Day 1, Breakfast: Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup)

Pho is considered a traditional Vietnamese dish, famous not only in Hanoi but throughout Vietnam. However, Hanoi is still considered the birthplace of the most renowned pho restaurants. A bowl of pho consists of rice noodles, beef or chicken, broth simmered from bones for many hours, and is always accompanied by various herbs, lime, and chili.

If you're strolling around West Lake, don't forget to stop by Tu Hung beef pho restaurant on Yen Phu Street. This eatery attracts customers with its rare and well-done beef pho made from thinly sliced ​​beef brisket or tenderloin, served with a few crispy fried dough sticks.

Day 1: Egg coffee

Vietnam is considered a coffee paradise. Finding a good coffee shop in Hanoi is incredibly easy. But if you want to go to a place that serves unique and long-standing coffee, you have to find a place that makes egg coffee. This is a drink made from whipped fresh chicken eggs, then topped with strong brewed coffee.

The origin of this egg coffee is from Giang Cafe at 39 Nguyen Huu Huan Street. The cafe is tucked away in a small alley that customers have to navigate deep inside to find. Giang Cafe has a nostalgic atmosphere with wooden walls, tables and chairs, and old potted plants...

Day 1, Lunch: Simple, affordable meal

"Bình dân" refers to restaurants catering to all types of diners, usually from the working class, serving Vietnamese dishes similar to those found in home-cooked meals, but with a wider variety of choices.

There are many budget-friendly eateries in Hanoi, but you should try New Day at 72 Ma May Street. You don't necessarily need to look at the menu; choose your favorite dishes directly at the counter. A simple budget meal wouldn't be complete without a bowl of soup, so a sour soup is a great choice for a refreshing and enjoyable summer meal.

Day 1, Dinner: Chicken Street

Ly Van Phuc Street, also known as "Chicken Street," is famous not only among locals but also foreigners for its chicken dishes, especially grilled chicken. The street is peaceful throughout the day, but as dusk falls, the grilled meat stalls begin setting up all along the sidewalks to welcome customers. The chicken here is grilled until the skin is crispy, and the meat is glistening with a rich, appetizing sauce. You can choose to eat chicken thighs, legs, breasts, or wings with pickled water spinach, cucumber, or sweet potatoes. Besides chicken, you can also enjoy fragrant honey-grilled bread.

Some places you should note down are Binh Minh Grilled Chicken - said to be the first place to sell grilled chicken on Ly Van Phuc Street, and Quynh Nga Grilled Chicken, famous for its grilled chicken wings.

Day 2, breakfast: Sticky rice

Sticky rice is a popular dish in Vietnam, made from glutinous rice. Among them, mixed sticky rice (xôi thập cẩm) is particularly noteworthy, containing various sausages, pork, pâté, eggs, boiled chicken, and fried shallots. Hanoi residents often frequent eateries like Xôi Cô Sòn at 44 Cầu Gỗ Street or Xôi Bà Già at 146 Quán Thánh Street, both of which have been operating for over 40 years.

Day 2, lunch: Bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli).

Bun cha is a dish of rice noodles served with grilled pork patties, accompanied by a dipping sauce made from fish sauce mixed with vinegar, sugar, lime, chili, green papaya, carrots, etc. In addition, a bun cha meal is incomplete without aromatic herbs such as mint, lettuce, banana blossoms, coriander, etc. If you still feel like you haven't had enough, you can order some crispy fried spring rolls as well.

The most famous bun cha restaurant in Hanoi today is Huong Lien, where former US President Barack Obama and chef Anthony Bourdain visited and enjoyed a meal in 2016. Upon hearing of chef Anthony's death in early June, Obama reposted a photo of the two of them eating at the bun cha restaurant on Twitter as a tribute.

For diners who prefer less crowds, they can visit Binh Chung restaurant, which has been selling bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli) along with grilled skewers and crispy fried shrimp cakes.

Day 2, evening snack: Fried fermented pork sausage (Nem chua rán)

Fried fermented pork sausage (Nem chua rán) is a famous Hanoi street food made from skewered fermented pork sausage (nem chua) fried in a hot sauce. Its flavor pairs perfectly with a glass of draft beer at a street stall.

Visitors can enjoy fried fermented pork rolls (nem chua rán) in Tam Thuong Alley, next to Hang Bong Street. As dusk falls, this small alley becomes crowded with diners coming and going to eat fried fermented pork rolls. And the address 40 Tam Thuong Alley is the most famous fried fermented pork roll stall.

Day 2, dessert: Caramel

When you have dinner, remember to save room in your stomach so you can head to Hang Than and enjoy a sweet dessert. Caramel is a sweet treat made from a combination of French caramel in a Vietnamese way.

Duong Hoa Caramel on Hang Than Street, open since 1995, is a snack shop offering a wide variety of choices, from traditional caramel combined with mango sweet soup and yogurt to coconut ice cream.

Thu Trang