Senior travel: Hanoi
An easier pace for an older traveller: how many stops fit in a day, which places are step-free, and what the guide says about getting around, medicines and stairs.
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Pace for a day
About 3 stops a day. 5 h out − 45 min rest, divided by an average visit of 42 min (from this city’s guide) + 30 min to move.
Places, easiest access first
- Trấn Quốc PagodaStep-free: yes · about 30 minReached along the flat causeway; the grounds have no steps of note (thresholds at the shrine doors).
- One Pillar PagodaStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 20 minThe garden is level; the shrine on the pillar is reached by a flight of steps.
- St Joseph's CathedralStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 25 minThe square in front is level; the main doors are up a few steps.
- Ngọc Sơn TempleStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 30 minThe red Thê Húc bridge has low steps up and down; the island shrine has thresholds.
- Đồng Xuân MarketStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 40 minGround floor flat; upper floors by stairs.
- Thăng Long Water Puppet TheatreStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 50 minStairs to the upper rows; front rows are close to street level.
- Temple of LiteratureStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 60 minLow steps at each of the five gates; paved paths between.
- Hỏa Lò Prison MemorialStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 70 minGround floor mostly flat; small steps between blocks.
- Hồ Chí Minh MausoleumStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 75 minShort flights up to and inside the hall; the queue is a long outdoor walk with little shade.
- Quán Thánh TempleStep-free: check (check before you go) · about 20 minSmall temple courtyard with raised thresholds at the doors (check).
Getting around in Hanoi
Hanoi is hard going on wheels. Pavements are car parks and kitchens, kerbs are high, and step-free access exists mainly in malls, big hotels and newer museums. Plan door-to-door car rides and pick a hotel with a lift.
- Pavements:
- Parked motorbikes, stalls and broken tiles force you into the road; the lakeside path around Hoàn Kiếm is the smooth exception.
- Lifts at stations:
- Metro lines 2A and 3 have elevated stations with lifts (check each station); they serve suburbs more than sights.
- Getting around:
- App cars are the step-free option: book a 7-seat car for a folding wheelchair. Buses are high-floor.
- Hotels:
- Many Old Quarter tube houses have no lift or a 2-person one; ask for a photo of the entrance steps. French Quarter chain hotels are the safest bet.
- Toilets:
- Accessible toilets in malls (Vincom, AEON, Lotte) and large hotels; rare elsewhere.
- Crossings:
- Few signalled crossings and no audible signals; ask someone to cross with you.
Medicines and health on the ground
The Vietnam guide lists no medicine paperwork. Check the official customs page for your medicines.
- Heat:
- May–Sep: shade and AC every 60–90 minutes, electrolytes, no midday walks. Heat exhaustion is the most common visitor illness.
- Dengue:
- Mosquito-borne; Hanoi cases peak roughly August–November. Repellent by day as well as dusk; see a doctor for a sudden high fever.
- Food and water:
- Bottled or filtered water only. Busy stalls with fast turnover are safer than quiet restaurants.
- Rabies:
- Do not pet dogs or cats. After any bite or scratch, go the same day to a vaccination centre (the VNVC chain has many branches) or an international clinic.
- Vaccination centres:
- VNVC and Long Châu vaccination centres give rabies, typhoid and flu shots for walk-ins; prices posted.
More: how much medicine to pack, medicine times across time zones.
Ask your insurer
Age limits and prices differ by policy and the guides do not hold them, so put these to the insurer before you buy.
- What is the oldest age the policy covers, at purchase and on the last day of the trip?
- Does the price or the cover change after a certain age?
- Are existing conditions covered, and what must be declared?
- Does the cover include medical evacuation and trip interruption?
Not medical advice. This page does not know anyone’s health. Ask a doctor before the trip, and carry a list of medicines and conditions.