when milk was scarce in Vietnam in the late 1940s, replacing milk with egg yolk.

The key ingredients are egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk, and Robusta coffee. A sip of Vietnamese egg coffee is like a dessert in a cup.

Stop 6: Pho Ga

Pho is probably Vietnam’s national dish. It is an iconic soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat. Every major U.S. city probably boasts a pho (soup) restaurant.

The key to this Vietnamese soup is the broth. We went to a cafe specializing in Phở gà (chicken noodle soup). The chef must slowly cook chicken bones, water, and spices for 10 hours.

The chef serves the pho with dark chicken meat, rice noodles, and herbs. Our guide showed us how to “dress” our pho with rau ram, mint, Thai basil, slices of jalapeño chile, mung bean sprouts, and lime wedges (watch my Instagram reel here.)

Stop 7: Vietnamese Donuts

After eating our pho, we headed down a series of tiny streets until we stood before a (very popular) street vendor frying Bánh rán (translated Vietnamese donut) in a vat of oil. This snack food sample blew me away.

Crispy donut balls are often served with a sugar glaze. The secret ingredient in this recipe is mashed potatoes!

This concoction offered four styles: traditional (sugary), icing ( ginger), sesame, and savory mung bean filling. The donuts are packed in a (greasy) bag and should be eaten hot. 

Stop 8: Vietnamese Dessert

Naturally, at our last stop, my guide insisted that I order dessert even though I told him my stomach might burst.

Thankfully, he ignored me and suggested several light desserts. I chose “Xôi xoài,” which is sticky rice with mango slices.

I absolutely fell in love with this concoction. The sticky rice was thick and chewy, naturally dyed lime green from a plant. I poured a trickle of coconut cream over the dessert. It was divine!

Stop 9: Old Beer Street

Although we didn’t stop to chug a glass of beer at the end of our food tour, James did escort us down Hanoi’s famous “Beer Street.” (Check out my YouTube video here.)

Book It!

In conclusion, food tours are worth every cent if you can dedicate an afternoon or evening to sampling multiple dishes. The best part, in my opinion, is hearing the guide tell his personal stories about these beloved Vietnamese dishes.

I will never forget the food of Vietnam.

“Vietnam. It grabs you and doesn’t let you go. Once you love it, you love it forever.”—Anthony Bourdain