Is Hanoi Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Solo travel experience

The best city ever! I just love how it was both kinda choatic and very authentic. Just walking around the city was an adventure, crossing the streets from all the motorbikes, and walking by the lake, and riding grab motorbikes. I had the best absolute time there. I felt extremely safe as well.

Solo travel experience

Hanoi was the first ever country I visited and I traveled solo. With this considered, I took all efforts in researching not only its accessibility (as a Philippine resident) but also its overall safety as a first time international traveler. I was told people there weren't as friendly than those in southern Vietnam but most locals I met are extremely nice if not a bit reserved. I felt safe even walking alone in their street market at night, but I only stuck to the walking street and avoided dark & quiet alleys. There are, however, a lot of scams especially around Hoan Kiem Lake so be extra careful and vigilant. I booked my tours via Klook and paid them in advance so I won't have to carry as much cash.

Hanoi is not having lots of robbery on the street or in public but still when being alone, it’s something to consider and be cautious. In some remote area, you need to pay more attention. Don’t use phone too much while being out on the street.

It’s better to have at least 1 male companion in your group rather than travel solo to this country. It’s not like you can’t, but if you decide to travel solo, better stick to big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh. If you decide to travel somewhere else, better research carefully and look for a local guide if needed.

Solo travel experience

I totally recommend visiting Hanoi. The old town was very nice to walk around in and the history at the old jail was very interesting. I only had one comment by someone about my appearance and then someone crack onto me after a tour. You could avoid the tour and just catch the local buses. Super cheap! From Hanoi you can visit SAPA or Cat Ba Island with a local bus or ferry. There is also the waterpuppet show that is a must visit in the area. I would go back to Hanoi.

Solo travel experience

I'm a budget traveler, so hanoi and vietnam in general feel really cheap after Thailand. I've stayed in hanoi for 1 week, hostel cost me around 900k vnd for the whole period. Food prices are different from place to place but in general you can find something to eat starting from 45k vnd (for example pho and other types of soup usually cost around this price). For side dishe + rice or stir fried noodles with vegetables you'll pay 60-80k, also, you can find cafes serving buffet the cost of it starting at 60k vnd. Also, I'm vegan, so can speak only for vegan food. Hanoi felt quite save. There wasn't many people staring at you, and non who would approach and disturb me, except of few hostes who asked to come to their cafes. Even at the night time it wasn't a problem to walk home enjoying the weather 🙌🏻 For the transportation hanoi has quite good public transportation system and google maps will easily accommodate you with it showing needed route and bus numbers, ticket costs 7-8k. Also, you can use grab app to get a car or a bike as a taxi, bikes are quite cheaper than cars, but still x3 and more times more expensive than buses. Bike taxi for a 20-25min route cost me around 20-30k. And for sure try to explore hanoi by walk! Hanoi is super cozy city and lovely architecture. Every corner is so picturesque and vibrant, you don't wanna miss it, trust me!