Discovering Hanoi with Vietnam itinerary 7 days, you will have a great chance to “get lost” in a maze of narrow and crowded streets mixed by old and new beauty. There is a lot of interesting activities you should put in your bucket of must-do things. Stroll around Hanoi’s Old Quarter, explore the timeless beauty of 1000-year capital with many historical attractions. Or simply, enjoy the unique cuisine made of hundreds of specialties. Besides, you shouldn’t miss one of the must-do things when you visit Hanoi considered as the soul of this city. It’s coffee culture which reflects everything about locals in Hanoi and their pace of life.
In Hanoi, you can see many coffee shops from big streets to every corner of small alleys, from the stunning shops to household ones. Overall, those coffee shops share a similar feature of serving the best coffee, even more than that. Therefore, here are the best coffee shops in Hanoi that are suggested to meet your own requirements. Let’s check it out.
You want a cup of coffee with historical taste
• Giang cafe
Have you heard about egg coffee – one of the most favorite coffee of both domestic and international visitors when visiting Hanoi? Giang cafe is the place of egg coffee birth. It was opened in 1946 following the name of the founder who used to work for a 5-star hotel of Sofitel Metropole Hanoi. He is also the inventor of egg coffee. Located modestly in the alley of 39 Nguyen Huu Huan street with a simple board outside, it can be hard to find but the experience and coffee you have are worth your effort.
Egg yolk is whipped with condensed milk before being mixed with Vietnamese coffee. A cup of egg coffee is placed in a bowl of hot water to keep the heat. Egg coffee was first made in the 1940s when milk and sugar were so scared. So Mr.Giang developed a new formula by using egg yolk to replace milk.
Besides traditionally hot egg coffee, now you have another choice of iced one. This new version still remains the sweetness but not as bitter as the hot egg coffee. What makes Giang cafe more special than other coffee shops is the perfect formula minimizing the stinky taste of chicken egg.
Iced egg coffee is a new trendy drink in Giang coffee menu
Address: 39 Nguyen Huu Huan street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Opening time: 7 a.m – 10.30 p.m
• Dinh cafe
This is a good alternative choice for you in case Giang cafe’s capacity is full. Despite the fact that Dinh cafe is actually crowded for all opening time. There are actually few differences between 2 coffee shops in the aspect of smell, style, the taste of coffee. It is because the owner of Dinh cafe is the daughter of the egg coffee inventor – Mr.Giang who is mentioned above. The most outstanding item in the menu of Dinh is obviously egg coffee. It seems that every customer of Dinh orders a cup of egg coffee right without even looking at the menu.
It’s believed that the most different thing between Dinh and Giang is the view which can be seen from each coffee shop. In this aspect, Dinh has a big competitive advantage of Hoan Kiem Lake, so-called Sword Lake, compared to Giang. You will feel a bit tricky to find Dinh cafe. Going along Dinh Tien Hoan street, nearby Hoan Kiem Lake, you need to find a board with green lettering “Cafe Dinh (Tang 2). It means that Dinh coffee is on the 2nd floor, the 1st floor is occupied by a bag shop. Going through the bag shop, you go up the narrow and mossy staircase until you smell the aroma of Vietnamese coffee and noise echoing from the coffee room.
Winter has just arrived in Hanoi, sipping a cup of coffee while admiring the spectacular view of Hoan Kiem Lake will be extremely perfect. However, because of its reputation, it’s quite noisy not only in Dinh but also in Giang cafe. Anyway, it’s a good chance to make friends due to the shared tables that will be one of the most memorable moments in your Vietnam itinerary 7 days.
Address: The 2nd floor, 13 Dinh Tien Hoang street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Opening time: 7 a.m – 10.30 p.m
You are searching for a quiet coffee shop
You prefer a quiet space rather in order to spend a couple of hours relaxing or with your family and friends. Cafe Pho Co is an ideal place.
Cafe Pho Co is one of the most hidden coffee shops in Hanoi. Visitors can hardly find the shop because its location is inside an old house in Hang Gai street. It is the favorite address of many foreign travelers because it’s totally separated from the chaos outside.
Entering through a silk shop on the 1st floor, you can choose to take a table either on an antique-bedecked courtyard with many green trees and wooden sculpture, or on the top floor where you can enjoy the panoramic view of Hoan Kiem Lake.
For the menu of Cafe Pho Co, it offers a bunch of drinks made from coffee, fruits and snacks. You can try ca phe trung da (coffee topped with silky smooth beaten egg yolk)
Address: 11 Hang Gai street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Opening time: 7 a.m – 10 p.m
You prefer a coffee shop serving more than coffee
7 days for a trip to Vietnam is quite short. So you want to make the best use of every minute to explore the diversified culture of Vietnam even you are relaxing with a delicious cup of coffee. Lam cafe will probably satisfy you.
It offers mainly coffee with hot, black coffee or coffee with a layer of condensed milk in the bottom of the cup served on a small plastic chair right on the sidewalk. Besides, Lam is widely famous for its valuable collection of artwork. The coffee shop was opened in 1952 during the historic period when Vietnam’s independence was just announced. This was also a golden time for artists to create incredible works of art. Like several other coffee shops at that time, Lam had become one of the most favorite gathering places of many famous artists.
Some of its patrons couldn’t pay for their bill by cash, so they paid for their coffee by giving owner paintings. Therefore, Mr. Lam became the collector by accident. Almost the paintings are in good condition though they went through the war period. Visiting Lam cafe, you have a great opportunity not only to enjoy one of the best coffee in Hanoi but also learn lots of interesting things from the precious paintings on its wall. Nowadays, many young artists come here to look for inspiration of creating their works of art. Of course, you may find your own interests in creating arts after visiting Lam cafe.
Hanoi has become more and more commercial with many splendid coffee shops. Lam cafe is one of the last places preserving the soul of old Hanoi where real values never disappear.
Address: 60 Nguyen Huu Huan street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Opening time: 7 a.m – 10.30 p.m
You want unique experiences from a coffee shop
One of the top places to see in Hanoi during your Vietnam itinerary in 7 days is a railway going through narrow streets in a residential area. When visiting the railway street, do not hesitate to stop at the Railway Hanoi Cafe to throw yourself into the craziest coffee experience ever. Sitting on funny small chairs and enjoying a cup of coffee right on the railway is definitely one of the memories you never forget about Vietnam tours.
No motorbikes and cars there, just a few trains pass by every day. The coffee shop sets up small chairs, tables right on the railway, some of which is in front of several houses. Don’t worry about safety because the train has a clear schedule. Moreover, the locals there know exactly when the train passes by. You will hear a long hoot, the owner will remind you, then collect quickly their tables, chairs. You may be interrupted for a few minutes, but this is the moment you are waiting for. After the train goes through, everything comes back immediately.
The Railway Hanoi cafe offers to the customer typically Vietnamese coffee. It actually gives them a chance to explore the local lifestyle before and after the train passes. There is no rush. It’s the simple life you can’t find anywhere else but Vietnam.
Last but not least, do not forget to bring your camera so that you can enrich memories of your trip to Vietnam.
Address: 26/05A Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
Opening time: 10.30 a.m- 8 p.m
No one knows exactly which is the 1st coffee shop in Hanoi, they just know drinking a cup of coffee in the morning or evening has become a local habit of many generations for a long time. It’s believed that your trip to Hanoi won’t be completed until you have a cup of coffee. Obviously, your Indochina tours will not be perfect without exploring coffee culture in Hanoi.
Le Huu Dan – Travel Lover
