Hanoi
Hanoi's music rooms are where the city's evening voice actually lives. A working editorial ranking, refreshed every quarter.
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 · $$
Lake-side craft beer bar with twenty taps and the best Vietnamese craft beer selection in the country.
Old Quarter · $$
Café-bar-gallery in a French-colonial villa.
HOAN KIEM · $$ · LIVE MUSIC
Binh Minh Jazz Club on Trang Tien Street in Hoan Kiem is the oldest jazz club in Hanoi, run by saxophonist Quyen Van Minh. Live jazz starts nightly at 9pm. Order: a drink at a table near the stage. Best time: a weekend night.
Hanoi rewards drinkers who scout neighbourhoods, and the spread below reflects that. You'll find spots in Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem), Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, and beyond — each picked for what it does best, not how loud its marketing is. We focus on jazz trios, listening rooms, late-set bands, dedicated stages; we ignore venues that prioritise volume over craft. The order is a working ranking, not a leaderboard — number one isn't always your number one. Read the notes and pick the room that fits the night you're planning.
Best for: jazz lovers, late-set listening, midweek atmosphere. Most rooms here run from late afternoon until 1 or 2am; the busier ones lift their door policy on weekends and we've flagged those where it matters. Save the page, send it to whoever you're meeting, and let the rest of Hanoi take care of itself.
A working editorial ranking. Numbers are guidance, not gospel. Pick the room that fits your night.
Looking beyond Hanoi? See our guide to the best live music bars worldwide, or compare live music bars city by city.