5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Flying to Hanoi

TL;DR: Get an e-visa (not VOA). Use Grab or pre-booked, never curbside taxi. Bring crisp USD bills. Don’t book a 90-minute connection. Have a hotel address printed in Vietnamese.

These are five things customers tell us, after their first Hanoi trip, that they wish they’d known. We hear the same handful constantly. Sharing here so you don’t repeat them.

1. Get the e-visa, not Visa-on-Arrival

Vietnam has two visa systems in 2026:

E-visa is half the price, doubles your speed at the airport, and removes a major failure mode (rejected photo, torn USD bill, name typo on letter).

People still book VOA because they don’t realise the e-visa exists or because they booked the flight 2 days out. If you have 3+ working days before your flight, e-visa is strictly better.

Our full VOA guide covers this in depth.

2. Don’t take a curbside taxi. Ever.

The arrivals curb at HAN T2 has “taxi drivers” walking around offering rides. Three problems:

1. They quote 600,000–1,200,000 VND for a trip that costs 350,000.
2. They are not in any official taxi fleet — many don’t have a license.
3. There’s no recourse if something goes wrong.

Use one of these three options instead:

• Pre-booked private transfer (the cleanest option, especially with luggage at night).
• Grab/Be/Xanh SM app — pickup at “Door 6 Ride-hailing”. App = transparent price.
• Official metered taxi counter inside arrivals — Vinasun and Mai Linh have proper booths. Walk to the booth, get a ticket, follow the dispatcher.

Hanoi airport-to-city should cost 270,000–500,000 VND depending on vehicle. Anything else is a markup.

3. Bring crisp USD bills (and a backup card)

Vietnam is mostly cashless in tourist zones — you can pay by card or QR in most restaurants and hotels. But there are specific moments where USD cash is mandatory or strongly preferred:

• VOA stamping fee at HAN: USD 25 in crisp 2017+ bills only. Torn or marked bills are rejected.
• Some smaller hotels charge a “card fee” 3–4% for international cards.
• Taxi drivers prefer cash (they get charged by the app for digital).
• Tipping spa/massage is cash-only.

Bring USD 200–500 in crisp 2017+ bills (no torn, marked, or older series). Change at a Vietcombank for VND on arrival — best rate in the country.

Vietnamese ATMs are everywhere and work with most international cards, but:

• Most ATMs charge 50,000 VND per transaction.
• Max withdrawal usually 5,000,000 VND (~USD 200).
• During Tet (Lunar New Year), some run out of cash.

4. Don’t book a 90-minute international-to-domestic connection

The airline reservation tool will happily sell you a Doha → Hanoi → Da Nang flight where the Hanoi connection is 90 minutes. The airline considers that legal — Vietnam doesn’t through-check baggage but the airline doesn’t care.

Reality:

• Immigration at HAN takes 60+ minutes during peaks.
• You need to walk between T2 and T1 (15 min on the shuttle).
• You need to re-check in to your domestic flight (cuts off 45 min before departure).
• Total: 2.5+ hours minimum, ideally 3.

90 minutes only works with transit fast track or if you’re going carry-on only on a quiet mid-day. Otherwise you’re rebooking your domestic onward.

Our full transit guide covers this with real numbers.

5. Have your hotel address printed in Vietnamese script

When you get to a Vietnamese taxi driver who speaks limited English, “I’m going to the Sofitel Metropole” might work but might not. “Sofitel Metropole” written in English to a driver with limited English literacy might confuse.

Vietnamese script: “Khách sạn Sofitel Legend Metropole Hà Nội, 15 Ngô Quyền, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội”.

That gets you there 100% of the time.

Before flying:

• Look up the Vietnamese address of your hotel (search the hotel name in Google Maps and look for the Vietnamese-language address).
• Save it as a screenshot on your phone.
• Print a paper copy and tuck it in your passport pouch.

Same for your second destination if Hanoi has a connecting taxi (Halong cruise port, Ninh Binh, etc.).

Bonus: 6. Photo your luggage tag before checking in

If your bag is delayed at HAN, the lost-baggage clerk asks for the tag number. Most travellers don’t remember the number and the airline gave them a small paper stub that’s now somewhere in their backpack.

Take a phone photo of the bag tag the second the airline agent hands it to you. Solves the lost-baggage drama 90% of the time.

Bonus: 7. The SIM kiosk is cash-only sometimes

Mobifone and Viettel SIM kiosks at HAN are open daytime. They accept VND cash, sometimes USD, and occasionally card depending on the staff and the time. Carry 500,000 VND in cash if you plan to buy a SIM on arrival.

A Mobifone “tourist” SIM for 30 days, 30 GB data + 30 min international calls runs ~250,000 VND. 4G/5G speeds at HAN are good (50+ Mbps).

Bonus: 8. Vietnam doesn’t tip much

Tipping in Vietnam:

• Restaurants: not expected; 5–10% appreciated at nicer places.
• Taxi drivers: round up to nearest 10,000.
• Massage / spa: 50,000–100,000 VND for a 60-min massage.
• Tour guides: 100,000–200,000 VND for a full-day tour.
• Hotel housekeeping: 20,000 VND/night optional.

You don’t need to budget for heavy US-style tipping. The flip side: don’t expect smiling effusive service — it’s friendly but reserved.

Bonus: 9. The airport bus exists if you’re really budget

Bus #86 runs Hanoi airport → Hoan Kiem Lake area. Costs 45,000 VND. Takes 50–70 minutes. Good if you have light luggage and time. Stops running at 22:30, so peak-night arrivals don’t have this option.

Bonus: 10. WhatsApp is the default in Vietnam (sort of)

Most Vietnamese businesses use Zalo (the local equivalent of WhatsApp/WeChat). But foreign-tourist-facing businesses — hotels, restaurants in the Old Quarter, tour operators — also use WhatsApp.

If you’re contacting us, WhatsApp works fine. If you’re contacting a small local family business or Vietnamese friend, ask about Zalo.

Bottom line — the cheat sheet

Use this list before your trip and you’ll skip 80% of the issues we hear about.

If your trip has specific complications — late-night arrival, elderly parent, tight connection, family with kids — send us the flight and we’ll talk you through it free of charge.