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:
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.