Many of the guides on this site are focused on food, nightlife, and coffee. However, when you make the jump from traveler to expat you have a different set of needs. When people contact me with questions about moving to Hanoi, they usually ask the same things. I’m going to do my best to address all of those questions here. So here are my official cliff notes on how to get your feet on the ground in Hanoi.

I should note that this article is not the end-all be-all of Hanoi. There are always other places you can look, and it’s possible that many of them would be good options. BUT, if you choose to rely exclusively on my suggestions, everything WILL be fine. That’s a Peter Promise.

Index

What are your questions about? Click on the section you want to read & you'll zoom on down to it.

9. OTHER QUESTIONS?  🙋‍♂️

WHERE IN HANOI SHOULD I LIVE? 

Honestly, you can pretty much live anywhere you want to. Hanoi is kind of an interesting case study in zoning regulations. The story goes that, because no "slum" areas were ever zoned, none ever emerged. As a result, the whole city is pretty well taken-care-of (by Vietnamese standards at least). There are some areas that are more affluent than others, but none of them are dangerous. It's a very safe city. However, if you want to be in a neighborhood that has a decent sized population of foreigners who are also long-term residents, you basically have 3 options:

1. TAY HO DISTRICT

This is white person central. As such, there is a lot of infrastructure for foreigners—western dining, gyms, medical practices, stores, bars, etc. In general it is the most expensive option, but it is possible to make it more affordable if you do some bargain hunting. You'll find Tay Ho shown on the map below in green.

2. BA DINH DISTRICT

Ba Dinh is much more authentically Vietnamese than Tay Ho. This is where I lived, and I was glad of that fact. The neighborhoods are almost entirely Vietnamese with some “token” foreigners here and there. It can be very cheap and everything you need is right there. However, it might not feel as ‘nice’ by Western standards. You'll find Ba Dinh on the map below in blue. 

3. DONG DA DISTRICT

This is the third Hanoian neighborhood that I would recommend for a foreigner. It’s directly adjacent to Ba Dinh, so the 2 neighborhoods sort of phase into one another. I’ve known westerners who have lived here as well. Many of the schools I taught at during my time in Hanoi were in this neighborhood, so I spent a lot of time here. It’s nice, and almost 100% Vietnamese, but it’s still a solid choice. But I’d look at Tay Ho & Ba Dinh first. You'll find Dong Da on the map below in the light shade of purple. 

HOW CAN I FIND A place to live in hanoi?

When you first arrive you should plan on staying in a hostel, hotel, or guesthouse for a few days. I recommend the Original Hanoi Backpackers Hostel. Don’t worry; you should be able to track down a good living situation in a couple days through one of the following 2 sites. It seriously doesn’t take long. I moved into my first house here 2 days after starting to respond to ads on here. When we got evicted from that house, we managed to find an additional roommate on like 5 hours notice. He was a cool dude, too.

1. HANOI MASSIVE

Hanoi Massive is like the Godfather or Yoda. It’s the answer to any question you don’t know. “What should I pack for vacation?” “What is this weird rash?” “Where can I _____?” “How can I ______?” The answer is always the same: “Ask Massive.”

Hanoi Massive is a Facebook group containing almost every English speaking person in Hanoi, past, present, and future. It’s always full of housing ads, along with every other thought that has ever crossed anyone’s mind.

EDIT: Something happened to the original Hanoi Massive (/pantsgatewillneverdie), and there are quite a few other groups that have popped up to fill the void. Here are a few of the more substantial groups, ordered from largest to smallest membership:

1. Hanoi Massive 2.0

2. Hanoi Massive 3.0

3. Hanoi Massive 4.0

If you’re wondering, "Pants Gate" refers to a giant scandal that went down in the early days of expat life in Hanoi. At the center of the controversy, there was a picture of a pair of pants which was being used as evidence of somebody’s infidelity. This drama all played out via Hanoi Massive, and was henceforth known as “pants gate.”

2. TNH HANOI

TNH stands for The New Hanoian, and it's just another helpful website. It's kind of like a Vietnamese version of Craigslist. Many of the available rooms listed on Hanoi Massive will also be listed here. If you want to be thorough, you should check them both.

WHAT DOES RENT COST IN HANOI?

As a general rule of thumb, if you pay more than 300 USD/month for your room, you are officially living in an expensive place. Both of the rooms that I lived in during my time in Hanoi were in the low 200s. However, I had lots of friends who lived in places that were just as nice as mine, and paid in the 170 USD/month ballpark. That’s pretty much the bottom of the range where you can still expect to be living in a nice place though.

As I said before, one big factor that affects the cost of rent is the neighborhood. Tay Ho will, generally, be the most expensive area to live. Ba Dinh would be the next step down. Dong Da should be on par with Ba Dinh, or a bit cheaper.

What If I Want To Bring My Dog To Hanoi With Me?

People have been emailing me with this question lately. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is NOT a good idea.

First off, space is an issue. In a city as dense as Hanoi, it’s going to be super inconvenient to get your dog to and from a space open enough for it to run around. Most Hanoian homes do have easily-accessible roofs where your dog could get some fresh air, but these are almost always small and don’t always have much of a safety railing. Some Hanoi homes also have small, gated courtyards as well, but these also tend to be quite small. In terms of walking your dog, the street space is typically so crowded with people and motorbikes that it would make even a walk around the block a nightmare. I have never seen anybody even attempt it. There are some big fancy gated apartment complexes outside the city that I have visited where there actually were spacious yards and open green space, but these are typically pretty far removed from the city itself and can feel kind of sterile. They are definitely comfortable though. This could be a good option to start with if you have a family unit to consider.

Second, and more importantly—PEOPLE EAT DOGS IN HANOI. There are dog restaurants all over the place that often have a dog roasting on a spit out front like a pig at a Hawaiian luau. So if your dog ever got out, there is a substantial risk that it would be found by a restaurant or somebody who would sell it to a restaurant. And remember how I said that some houses in Hanoi have little courtyards? There isn’t much crime in Hanoi, but one thing I have heard of is dogs being stolen out of those courtyards to be sold to restaurants. The bottom line is that Hanoi is not safe for dogs. So unless you have a tiny dog that will be content to never ever be outside, I would advise against bringing your pooch to Hanoi.

So does anybody in Hanoi have a pet dog? Yes, in spite of all this, some people still do… but it’s not normal. It’s about as common as people in the West having a pet Iguana or something weird like that.

Cats are a pretty common (and safe) pet to have in Hanoi though.

SHOULD I GET A MOTORBIKE?

Oh gawd, YES! Honestly, if you don’t think you’re up to the task, I would not recommend coming to Hanoi. This is the mode of transportation that the city was made for. If you don’t take the plunge it’s not likely that you’ll have a great time here. It might be intimidating at first, but if Vietnamese grandmothers can do it, so can you. I believe in you! Hanoi is a great place to learn.

DO I NEED TO BE LICENSED TO DRIVE A MOTORBIKE IN VIETNAM?

Technically yes… but I don’t know a single person who actually is. I’m certainly not, and I’ve never had any issues. I have almost never heard of a foreigner even being pulled over in Hanoi. The majority of traffic cops don’t speak English so most won’t bother with you. But on the off-chance that you ever do get pulled over, just play dumb. Just smile and shrug until they roll their eyes and send you on your way.

Note: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is a different story. It’s still a free-for-all, but foreigners are not exempt from consequences in the same way that they are in Hanoi. Most police officers speak English, and they will not hesitate to stop you if you are doing something wrong. If you get stopped, and you are in the wrong, you’ll likely have to bribe them. Don’t worry though! That is a pretty common experience in the developing world, and should not cause you any anxiety. You aren’t on Capitol Hill, you’re in freaking Vietnam. Lighten up.

WHERE SHOULD I BUY MY MOTORBIKE?

There’s plenty of good options in Hanoi of course, but here’s what what I think are the 2 most reliable places to address your motorbike-related needs.... 

QUANG MINH MOTORS 
Address: 82 Chua Ha Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi

Mr. Minh is a decent guy and has good English – I used him during my entire time in Hanoi. You’ll want to know a little something about bikes before you go though, or else bring a friend that does, because if you walk in and ask for the cheapest one (like I have done multiple times), he’ll show you a piece of junk. It’ll be up to you to tell the difference between a piece of crap and a good bike. He’s good to be in business with, but he’ll sell you a broken down bike if he can. All that said, he’s one of the more reliable institutions in Hanoi. He’ll throw in the helmet for you and fix your bike for free forever if you buy from him. However, it is unlikely that you will be able to drive your bike all the way to his shop if it has a problem so people are able to cash in on that promise a lot less often than you’d think. If you can though, it’s nice.

HANOI MASSIVE / HANOI MARKETPLACE

We’re back to this again. Seriously – anything you need you can find on Massive. If you need to expand your search a bit check out a group called Hanoi Marketplace. You can find some good stuff there as well.

WHERE CAN I GET MY MOTORBIKE FIXED?

There are approximately a billion garages in Hanoi. Most often, if you bike has a serious issue, you will be forced to push your bike to the nearest garage and you are at the mercy of whatever self-proclaimed mechanic you broke down nearest to. In these scenarios, all I can say is keep an eye out. I have had friends who have had mechanics slash their tires when they thought they weren’t looking. They say one bad apple can ruin the bunch, so just be wary. If you have a choice in garages though, here is my garage:

“MUSTACHE MAN GARAGE” 
Address: 282 Doi Can Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

This was my and my roommates’ garage in Hanoi. We named it this in honor of the owner’s impressive mustache. If you go there and there are no mustaches around, don’t worry. You’re in the right place. He’s not there very often. They are trustworthy and skilled mechanics who will not rip you off. However, they do not speak English, so if you can’t physically demonstrate what is wrong with your bike, be prepared with Google Translate or a friend you can call to translate.

IS IT EASY TO FIND WORK?

Hell to the yes. It is very easy to find work in Hanoi. The amount of English centers in Hanoi is off the charts. Everybody needs to learn English if they want to have any sort of interaction with any foreigner, ever. It’s the world’s common language now.

How can you find all of this work? I’m, again, going to direct you to Hanoi Massive. Or, alternatively, you can check out English Teachers In Hanoi, Hanoi Massive Jobs, or Hanoi Teachers. There are new jobs getting posted there every day. Between that and just talking to people, you will find work in no time. Just be proactive about it… although sometimes not even that is necessary – the other day the bank teller gave me an unsolicited job offer to teach at her friend’s English Center when I deposited my pay check.

When you first begin teaching, if you really want to play it fast and loose with freelancing (like I did), you will be building your schedule a few hours at a time. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a month or so to be working everyday. After 2 months, you’ll be so busy that you’ll begin to miss unemployment.

DO I NEED TO FIND A JOB BEFORE I ARRIVE?

NO YOU DON’T! Let me repeat that just in case you need extra reassurance: get yourself to Hanoi first, find a job second. I 100% understand that flying across the world to maybe get a job is a ballsier move than most of us are willing to make, but your chances are much better than you think. Most jobs won’t respond to your emails unless you are actually in the city anyway. They don’t want somebody to maybe start in the next couple months; they’re looking for people who can start next Tuesday. After you start the job search, you’ll probably be working within a week. It will probably take you about a month to construct a full schedule. What should you do when you show up? Get a room in a hostel or something. If you like what you see, find a more permanent arrangement (I explained how at the top).

Of course, if you want you can always look for jobs before you show up, but unless you are realistically expecting to find work with a big international school (which requires solid qualifications and teaching experience) then your efforts are likely to be fruitless. And while we are on that subject…

WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO I NEED TO TEACH?

Realistically, all you need is white skin. East Asia in general is a pretty racist place, and parents who send their kids to learn English tend to be more concerned that their teacher “looks the part” than they are about anything else. That being said, I’ve had friends of nearly every ethnicity imaginable who taught in Hanoi and loved it, but their experiences were a bit more challenging than mine.

Anyway, being a native speaker gives you a leg up. Having a university degree gives you an additional leg up. Having a certification to teach English (like a TEFL or a CELTA) give you an even bigger leg up. However, the thing that gives you the most credibility is experience. If you don’t have any experience (like I didn’t when I came here) everything you do will inevitably be second-guessed, regardless of how highly qualified you are. However, after about 6 months, people will suddenly start listening to you, regardless of how ill-qualified for the job you were when you started. In the mean time though, if you don’t have any experience yet, you’ll still get plenty of work. So don’t worry!

You should know that, if you want to teach in Vietnamese public schools, it is an absolute must that you have a certification. That said, there are still plenty of other work opportunities in Hanoi for the certification-less teacher. Neither of my roommates in Hanoi (both of whom have thick French accents) had university degrees OR certifications, but they still lived comfortably as teachers. It’s really not hard to stay afloat here, which leads me to my next point…

WHAT IS A NORMAL SALARY FOR AN ENGLISH TEACHER IN HANOI?

There is a hierarchy of salaries here. Teaching normal '9 to 5' weekday classes should pay you the lowest. Night classes should pay more. Weekend classes (especially weekend nights) should be even more than that. In general I would recommend that you never accept anything below 20 USD/hour, unless there are other benefits to the job that are valuable to you. During normal work hours I work for 22 – 23 USD/hour, but my general asking price for nights & weekends was 25 USD/hour, and I considered that to be reasonable. Definitely not cheap by Vietnamese standards, but based on supply and demand, competitive. 

If your salary is calculated by the month, you should know that all you really need to live as a foreigner in Hanoi is about 500 USD/month. The locals get by on half that, but things will be more expensive for you because the people you will have to buy things from know your wages are higher. In general, you shouldn’t accept a job that pays you anything less than 1,500 USD/month. Anything less than that probably means that your hourly rate is atrociously low and you are being taken advantage of. Of course, every situation is a little different, so you’ll have to evaluate the pros and cons for yourself.

All salaries here are counted in USD and then changed to Vietnam Dong (VND). If the dollar is strong, you’ll earn extra money. If the dollar is weak, the employers will get to keep more for themselves. It’s a double edged sword. You are always paid in cash though, so at least you’ll save on taxes. Having said that, you should know that I filed with the U.S. anyway... but I think I might have been the only expat who even bothered.

Are There Jobs For Foreigners In Hanoi Besides Teaching English?

I’m inserting this question here awkwardly after the salary question for a reason. This is one of the number one things people reach out to me asking about. Are there jobs besides teaching English for foreigners? Yes! Are you going to want those jobs? Ehhh…………

As a westerner who does not speak the language, you’re not going to be able to just show up in Hanoi and land a lucrative job in the way that you might be hoping. Now, don’t get me wrong—there are lots of foreign business people that are in and out of Hanoi! This is the capital of the country, so there’s all sorts of reasons for western businesses to have a presence here. But those people tend to be wearing suits and carrying briefcases, and I’m guessing that if you’re reading this, that’s not you. At least, not right now.

In terms of jobs that you can just show up and get, you are basically looking at getting a job in a hostel or—if you’re lucky—finding a job in tourism (which, honestly, is likely going to land you somewhere like Sa Pa or Ha Long Bay). Hostel work can be really fun! But it’s also a lifestyle, and if you don’t want to move back into the college dormitories, you might not like it. And, putting lifestyle aside, you also will not be well-paid.

Circling back to the salary thing—foreign teachers in Hanoi make ABSURD amounts of money by local standards. I was once at the house of an adult student (who was a PhD engineer), and after dinner was over and his family had headed off to bed, he invited a few other Vietnamese men over to do some drinking. One of those men was a doctor, and the other of them was a high-ranking government official. After a few drinks, they started talking about money. They asked me how much I make (Vietnamese people are known for being very direct in ways that can sometimes make westerners feel uncomfortable), so I told them. It turned out that, of the 4 of us, I actually had the highest salary! That is not to say that these men weren’t still much wealthier than me thanks to… *ahem* other reasons, but still. Foreign teachers in Hanoi make more than most doctors! The purchasing power of this salary is game-changing. Even if you’re not sold on the idea of teaching, I think we can all rally around the idea of not having to worry about money.

So can you find other jobs? Yes. Are you going to want those jobs? Doubtful.

Honestly, if you want to move to Hanoi but have no obvious way to make a living there, your best bet is to start looking into remote work. Graphic Design. Web Development. Content Writing. Digital Marketing. These are all things that are in high demand and can be done 100% remotely. If you don’t want to teach, I’d recommend exploring what remote work could look like for you.

Anyway. Back to teaching…

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO ARRIVE IN HANOI IF I WANT TO LAND A TEACHING JOB? 

The biggest event in Vietnam that you need to think about is Tet. Tet is the Lunar New Year of Vietnam, and although the exact dates vary year to year, it will always last (approximately) from early February to the very beginning of March. The majority of Vietnam’s business, commerce, and education will come to a screeching halt during the 3 (ish) weeks that constitute Tet. For teachers that are already working in Vietnam, it’s time to jet off to a tropical island somewhere. For teachers planning to move to Vietnam, it’s NOT a good time to show up. The whole country is on holiday.

The 2 best time to get a job in Vietnam are August and March. August marks the start to the fall semester in Vietnamese schools, and March marks the start of the spring semester. During the summer the schools are out, but there are English centers that run year-round.

In my opinion, your best bet is to start your job search in early August. The fall semester is pretty intense, so you should be able to get pretty reliable teaching hours. Also, pretty much every educational institution will be bringing on new teachers. In my experience, schools tended to be a bit more flakey during the spring semester because there are other small holidays that break it up. On top of that, most teachers who were hired in August are still teaching, as to complete the school year, so there isn’t as much of a need for new people.

So, here’s a quick recap: The #1 best time to arrive is early August. The #2 best time is the first few days of March. The absolute worst time to arrive is early February because this is the start of Tet. 

But, honestly, any other time would be okay too. Just be prepared to hustle for the first couple months! 

WHO NOT TO WORK FOR:

If you answer a bunch of job ads and take a bunch of interviews, chances are decent that you will brush elbows with a company called SET Vietnam. DO NOT TAKE THE JOB. Run fast, run far. You can read about my experience with them here. If this articles doesn’t deter you… then best of luck!

What Can I Do To Prepare Before I Leave?

Aside from getting your TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certification (none of which are required to teach in Vietnam) the best thing that you can possibly do to prepare yourself for success as an ESL teacher in Hanoi is to arm yourself will a versatile repertoire of educational games to play with your students. 

Yes, games. 

In Vietnamese classrooms, from pre-schools to the university level, students, parents, and school administrations alike will expect you to play a game at the end of every class to practice the material that you covered during your lesson. This is something that we are not accustomed to in the West, so the concept may feel rather foreign, but it's not optional. Obviously not every lesson is going to lend itself to making a game out of it, but you'll need to figure out a way. The more types of games you have in your back pocket when you arrive in Hanoi, the better.

At this point you might be ready to open a new tab, get on Google, and look for good ESL games. I've devoted a lot of time to research on this topic myself, and I've found a lot of intriguing games... but 95% of them had one big issue that prevented me from ever playing any of them: they required lots of different materials to play. These materials included toys, computer screen projectors, TVs, easy internet access, stereos, text books... the list goes on. 

Vietnam is much further down the socio-economic ladder than modern countries like South Korea—it's part of the developing world. That means that most schools and language centers do not have the funds to shower their teachers with the kinds of resources that are required by most games from popular ESL sites. The truth is that you probably won't have much beyond a marker and a blackboard at your disposal to make these games happen, so they need to be pretty bare-bones.

I get asked about these games quite a bit, so to answer all those questions, I wrote the following eBook. The games in it have been developed, tested, and perfected in actual Vietnamese classrooms, and can be applied to every level of student from primary school to the university level. Oh, and most importantly, they can all be done with zero extra materials.

WHAT HOSPITAL SHOULD I GO TO?

Medical practices in Hanoi fall into essentially 1 of 3 categories. Ordered from cheapest to most expensive, the categories are (a) Vietnamese hospitals, (b) French hospitals and (c) American hospitals. If, god forbid, you are having a medical emergency in Vietnam, chances are you will be willing to pay a bit extra for a doctor that speaks your language. Don’t worry too much – they are all decent places… but here is the place I go to.

FAMILY MEDICAL PRACTICE (AMERICAN) 
Address: 298 Kim Ma Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

This is where I go. It’s American, and I’m not going to lie: it’s pricey. It’s not crazy by Western standards, but it’s not cheap. But I’m a bit temperamental when it comes to this stuff, so I’m willing to pay extra to feel like I’m in a good place. I have heard too many “guy goes to hospital in the developing world” horror stories to mess around with this. It’s a good place, and they can perform just about anything you would ever (reasonably) need to have done to you. You will be safe here.

L’HÔPITAL FRANCAIS DE HANOI (FRENCH) 
Address: 1 Phuong Mai Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi

As an alternative, this is the French hospital in Hanoi. I’ve actually never been to this hospital, because I lived right next to the American hospital, which is supposed to be better, but it’s a good second-round pick. They should speak English, so leave your French-English dictionary at home.

WHAT ABOUT PHARMACIES?

Seeing an actual doctor in Vietnam is a formality. If you feel confident enough to self-diagnose, then you can go to, literally, any pharmacy and buy the drugs you need. No prescription, no problem!

If you’re not sure what sort of drugs you need to get back on your feet, you can ask the pharmacist for a recommendation. They’ll probably “prescribe” you a pretty aggressive regiment of pills. In the few times I’ve done it, it’s never not made me feel better. Of course, you’ll need to either find a place that speaks English or figure something out to deal with the language barrier. The Google Translate app is great, but most of my trips to the pharmacy have been half-hearted games of charades.

How’s The Air Pollution In Hanoi?

Yeah, this is a real thing. It’s certainly not on the level of larger Asian cities like Beijing or Delhi, but you’ll notice the effects. What exactly are the effects? For most people, it tends to manifest as a bothersome post-nasal drip that comes and goes. Sometimes you might feel like you have a little head cold, or even start coughing, but in my experience these effects were less common. The headline is that these symptoms will never rise above the level of just being annoying.

If you want to take steps to decrease the affect that air pollution has on you, the best thing to do would be wear a face-mask when you’re driving a motorbike, especially during rush-hour traffic. The majority of the pollution that will have a direct effect on you is just exhaust from other vehicles on the road with you, which is pretty unavoidable unless you somehow manage to only need to be driving when there is no traffic. You can buy face-masks for almost no money at every corner store in the country, so I don’t think you’ll have any trouble tracking one down. They don’t 100% protect you, but they help.

Overall, I wouldn’t worry too much about this. It shouldn’t affect your quality of life in any substantial way and you can still do all the normal out-door stuff that you’d want to do like walk to get coffee, go for a run, etc.

Should I Have Some Form Of Health Insurance In Vietnam? 

This is a tough one. The short answer is probably 'yes.' However, all the normal things you'd use it for are so cheap that it's unlikely that you'd ever have to actually cash in on it. Even major events like broken bones can be treated for less money than most deductibles, which means that 99% of people who have health insurance in Hanoi will never need to use it. However, there is always the remote possibility of a true medical emergency occurring. In this case, you'll definitely be glad you have insurance. 

Although I don't think it ever actually saved me much money, I did have travel insurance while in Hanoi. I had insurance through Seven Corners. I'm not an authority on this stuff, but for whatever its worth, I'd recommend them. 

WHAT IS THE BEST Bank Account For travel in Hanoi?

If you're American, I'd recommend CapitalOne. It’s easy to access and does well with international travel. I have lots of expat friends who bank with them that live in all sorts of places, so this is a good account that you can take on the road with you.

I also have an account with Chase because they make remote online banking easy. I have never had issues accessing my Chase funds in Hanoi — even at ATMs.

What Is The Best Travel Credit Card To Have?

Personally, I use the Capital One Venture Card. If you want to learn how to start playing the travel rewards system and earning yourself free flights, I think this is actually a GREAT starter option. Why? Well there are a few reasons, but the biggest one is this...

The Venture Card will let you retro-actively erase travel related expenses. This makes it better than any airline specific credit card out there by a LONG shot. Flying around this part of the world, you may find yourself flying some weird routes, connecting through places you have never heard of. You probably won't be flying with airlines that are included under the qualified expenses of most western travel programs. However, with the Venture Card, you can charge your card anyway and then go back and erase it later. This means that every possible flight is covered. And it also means that you can rack up a few extra points before using them to cancel out the cost of your plane tickets.

Another cool thing you should note is that if you manage to spend 3,000 USD within the first 3 months of using the Venture Card, you get 50,000 free points. That will get you pretty much anywhere you want to go on this planet. Obviously 3,000 USD is a lot of money, but if you can get a close friend or a family member to make a large purchase with your card and then transfer you the money, you just might be able to get to Hanoi for free!

If you want another option, check out the Bank Americard Travel Rewards Credit Card. This is a cool one because there are no annual fees and, most importantly, no foreign transaction fees.

SHOULD/CAN I OPEN A VIETNAMESE BANK ACCOUNT?

Yes, you should if you can. Vietnam is pretty anal when it comes to money though. As a foreigner you won’t be able to open an account without a labor contract and you won’t be able to make deposits without a ‘pay slip’ to verify the information of your payment. If you don’t have a contract, you won’t be able to open the account in the first place. If you don’t have the pay slip you’ll need to find an alternative way to get your money out of the country besides a simple wire transfer. In order to have these things, you’ll probably need to have a pretty stable job situation with a bigger English center or international school.

If you can’t swing this, or don’t want to be tied down in that way, don’t worry. Most expats in Hanoi conduct their business in less formal ways. They are paid in cash under the table and the save their money in a shoe box under the bed. That makes me a bit uncomfortable, but I’ve had to do it from time to time. From there, if you are saving for a plane ticket, you can pay in cash for a travel agent to make the booking for you. I recommend my friend Lai ( cozyhotel@gmail.com ). She’s the bomb dot com, so if you are in need of a booking done in cash (or getting a new visa), she is a good person to be in business with.

WHAT IS THE BEST VIETNAMESE BANK ACCOUNT TO HAVE?

I bank with HSBC Vietnam, but there are other good options. The bank that seems to be the other front-runner if everyone’s mind is called Techcom Bank. Either of these would be good, but HSBC is a bit more reliable internationally if you plan on making frequent trips out of Vietnam during your time there.

CAN I TRANSFER MY MONEY OUT OF THE COUNTRY WITHOUT A VIETNAMESE BANK ACCOUNT? 

Normally, no. If you have cash but nowhere to deposit it, then you can’t transfer it back to your bank account at home. That’s the problem with working “under the table.” Many expats who are doing this will just keep their savings as a wad of cash! And then, when it comes time to purchase a plane ticket, they will do so through a travel agent. (Hanoi still has quite a lot of them in the Hoan Kiem area). It’s a surprisingly normal practice. The issue is that Vietnam has some strict financial regulations prohibiting domestic banks accounts from transferring money internationally. That means that, even if you do have a bank account, you STILL can't transfer money back to your home country. THANKS COMMUNISM! But if you’re desperate to transfer money out of the country, there is a way… but it’s sketchy.

Hà Trung Street (a.k.a. Gold Street) is full of shops that sell jewelry and (you guessed it) gold. Some of these shops also make substantial profits on commission for international wire transfers. This is sketchy territory, but it's used pretty commonly by the locals. Wealthy Vietnamese parents who send their children to universities in the West will often use these transfer services to send their children money. So, it should be pretty reliable... but it's sketchy nevertheless. 

If you're interested in trying this out, here's what you do...

First, find a Vietnamese friend that you trust to help you. They will not help foreigners, so you NEED a local to do this on your behalf. Take your Vietnamese friend and the wad of cash that you want to transfer over to Hà Trung Street and find a gold shop. I’d suggest starting with a shop called Thịnh Quang. In the back of the shop, behind closed doors, there are crowded rooms full of Vietnamese men counting money and yelling to each other. They are the key to you transferring your money. They also don’t speak English so let your Vietnamese friend do the talking. Also, be advised that fees will apply smaller amounts of money. I'm not sure what the threshold is, so this is something that you should ask your friend to clarify. 

This CAN 100% work, but that doesn't mean it won't require some street smarts to pull off. Swim at your own risk. 

WHERE CAN I EXCHANGE MY MONEY IN HANOI? 

Pretty much any jewelry store or gold shop in Hanoi doubles as a money exchange. So if you have to change Vietnamese Dong with some other currency, just head to your neighborhood gold shop. If you’re not sure where that is, then head down to Hoan Kiem District/Old Quarter and go to Hà Trung Street. This street is where most of the city’s gold shops and located. Not every store on this street is going to have every currency, so you may have to poke your head into a few of them before you find one that can help you.

CAN I WORK ON A TOURIST VISA? 

Yes, you can. It’s not technically legal, but you can do it. I’ve never heard of anyone every being caught either. It makes your life a bit easier if you have a more legitimate status in Vietnam, but by no stretch of the imagination is it “necessary.” Most teachers in Hanoi are part of the informal economy, and all of them are getting by just fine. The penalty for being caught is pretty un-intimidating anyways, so don’t worry.

However, if you want to do it right, and get a business visa and a work permit, you will probably need to find an employer first. Hanoi is a total cluster-fuck when it comes to information, so if your research feels like it’s hitting a dead end (and I'd be surprised if it doesn't), then just show up! Get a tourist visa and just come figure it out. If you find an employer who will give you the stability you are in search of, you can go on a ‘visa run‘ and come back a legal employee. However, jobs that can give you this usually require a teaching certificate, just FYI.

What's The Real Difference Between A Tourist Visa & A Business Visa? 

Besides the price, there really isn't much difference. Or, at least not in practice. If you get a business visa instead of a tourist visa, that still doesn't mean that you can legally work in Vietnam. For this, you need a work permit. It might sound obvious, but this is often a point of confusion, I want to make this as clear as possible—your work permit and your business visa are 2 different documents. You can get the business visa (or not) on your own. It's the work permit that is difficult to acquire. 

So if you're trying to decide between a business visa and a tourist visa, just remember that in the end, it literally doesn't matter at all. If you don't already have a work permit but you're coming to Vietnam to work anyway (which is OK), then save yourself some money and get the tourist visa. 

How Do I Get A Work Permit? 

I touched on this above, but let's go a bit more in-depth. You cannot get a work permit on your own. You need an employer to "sponsor" you to get a work permit. This comes with some definite advantages, the most significant of which is peace of mind of the anxiety-prone among us. However, lack of a work permit is not stopping anybody in Vietnam, and it shouldn't stop you either. 

If you can manage to track down a job that will sponsor you for a work permit before actually arriving in Hanoi, more power to you! However, if you do not possess both a university degree and a teaching certificate (TEFL, CELTA, etc.), then your odds of success are slim at best. Even WITH a university degree and teaching certificate, it can still be difficult to figure this out before actually arriving in Hanoi. I know this because I was one of the few people that DID manage to figure it out ahead of time. 

Oh really? Cool! How'd that work out for you Peter? 

Thanks for asking! It worked out awful. If you zoom back up to my "Who Not To Work For" section, you can read all about how terrible my first job in Hanoi was. This is another reason why I tell people to show up first and get a job second: even if you do manage to lock down a work permit, it's hard to tell who you will be working for. I think that, overall, the teaching scene in Hanoi is very friendly and positive... but just like anywhere else, there are always a few bad apples. It was clear that this first job was going to be terrible within 10 minutes of talking to other teachers in Hanoi, but there was no way for me to learn this outside of physically being in Hanoi. If I had come to Hanoi before indenturing myself to an employer that I didn't really know, I would have been much better off, and I don't just mean emotionally! I probably would have made at least an extra 5,000 USD in my first 6 months.

So learn from my mistakes. If the stars align and you are able to lock down a work permit (through an employer that you know is going to be awesome) prior to your arrival in Hanoi, GREAT! You should definitely do that. But for the other 99% of you, I'd put this one on the back-burner and plan on freelancing on a tourist visa in the beginning. 

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO RENEW MY VISA?

The rules on this matter have been changing a lot recently. But if you have an official business visa through your job, they should be able to take care of it. All that will be left for you to do is schedule your visa run. The cheapest options are (a) a flight to Bangkok ($130 ish) and (b) a bus to Laos ($20 ish). There’s a big trade-off here: the bus to Laos is going to SUCK. But it’s cheap.

If you are working on a tourist visa, you will need to take care of it yourself. The easiest way to do this is just to have somebody else do it. As I mentioned above, during my time in Hanoi, as a part of the informal economy (as mentioned above), I used a lady named Lai to renew my visa. You can email here at cozyhotel@gmail.com – she’s awesome. She’s by no means the only person who does this in Hanoi, but she was my person.

WILL THE SIM CARD I HAVE NOW WORK IN HANOI?

Probably not.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH GETTING A NEW SIM CARD IN HANOI?

Yes, you will need to get a new one. You should use Viettel. That is the best phone company in Vietnam. I don’t know why anybody uses anything else. You can find SIM cards all over the place on the streets; you will see big signs that say “SIM” on every other corner. Just make sure it is a Viettel card. If it’s not, keeping moving.

Once you have your SIM card, the procedure for putting money on your plan is to buy little cards with codes that credit your account. Walk into (almost) any corner store, hold out a 100,000 VND note and say “Viettel”. They’ll know what you need. Once you have the card, follow the instructions on the back. It’s easy.

What Electrical Outlets Are Standard In Hanoi? 

Vietnam has their French colonizers to thank for a lot of their infrastructure, so the whole country uses the same 2-pronged plugs and outlets as you'll find in many parts of Western Europe. These plugs/outlets are known as "Type C." You can see and read more HERE. 

Quick Disclaimer 🤷‍♂️

I'm obviously not a lady. However, these sorts of questions come up a lot, and for better or worse, this guide has found its way onto the front page of Google’s search results, so I figure I may as well attempt to be helpful. So what follows are questions and answers NOT FROM ME — but from a female expat who spent about a year living in Hanoi. Her name is Lizzie.

Will I Be Able To Find Tampons In Hanoi? 

"Yes, they can be found, but you should be forewarned that they are very difficult to track down, and expensive to buy. All things considered, it's not the most sustainable solution in the feminine hygiene department. If tampons are your 'go-to,' you would be well-advised to bring as many of them with you as possible. 

The most common feminine hygiene product in Hanoi are pads. They are easy to find in local shops all around the city and cheap to buy. However, keep in mind that you are going to be riding a motorbike or motor scooter around in some hot sticky weather. 

A lot of expat women in Hanoi use DivaCups, so if you've never used one, it's something worth looking into and possibly bringing along." -- Lizzie 

Should I Bring My own Shampoo & Conditioner? 

"Brands like Pantene, Suave, Aussie, etc., are all easy to find anywhere in Hanoi so don't worry there. If you use anything non-drugstore, I would bring a stock with you because ordering things and getting them shipped to you in Hanoi is really not ideal. Most online retailers won't ship to you and the ones that will... well it's just kinda sketchy. I had friends order things that just never turned up and its usually very expensive." -- Lizzie 

What's The Make-Up Situation In Hanoi? 

"If you are a makeup person I would stock up on your favorites and pack them with you. You can buy makeup in Hanoi, but the foundations are colored very differently then they are in the West. Pale white skin is considered very beautiful in East Asia so all the foundations and moisturizers have whitening ingredients in them that bleach your skin. It's also just hard to find a good color match. There are high end stores in the nicer areas such as MAC, Dior, Chanel, etc., but all the products are imports so the prices are even higher than they are back home, so just keep that in mind. Also, going barefaced is super normal in Hanoi, both with local women and with expats. So if you can't find makeup or run out of your own, don't worry. Embrace your bare face girl!" -- Lizzie 

Can I Find My Favorite Skincare Products In Hanoi? 

"So, just like the shampoos, you can find a lot of your typical drugstore skincare products in Hanoi. Just read your labels and check for the word "whitening" (unless you want that of course). And if you need specialized products ( I definitely do) I would buy a bunch and pack them with you. Also if you have acne prone skin, benzoyl peroxide isn't in any skin care products, so keep that in mind. I learned that lesson the hard way because my skin needs that stuff." -- Lizzie 

How's The Shopping In Hanoi? 

"Bras: It's extremely hard to find bras unless you are a 30-36 ABC cup. If you are in that range you should be easy to find some bras, but if not, I would go bra shopping before you leave.

Clothes: If you are on the short/petite side, you should be fine to go clothes shopping. I'm short and petite and felt like I was in heaven! Everything finally fit! However, if you are tall or plus size, clothes are going to be much harder to find. I would do a shopping trip before you leave and then once you're in Hanoi ask some expat women if they know of any good stores with non-short people sizes." -- Lizzie

I'm planning on having lots of sex in Hanoi—Advice?

"If you're planning on doing the dance with no pants while you're in Hanoi, I would bring anything you might want/need with you. This would include things like condoms, lube, a vibrator, etc. I'm sure you *can* find some of these things in Hanoi, but save yourself the headache and entire day of driving store-to-store and just have a small stock packed with you. Unlike Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi is still pretty traditional so there's no obvious place to buy these types of things." -- Lizzie 

If you are reading this and you have any other questions, get in touch with me and ask! It takes me 5 minutes to respond to an email, so I’ll do what I can to help you out!

You also might be interested to read the other 2 guides about Hanoi featured on this site. These guides focus on coffee, food, and nightlife in Hanoi, as well as how to stay safe while navigating Hanoi's daily traffic apocalypse atop a rickety old motorbike. Interested? 

Hanoi is a great city to live in, but it can be a little intimidating at first. Hang in there. Don't let the fear shake you. You might have to stick it out for a little while before you really feel comfortable, so don’t second guess yourself during this time. You’ll figure it all out! And when you do, it’s going to be incredibly empowering. Once you breach past the surface, Hanoi is one of the most amazing and genuinely peaceful cities on this planet.