Hanoi Bar Guide
30+ bars across Hanoi's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Hanoi drinks slower and stranger than Saigon. Bars open behind tailor shops. The owner pours your drink at room temperature with no ice if she thinks you should drink it that way. The Old Quarter has the densest cluster of small-format cocktail rooms in southeast Asia.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the action. The Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem) has the heritage bars and most of the cocktail rooms. Tay Ho around the lake is the expat-and-locals quieter quarter. Ba Dinh is the embassy district. Hoan Kiem itself frames the central lake. The French Quarter holds the polished hotel bars.
Cocktails run 180,000 to 280,000 dong ($7 to $11). Cheaper than Saigon. Tipping is not expected. Most bars run to 1am, the speakeasies to 2am. Reserve Ne Cocktail Bar — twelve seats. The Unmaking Co. takes walk-ins until it doesn't.
Browse by occasion
Cocktail Bars in Hanoi
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Hanoi
Skyline drinks
Date Night in Hanoi
Romantic spots
After Work in Hanoi
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Hanoi
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Hanoi
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Hanoi
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Hanoi
Watch parties
Top Picks This Week
Ne Cocktail Bar
Hanoi's most awarded cocktail bar. World's 50 Best Asia regular. Twelve seats inside a former apothecary. Vietnamese-herb-leaning menu, perfect technique. Reserve a counter seat.
The Unmaking Co.
Speakeasy reached through an unmarked steel door. Eighteen seats. Seasonal cocktails using northern-Vietnamese ingredients — green mango, gac fruit, ca cuong (water beetle essence). The most adventurous menu in Hanoi.
Polite & Co
Cocktail bar inside a French-colonial townhouse. Marble counter, candlelight, and a serious classics-driven menu. Best for an unhurried weeknight.
Tadioto
Artist-run cocktail bar that has been open in different locations since 2008. The poet-owner curates the wine list. Live jazz on Wednesdays. Hanoi's most loyal regulars drink here.
Standing Bar
Lake-side craft beer bar with twenty taps and the best Vietnamese craft beer selection in the country. The shrimp-paste-glazed wings pair brilliantly. Standing room and a few stools.
Manzi Art Space
Café-bar-gallery in a French-colonial villa. Coffee, wine, and Vietnamese craft cocktails. The art-and-drinks crossover the Old Quarter built its reputation on.
Neighbourhood Guide
Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem)
The medieval thirty-six streets. The densest cocktail-room cluster in southeast Asia. Speakeasies hidden behind tailor shops, cocktail bars above noodle stands. Walking-only after 6pm.
Tay Ho
The lakeside expat-and-locals district north of the centre. Lake-side terraces, craft-beer taprooms, and slower-paced bars. Best on a warm evening watching the sunset over the lake.
Ba Dinh
The embassy district. Quieter, more residential, with a few quiet cocktail rooms and hotel bars. Skews older and more dressed-up.
Hoan Kiem
Around the central lake. Heritage cafes, lake-side benches, and the most photogenic district in Hanoi. Tourist-heavy but the lake belongs to everyone.
French Quarter
South-east of Hoan Kiem. Wide boulevards, French-colonial villas, and the polished hotel bar district. The Sofitel Metropole's bar is the heritage anchor.
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