Hanoi
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. Save this neighbourhood guide before your next night in Hanoi.
Old Quarter · $$$
Hanoi's most awarded cocktail bar.
Old Quarter · $$
Speakeasy reached through an unmarked steel door.
Old Quarter · $$
Cocktail bar inside a French-colonial townhouse.
Old Quarter · $$
Artist-run cocktail bar that has been open in different locations since 2008.
Tay Ho · $$
Lake-side craft beer bar with twenty taps and the best Vietnamese craft beer selection in the country.
You'll find Cocktail Bars, Craft Beer and Hidden Gems here, all tightly clustered enough to walk between in a single evening. That's the value of a neighbourhood guide: pick a starting room, end up four bars in, and never get in a cab. Every recommendation below is independent — barsforKings doesn't take payment for editorial placement, ever.
The order below is a working ranking, not gospel. Read the notes, pick the room that fits the night you're planning, and treat French Quarter like locals do — start early, walk between rooms, end somewhere quieter than you started.
A working editorial ranking. Walkable in a single evening — pick your starting room and let the neighbourhood do the rest.