“Are you bored? We have the cure.” So shouts Hanoi’s newest entertainment venue: X-Factory.  X-Factory is primarily a laser tag venue, but also offers X-Box Kinect, flight/racing simulators and a very cool cafe. From the moment you enter, you can see this place wasn’t thrown together overnight. A lot of thought has gone into the … read the full post

With its heavy use of fish sauce and meaty stocks, and its one-wok-fits-all approach, strict vegetarians may struggle for variety in Vietnam. But Hanoi’s Lean and Green is a purely vegetarian restaurant, which will appeal to both meat and non-meat eaters. Lean and Green is located on Trang Tien, minutes from the southern tip of … read the full post

Noodle and Roll is a two-storey restaurant serving up bun bo nam bo, bun cha and other tasty, well-priced Vietnamese dishes. It’s the perfect choice if you like street food but either you can’t agree with your companion about what to eat, you don’t like sitting on plastic chairs or stools or it just plain … read the full post

Where to start with The Hanoi Bicycle Collective? This bicycle shop / rental store / cafe / bar / entertainment venue really does cover all the bases, but my write-up was inspired primarily by the rental opportunity. I’ve written before about biking around West Lake and The Hanoi Bicycle Collection is a great place to … read the full post

Au Coeur — or The Heart — certainly captures the location of this new hotel on Hang Be street as it’s about as central as you can get to the Old Quarter tourist hub, but does it have one? With comfortable rooms from $40, we think so. Rooms at Au Coeur d’Hanoi Hotel are on … read the full post

For a city that’s cold and grey for a few months of the year, Hanoi has an unfortunate lack of venues to get cosy in. But in the absence of open fireplaces and comfy sofas, here are a few places we’ll be spending time this winter. Drinking tea or coffee might be great for warming … read the full post

Street food in Vietnam is not just about breakfast, lunch and dinner; it’s also very much about snacking. And the Vietnamese like to snack. Pho mai que (cheese sticks) is a new craze to hit the streets of Hanoi and while maybe not contributing to a balanced — or gourmet — diet, it’s a cheap … read the full post

You don’t have to walk far in Hanoi to find a coffee shop, and you don’t have to walk much further to find one with character, such as longstanding, narrow Cafe Duy. Align 3D Graphics Cafe has character in a modern, designed way and also has a wider menu than you’ll find at a streetside … read the full post

Sapa is a one of Vietnam’s most popular destinations, but with no nearby airport the only option for getting there is to travel by road or rail and, despite being only 380 kilometres from Hanoi, it’s a time-consuming exercise whichever route you take, so choose carefully. Most visitors choose to get from Hanoi to Sapa … read the full post

Joseph’s Hang Da is a no-frills hotel but has all the right ingredients to make it an excellent Hanoi flashpacker to midrange choice: convenient location, professional staff, comfortable rooms and a tasty breakfast, all at a reasonable price. Less than a year old, the bright and cheerful hotel is on un-touristy Duong Thanh Street, and … read the full post