Hanoi Nightlife Guide (2017) - Vietnam

I just spent two weeks in Hanoi and I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the nightlife.

When I was living in Saigon, people kept telling me that Hanoi was a conservative town with unfriendly people, a curfew at midnight and a suffocating weather.

In fact, I found barely any differences between the two cities, and particularly at night. Saigon is in my Top 3 party destination in Southeast Asia, and Hanoi is not far behind (if not ex-aequo).

The hundreds of bars, clubs, lounges, spas and karaokes in Hanoi range from extremely basic (4 walls and a stool) to world-class sophisticated venues. You'll rarely pay an entrance fee for any nightclubs and the drinks are usually cheap, even in the more upmarket spots. Girls are everywhere, from young backpackers to crazy-hot Vietnamese dolls. Just open VietnamCupid or Tinder and you'll have so many matches you won't be able to follow up with half of them.

This review is the summary of my findings: The best bars, the best clubs, the best places to stay, and how to meet girls. If I forgot something important, please don't hesitate to leave a comment at the end of the post.

To make things simple, I would say there are 3 major nightlife areas in Hanoi.

→ The Old Quarter is where most backpackers, tourists and Vietnamese students hang out. It is  cheap, cramped and messy.
→ The West Lake is where expats and trendy Vietnamese party. It is naturally more expensive and the crowd is older.
→ The Historical Center, from Hoàn Kiếm Lake down to Tran Hung Dao street, is a posh area, particularly around the Opera House. You'll find mostly bars and clubs targeting rich Vietnamese/tourists.

Please have a look at the Hanoi nightlife map at the end of this article to see the exact delimitation of these areas.

A dense, action-packed district with at least 200 nightlife spots, most often small bars selling cheap draught beer (Bia hơi - as low as VND4,000 or $0,17 per glass). It is popular with a young Vietnamese crowd (mostly students) and foreigners (backpackers, tourists). 95% of the venues close at 1AM (official curfew), but if you poke around you'll find hidden bars to party until at least 3AM (see "Late Night/After Hour Clubs" below for more details).

You can start your evening at the intersection of Tạ Hiện and Lương Ngọc Quyến streets, also called "Beer Corner". It reserved for pedestrians and from there you can just walk from one place to the other.

Many bars seem to have been inspired by a Communist ideology: Identical design, identical product, no name (only a number) and little attention paid to customer service. That said, getting drunk on those tiny stools is still a fun local experience. You'll noticed that a lot of people are breathing into balloons of laughing gas. Those are not illegal in Vietnam and they cost $1 or $2. They give a mild euphoria or a feeling of numbness for a few minutes. I have the impression that they make your hangover worse on the next day though.

On your pub crawl, you may include some more proper bars and clubs, for instance:

Bars:
Factory 47: A foreign-owned, hipster bar. Better music than elsewhere but also more expensive. Open from 10AM to 3AM.

RockStore: Same owner as above. Unlike its name would suggest, the DJs and live bands play rather eclectic styles of music, from reggae to pop. Western food.

Local, next to Beer Corner, it has a DJ playing Top 40/EDM and a dance floor (there is also a second branch here). Backpacker crowd. Prague Pub is very similar.

Dragonfly: Tiny bar with an outdoor and indoor area serving food, shisha, balloons and alcohol. They have a DJ and occasionally sexy dancers. Mainstream music.

Craft Beer Pub: A rustic pub serving craft beer and Western food. Popular with young and older foreigners. Live sports on screens.

Clubs:
1900 Le Theatre: My favorite club in the Old Quarter. Modern venue with live music (usually in Vietnamese) and DJs playing commercial EDM and Hip Hop. Mixed crowd. Recommended for meeting girls. Closes at 1AM.

Ball Bars: I counted at least 3 of them (Ball Bar 4, Ball Bar 6, Ball Bar 19). They are crowded with 90% young Vietnamese. EDM and commercial music. They normally stay open until 2AM or 3AM. Recommended for meeting Viet girls.

Hair Of the Dog, a small club with commercial music opened until around 2AM/3AM. Mixed crowd: 1st floor with locals, 2nd floor with foreigners. It gets started at midnight.

In this neighborhood, trendy and chic venues are spread out, principally on the east side of the Lake. The crowd is mostly made of expats and rich Vietnamese. To go there, I advise you to use Uber (only VND50,000 from downtown).

Some of the best venues are:

Bars:
Sidewalk: Hipster/artsy café with a outdoor garden. It features random live acts: Hip Hop, Latin, 80s, Reggae... Expat and local crowd.

Birdcage: Same owner as above but only opened on Fridays and Saturdays (until 5AM). Eclectic music from Drum & Bass to Jungle. LGBT-friendly.

Furbrew: Also a craft beer bar, owned by a Danish brewmaster, with an outdoor garden. Small beers (175ml) cost around VND45,000 and a pint (375ml) double this price. Closes at 11PM.

The Republic: Aussie-owned expat bar. Good for eating Western food and watching sports (NFL, AFL, football, rugby, etc). Popular hangout on Sundays. Lake view. Close early at midnight.

Vina House, or Viet House, is a specialty of Vietnam which is just as remarkable as Banh Mi or Pho. It is a crossover between Pop Music and Techno with almost the same bassline on every track. Here is an example:
There are at least 15 Vina House nightclubs in downtown Hanoi, and I went to most of them. To be honest, it was a bit repetitive as they are not really different from one another.

Basically, they are all quite luxurious in appearance, with flashy lights, modern LED displays, high tables and a few VIP corners. Vietnamese come in groups, sometimes only guys, sometimes with girls who could be their girlfriends or hookers.

There is a DJ, often a sexy girl, who mixes Vina House, and a male MC who shouts at the crowd between songs. The sound is always deafening (bring earplugs). In most places, you also have sexy dancers wearing a different uniform every night. For me it's the best part. The larger clubs have live music, unfortunately singing very boring Vietnamese pop.

Dress code: Guys will be expected to wear shoes and long pants. For girls, high heels and skirts are recommended, but as a foreigner you'll manage to enter without.

Those clubs are not recommended for clubbers who are 1) alone 2) penniless. Even though the entrance is free, you'll be expected to buy a bottle of alcohol (between VND1,000,000 and VND2,000,000 for the cheapest ones) if you want to get a table. The choice of drinks by the glass or by the bottle is limited and pricey (a beer will cost from VND100,000 to VND200,000). Typically, Vietnamese will also add a shisha and a fruit platter to their table. They don't really need it but it's all about showing off how much money you can spend.

The service is particularly attentive because all waiters expect a tip. Even when you go to the toilet the janitor will do everything he can to get a few dongs, from turning on the faucet to giving you a back massage.

The best Vina House nightclub I've been to in Hanoi is called Fame. It is packed any day of the week and features some of the hottest dancers in Vietnam.

Best Viet-Style Beer Gardens and Beer Bars
Unlike the ones in Thailand that are often laid-back, beer gardens in Vietnam resemble nightclubs and usually have a DJ/loud music. The only difference is that they are cheaper, they serve food and they are partially in the open-air.

The New Spinx Beer Bar is one of the most impressive I've seen in the whole country. It has a massive entrance resembling a temple, a staff dressed up with Egyptian costumes and a huge stage featuring live music acts, DJs and sexy dancers. Beer costs from VND40,000 for a glass of Tiger up to VND120,000 for imported Belgian beers. Sparta is similar, but with a Greek/Roman theme.

Closer from the tourist area, the famous beer club chain Vuvuzela has opened a branch near the Cathedral and another one in the Old Quarter. They close early though and they didn't seem to be so crowded when I passed by.