Night Walking Street Hanoi: 6:30pm to 12 Midnight from Fridays to Sundays

On evenings from 6:30pm to 12 midnight from Fridays to Sundays, the old quarter of Hanoi is converted into a night walking street. Cars and motorcycles will not be able to enter during this period and pedestrians are able to roam the streets freely. If you’re in Hanoi over the weekends, do take time to enjoy the night walking street of Hanoi as well. This is because, walking the streets without the need to worry about oncoming traffic is, in a sense, “freeing”. This was probably one of the reasons why this pedestrian zone was quickly resumed amidst the pandemic in 2020 – a way to help in the aiding the psychological state of the people.

As to the origins of the walking street or pedestrian zone in Hanoi, it originally started in September 2016 and covered the streets of Dinh Tien Hoang, Hang Khay, Le Thach and Trang Tien, areas that are in the immediate surroundings of the Hoan Kiem Lake. There would be as many as 20,000 visitors roaming the streets during each evening over the weekends.

What We Did at Pedestrian Zone / Night Walking Street Hanoi

Started the evening with an artsy shot of Hoan Kiem Lake Hanoi prior to walking street experience

We started the evening with a visit to Hoan Kiem Lake, just to capture some shots before the sun set this evening. Right in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake is a tower called the Turtle Tower. There’s also an iconic red bridge that crosses the Hoan Kiem lake which we caught later this evening…

Iconic red brige "The Huc" that cross Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi - notice the beautiful reflections Kate caught — Iconic red brige “The Huc” that cross Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi – notice the beautiful reflections Kate caught

We then headed for our first activity this evening…a 2 hours pampering massage at La Belle Vie Spa, located at 48 P. Lương Văn Can, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam, right round the corner from Hoan Kiem Lake…

Reception of La Belle Vie Spa Massage Hanoi

Massage beds at La Belle Vie Spa Massage Hanoi

La Belle Vie Spa Signature Massage - Starts with Foot Bath — La Belle Vie Spa Signature Massage – Starts with Foot Bath

For 1.2M VND, we were treated to a 2 hours La Belle Vie Spa signature massage, which was simply relaxing and rejuvenating. We actually didn’t want to leave and wondered to ourselves how 2 hours could flew past so quickly? We drifted in and out of sleep, drooling periodically, thoroughly enjoying the professional and soothing massage by the masseuse from La Belle Vie Spa Massage Hanoi. The best part? The 1.2M VND even includes a full meal at a Vietnamese restaurant a few doors down…

Bun cha that came with the 2 hours massage at La Belle Vie Spa Massage Hanoi

You may also like: La Belle Vie Spa Review: Hanoi’s Top Few Massage Venues

After a thoroughly relaxing massage as well as a sumptuous meal, we headed to Cafe Dinh for our egg coffee – a must-do while in Hanoi!

Cafe Dinh Hanoi - Hot Egg Coffee and Cold Egg Coffee (55k VND) — Cafe Dinh Hanoi – Hot Egg Coffee and Cold Egg Coffee (55k VND)

We found the egg coffee here at Cafe Dinh to be delectable! The egg froth on top of the Vietnamese coffee was smooth and enticing. It was even decorated with some cacao art. We also loved the old school style layout of Cafe Dinh, complete with old black-and-white photos that lined the sides of the wall – creating the extra feel of entering a cafe from a bygone era.

You may also like: Egg Coffee Hanoi Review: Cafe Dinh vs Cafe Giang – Which is the Best?

However, we still do not why its entrance is lined with 2 Singapore-styled ice cream shops…

These “Singapore Ice Cream” shops sell what ice cream uncles sell by the roadside in Singapore from the fridges attached next to their motorcycles. Yup, the thick ice cream slabs between wafers or coloured bread has apparently been “atas-fied” in Hanoi. Intrigued by this development, we continued on our walk around Hoan Kiem Lake during the hours of the night walking street in Hanoi…

Jump shot in the heart of Hanoi during pedestrian zone timings

Fountain at the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter — Fountain at the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter

At the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter is the iconic roundabout where you’ll find the fountain and building with a semi-circular facade. According to Google Maps it is known as “Tòa Nhà Hàm Cá Mập” – the same facade that we saw during our visit to Hanoi years back just that its tenants have largely changed, with the exception of Highlands Coffee.

The great thing about night walking street is that even in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, you don’t have to worry about traffic and you’ll be able to roam the streets freely. There will be little stalls set up to sell food and souvenir which adds to the atmosphere on the weekends. This was also where we started our walk around Hoan Kiem Lake…

Confucian Temple in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake

As the night descended and lights reflect on the surface of the waters of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi exudes a lively vibe. This is especially so during the night walking hours during the weekends. This shot of the Confucian Temple along with the other night lights, creates a contrast between the traditional and modern Hanoi. During our walk, we were also able to see locals out and about, making full use of the hours of the night walking street over the weekends in Hanoi. Some were enjoying leisurely strolls like us, while others were doing line dancing and still others doing vigorous jogs around the lake – passing us several times during our stroll. There were also several musical performances (both singing and instrumental) that we saw around the lake. The old city of Hanoi really does come to life during the night walking street hours from Fridays to Sundays.

Trang Tien Plaza Hanoi during night walking street hours on weekends

We also walked past the beautiful Trang Tien Plaza which houses all the high end brands such as Rolex, Hublot, Cartier, CHANEL, BVLGARI, Gucci, D&G, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace and more. The building itself began life as a french-style architecture but was eventually taken over by the state as a “General Department” for locals to get items such as fabrics and clothes, usually via coupons. It was only in the early 2000s that the building was revamped to house local and international brands – becoming the “first and only luxury shopping center in the country”. The facade is really beautiful especially at night. With the walking street, you’ll be able to capture some beautiful selfies as you walk past the building.

Pedestrian Zone / Night Walking Street Hanoi coincides with Dong Xuan Night Market Hours

Dong Xuan Night Market (Hanoi Night Market) Review

Dong Xuan Night Market - Bags and Accessories at Hanoi Street Market — Dong Xuan Night Market – Bags and Accessories at Hanoi Street Market

Dong Xuan Night Market that leads from Hanoi Old Quarter to Dong Xuan Market (Cho Dong Xuan)

The Hanoi night walking street hours also coincides with the hours of Dong Xuan Night Market. From the fountain, the entire street along Hang Dao street all the way to Dong Xuan market is where the stalls will be set up over the weekends during Hanoi’s night walking street hours. Enjoyed walking along this street as you will be able to get bargain prices to products ranging from shoes, to bags, to clothes and even food as well as performances along this street. We managed to purchase some socks and Hawaiian-styled shirt during this walk…

You may also like: Dong Xuan Night Market Hanoi Review: Haggle Please

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To round up the evening, we visited Cafe Giang, the original stall of Hanoi’s famed egg coffee…

The front of Cafe Giang actually faces the road. Hence, it is a great venue for people-watching while sipping upon this iconic beverage, born from a lack of milk during the First Indochina War…

You may also like: Egg Coffee Hanoi Review: Cafe Dinh vs Cafe Giang – Which is the Best?

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake and Dong Xuan Market during the hours of night walking street in Hanoi. If you are staying in the Old Quarter of Hanoi during the weekends, take a stroll around the precinct and take in the sights and sounds that the night walking streets of Hanoi has to offer!

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