Arrive · Hanoi

Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)

HAN to the Old Quarter: one ride-hail car or airport taxi at a fixed-looking fare, 35–60 minutes — the risk is not the ride but a guesthouse door that locks at midnight.

Key facts

Default ride: Ride-hailing car to the door
Ride time: 40–60 min; p50–p90
Fare: ₫300,000 (≈ US$12)
Late night after: 22:00; on demand

Rules in force · 9Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…Old Quarter pavements are blocked by parked motorbikes an…

Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
Vietnam ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra.
Vietnam ↗Crossing streets: walk slowly and steadily; motorbikes flow around you — do not stop or run.
Vietnam ↗Carry Vietnamese đồng in small notes; many stalls and taxis are cash-only.
North Vietnam ↗Dec–Feb in the north is cool and damp (10–18°C): pack a warm layer.
North Vietnam ↗Sa Pa and Hà Giang can drop near freezing in December–January and fog in for days; keep a spare night and do not plan a single-day summit.
Hanoi ↗Old Quarter pavements are blocked by parked motorbikes and stalls: large suitcases go from the car to the door, never on a walk.
Hanoi ↗Around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, streets close to cars on Friday–Sunday evenings; taxis drop you at the edge.

Actions

--:--local time in Hanoi

Map of the airport

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Directions

From where I am

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Plan

Your landing time, your bags, your bed

Lock your path to bed

Needs: landing time · bag class · sleep area

Landing timeArrivalSleep area (night 1)BagsWho Rain No taxi

feasibledesk 24hlandside ready ~22:55 (p90)

Take Ride-hailing car to the door at 22:55. Bed by ~00:00 (+1) (p90).

Last viable for this bed: 06:00 (+1) (land by 04:05 (+1))

Sleep area not decided? Check the area first.

Before you leave the airport

Withdraw đồng at a bank ATM in the arrivals hall; keep small notes for tips and the first meal.
Activate your eSIM, or buy a tourist SIM at the counters in arrivals (passport needed).
Open your ride-hailing app on the airport Wi-Fi and check the fare before booking.
Message your hotel if you will arrive after its desk closes or after midnight.

Buying the ticket, step by step

1After customs, follow the signs to the ride-hailing pickup area across the arrivals road (field-verify).
2Book a car in the app to your hotel's exact address; check the plate number before you get in.
3Or take a metered taxi from the official rank; refuse drivers who approach you inside the hall.
4For bus 86 (daytime), buy the ticket on board; it stops near the Old Quarter and Hanoi station.

Fare anchor to the centre

2026 estimate · per vehicle unless stated

Mode	To	Fair price	Walk away if
Ride-hailing car (Grab, Xanh SM, Be)	Old Quarter / Hoàn Kiếm	₫250,000–400,000 (≈ US$10–16) per car (2026 estimate; night and rain surcharges)	The driver asks you to cancel in the app and pay cash 'off the meter'.
Metered airport taxi from the official rank	Old Quarter	₫300,000–450,000 (≈ US$12–18) per car incl. airport exit fee (2026 estimate)	The meter is 'broken', or it jumps fast in the first kilometre.
Airport express bus 86	Old Quarter edge / Hanoi Station	₫45,000 (≈ US$2) per person (2026 estimate)	A 'conductor' on the pavement asks for more than the fare printed on board.

Airport traps

5 known patterns

Trap	How it plays	Do instead
SIM counter packages	Staff sell the largest package or quote one price and charge another; some leave the SIM unactivated so you find out outside.	Pick the package on the printed board, watch them register it to your passport, and test data before you pay. Tourist data SIM: about ₫150,000–350,000 (≈ US$6–14) (2026 estimate).
Hall touts and lookalike taxis	Men inside arrivals offer 'taxi' and walk you to a car with a copied logo of a major taxi brand and a fast meter.	Book in the app or walk to the official rank yourself; check the company name and phone number on the door and roof sign.
Invented tolls	Driver asks for an extra 'highway' or 'airport' fee on arrival.	Only a small car exit fee at the airport is real (about ₫10,000–20,000 (≈ under US$1), check); anything larger is not a toll. App fares already include it.
Fixed-fare desk vs meter	Coupon desks in arrivals quote a fixed price to the centre that can be above the meter at quiet hours.	A fixed coupon is fine at night or with bags; compare it with the app fare on airport Wi-Fi first.
Hotel-transfer mix-up	A driver holds a sign with a name close to yours and a different hotel.	Ask the driver to say your hotel name first; the hotel can message you the plate number.

Money on landing

ATM	Where	Fee per withdrawal	Limit per withdrawal
Bank ATMs in the T2 arrivals hall (Vietcombank, BIDV, TPBank and others)	After customs, before the exit doors	₫20,000–110,000 (≈ US$1–5) per withdrawal depending on bank (2026 estimate, shown on screen)	often ₫2,000,000–5,000,000 (≈ US$80–200) per withdrawal; some banks allow more (check)

exchange booths: Airport exchange desks are fine for ₫1,000,000 (≈ US$40) or less; rates in the city (bank branches, licensed shops) are better.
cards: Hotels, malls and chain cafés take cards; street food, market stalls and many taxis are cash only. Ride-hailing apps take cards.
rule: Get notes of ₫500,000 (≈ US$20) broken into ₫50,000 (≈ US$2) and ₫100,000 (≈ US$4) at the first shop; ₫500,000 (≈ US$20) and ₫20,000 (≈ under US$1) notes look alike (blue) — check before paying.

Have in hand before the doors

Passport with visa or e-visa printout (hotels register you with the police).
Hotel address in Vietnamese, with diacritics, as an offline screenshot.
₫200,000–300,000 (≈ US$8–12) in small notes for the first meal and a tip.

On the groundHideSteps from the gate, and what to do if it breaks

On the ground

Step by step from the gate, and what to do if it breaks

Zero-brain vs precision

Daytime default: Ride-hailing car from the official pickup lane (or the metered airport taxi rank), straight to the door.
Precision: Terminal 2 (international): ride-hailing pickup and the bus stop are across the arrivals road (field-verify).
Late-night threshold: 22:00

Steps from landing

p50 / p90 minutes

5 / 10 min
Gate to immigration
all arrivals
25 / 60 min
Immigration (e-visa / exemption)
only intl checked, intl cabin
15 / 30 min
Baggage claim + customs
only intl checked, domestic checked
10 / 15 min
SIM/cash, then the pickup lane
all arrivals
40 / 60 min
Ride-hailing car to the door
on demand, any hour · ₫300,000 (≈ US$12)

Before you leave the airport

tick as you go

What the guide says to have in hand, and the airport traps to skip. Tick each one off on the way out.

0 of 9 done

Passport with visa or e-visa printout (hotels register you with the police).
Hotel address in Vietnamese, with diacritics, as an offline screenshot.
₫200,000–300,000 in small notes for the first meal and a tip.
Get notes of ₫500,000 broken into ₫50,000 and ₫100,000 at the first shop; ₫500,000 and ₫20,000 notes look alike (blue) — check before paying.
Skip: SIM counter packagesInstead: Pick the package on the printed board, watch them register it to your passport, and test data before you pay. Tourist data SIM: about ₫150,000–350,000 (2026 estimate).
Skip: Hall touts and lookalike taxisInstead: Book in the app or walk to the official rank yourself; check the company name and phone number on the door and roof sign.
Skip: Invented tollsInstead: Only a small car exit fee at the airport is real (about ₫10,000–20,000, check); anything larger is not a toll. App fares already include it.
Skip: Fixed-fare desk vs meterInstead: A fixed coupon is fine at night or with bags; compare it with the app fare on airport Wi-Fi first.
Skip: Hotel-transfer mix-upInstead: Ask the driver to say your hotel name first; the hotel can message you the plate number.

Ticks stay on this device only.

If it breaks

Immigration queues at night can pass an hour; message the hotel with your flight number before you fly.
Use the ride-hailing app or the metered taxi rank; decline drivers who approach inside the hall.
Guesthouse doors in the Old Quarter often close around midnight: ask for the night-bell or a code in advance.

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Sources

Field	Value	Source type	Confidence
primary.yen	₫250,000–350,000	secondary	50%
ladder.1.valid_until	22:30	secondary	40%

officialNoi Bai International Airport (official)