How Much Does Hanoi Cost per Day
A full breakdown of Hanoi prices: daily budgets by tier, every itemised cost from the guide, and where the money actually goes.
The short answer
Budget travellers in Hanoi spend around USD 25 a day. Mid-range travel runs closer to USD 65, and a splurge day lands around USD 150. Figures in USD per person per day, roughly 1 USD = 25,500 VND and 1 USD = 1.38 CAD; rates move, check current before you budget.
Daily cost breakdown
- Stay
- Food
- Transport
- Activities
| Tier | Stay | Food | Transport | Activities | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | USD 8 | USD 8 | USD 4 | USD 5 | USD 25 |
| Mid-range | USD 35 | USD 15 | USD 8 | USD 12 | USD 70 |
| Splurge | USD 90 | USD 40 | USD 15 | USD 25 | USD 170 |
Mid-range hotel double, split two ways: $35pp. Pho breakfast $2, bun cha lunch $3, sit-down Vietnamese dinner for two at $16 split $8, two egg coffees $3. Grab rides around town, maybe $5. One paid attraction, say the Temple of Literature at 70,000 VND ($2.70). Total lands close to $59 a person for a full day, before any day trips.
Every priced item in this guide
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Old Quarter walking streets | free |
| Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple | free for the lake, 30,000 VND for the temple |
| Temple of Literature | 70,000 VND adults, 35,000 VND students, free under 15 |
| Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex | free for the mausoleum, small fees for the museum and Ho Chi Minh's stilt house |
| Train Street (Pho Duong Tau) | free to walk, cafes charge 30,000-60,000 VND minimum for a drink |
| Vietnam Museum of Ethnology | 40,000 VND adults, 20,000 VND students, free under 6 |
| Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre | 100,000-200,000 VND depending on seat, small camera fee extra |
| West Lake (Ho Tay) | free |
| Long Bien Bridge and the riverside | free |
| Egg coffee cafes around the Old Quarter | 25,000-40,000 VND a cup |
| Pho | VND 35,000-60,000 |
| Bun cha | VND 40,000-60,000 |
| Cha ca | VND 150,000-220,000 per person |
| Banh cuon | VND 25,000-40,000 |
| Egg coffee (ca phe trung) | VND 25,000-40,000 |
| Bia hoi | VND 10,000-15,000 a glass |
| Banh mi | VND 20,000-35,000 |
| Pho cuon | VND 40,000-60,000 |
How to spend less
- Bia hoi (fresh draft beer) on plastic stools costs about 10,000-15,000 VND a glass, a fraction of any bar
- Buses cost 7,000-9,000 VND flat fare across the city if you're not in a hurry
- Xoi (sticky rice) carts near Old Quarter markets are a filling breakfast for under 20,000 VND
- The train to Ninh Binh is a third of the price of a tour van and takes about the same door-to-door time once you add transfers
- Skip hotel airport transfers and just open Grab in arrivals, it's consistently cheaper than what hotels quote