> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.fizen.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What's New in Hanoi for Travellers Right Now (2026) - URL: https://blog.fizen.io/whats-new-in-hanoi-for-travellers-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-26T07:05:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-26T07:05:56.000Z - Description: Forget the checklist sights. This autumn Hanoi is queuing for chicken pho, lining up for a dessert shop that only opens in the cold months, walking markets at 4am and learning a new weekend traffic rule. What is new, where it is, when to go and when to skip it. - Author: Quinn Dao - Tags: Travel & Nomad, Guides **Quick answer:** The newest things worth your time in Hanoi this autumn are small and local: a chicken pho rivalry between two Michelin-listed Old Quarter shops, a cold-season dessert shop that reopened on 5 October, pre-dawn market walks, and a car-free Hoan Kiem zone on Friday to Sunday evenings until 31 December 2026\. Visitors can pay most of these counters by scanning the shop's QR code from USDT with Fizen QR Pay, and an eSIM keeps maps and Grab working in between. **Key takeaways** - **Chicken pho is the queue of the season.** Pho Ha on Hang Hom (Bib Gourmand 2026, about VND50,000 a bowl) and Huyen Huong on Bao Khanh (Michelin Selected, up to VND160,000) both have peak-hour waits. - **Banh troi Pham Bang is open again.** The Hang Giay alley shop reopened on 5 October for its six cold months, from 3:30pm, every bowl VND30,000. - **Weekend nights around Hoan Kiem are car-free.** From 7pm to midnight, Friday to Sunday, motor vehicles are kept out of the lake zone until 31 December 2026, so plan your ride pickup at the edge. - **Milkwood season is on.** Hoa sua blooms from June to November, and the scent is heavy on streets like Nguyen Du and Quan Thanh. - **Pay and navigate from your phone.** Fizen QR Pay lets visitors pay Vietnamese QR codes from USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; an eSIM handles maps and ride apps. It is 7:15pm on Hang Hom, both floors of a chicken pho shop are full, and the line at the door is mostly locals. That is the Hanoi worth catching this autumn: new Michelin nods for old family shops, a dessert counter that runs on the seasons, and a fresh rule that changes how you get around the lake at night. Everything below comes from reports published between June and October 2026\. Hours and prices move, so treat them as a starting point. And since most of these counters take a QR code before a card, we close with how a visitor pays and stays online: Fizen is building the stablecoin neobank for people on the move, a wallet you own, local QR payments and travel data in one app. ## Which chicken pho is Hanoi queuing for this autumn? Two Old Quarter shops picked up Michelin listings in June 2026, and both now have lines. **Pho Ha at 15P Hang Hom** earned a Bib Gourmand: standard bowls are VND50,000 to 60,000, with a VND30,000 small bowl that has the same toppings. It seats about 80 across two floors, and VnExpress International reports long waits at lunch and from 7pm to 8pm. **Huyen Huong on Bao Khanh**, about 100 metres from Hoan Kiem Lake, entered the Michelin Selected list. A full bowl with liver, gizzard, egg and both thigh and breast meat runs to VND160,000, against VND40,000 to 60,000 at a typical chicken pho shop. Expect about 30 minutes at peak; it serves all day across three air-conditioned floors. **Queue tip:** go mid-afternoon. **Skip it if** you just want a good, cheap bowl: almost any neighbourhood pho ga stall will do that for a third of the Bao Khanh price. ## What just reopened for the cold season? **Banh troi Pham Bang**, in the narrow alley at 30 Hang Giay, reopened on 5 October 2026 after its usual six-month break. The family has run it on a six months open, six months closed rhythm for decades, because this Chinese-style dessert is cold-weather food. Doors open at 3:30pm. - **Banh troi tau:** soft glutinous rice balls filled with coconut or black sesame, in hot ginger syrup. - **Luc tau xa:** mung bean and lotus seed sweet soup. On opening day it sold out by 6:30pm. - **Chi ma phu:** smooth black sesame soup. All three are VND30,000 a bowl. There are only three or four small tables, so most people queue for takeaway; service is quick, around five minutes. **Skip it if** you want to sit down for an hour: take it to the lake instead. ## Is a 4am market walk worth the alarm? Pre-dawn food walks are having a moment. National Geographic Traveller (UK) published one on 26 September, and VnExpress followed it up on 18 October: starting at 4am in the alley market behind Dong Xuan, then crossing to the **Long Bien wholesale market**, where cars and motorbikes haul in sacks of pineapple, stalls sell herbs like kinh gioi and rau ngo, and squid cakes come out hot. The walk ends with banh cuon at a garage-sized stall and bun cha as the city wakes. You can walk Long Bien on your own, but carts and motorbikes do not slow down for photos; wear closed shoes. **Skip it if** raw meat smells at dawn will ruin your breakfast. Even the National Geographic writer found that part hard going. ## What changed around Hoan Kiem Lake on weekend nights? Hanoi is piloting a low-emission zone. In phase 1, **1 July to 31 December 2026**, all motor traffic, motorbikes and cars alike, is kept out of the Hoan Kiem Lake and Old Quarter night-market area from **7pm to midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays**. Emergency vehicles are exempt. Ride-hailing motorbikes are only asked to limit trips there for now; from 2027 petrol ride-hailing bikes are due to be barred inside the zone. In practice: drop your Grab pin on a street at the edge of the zone and walk the last few minutes. **Skip a hotel inside the zone** if you will come back late with luggage or tired legs on a weekend. ## Why does the whole city smell of flowers? That sweet, heavy scent in the evening is **hoa sua**, the milkwood tree, which blooms from June to November. Hanoi has about 14,400 of them, with dense rows on Nguyen Du, Quan Thanh, Tran Duy Hung and Nguyen Chi Thanh. Locals are split: it is the smell of Hanoi autumn to some and a headache to others, and in October the city said it may prune or move trees near homes, schools and hospitals. **Skip those streets after dark** if strong floral scents bother you. ## How do you pay and stay online between queues? Most of these counters show a bank QR code, not a card terminal. If you are visiting (not a Vietnamese resident), **Fizen QR Pay** pays VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes from USDT: create or import your Fizen wallet (non-custodial), get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it, deposit from the wallet into QR Pay (KYC per wallet and per device), then scan and confirm the amount in dong. BNB Chain deposits need no gas; on Solana keep a little SOL. Limits: US$800 per payment, US$1,000 per week. In Vietnam it pays Vietnamese account holders' codes only. Steps: [QR Pay guide](https://docs.fizen.io/help-center/fizen-app/faq/how-to-use-qr-pay?ref=blog.fizen.io). For maps and Grab, install a travel eSIM at home. Fizen's Vietnam plans ran on Viettel 4G when checked on 26 October 2026, and slow to 128 kbps once the data is used, so size for the whole trip. New users get US$10 of eSIM credit in the Fizen app's eSIM tab. ## Frequently asked questions #### Which is better, Pho Ha on Hang Hom or Huyen Huong on Bao Khanh? They answer different questions. Pho Ha is the value pick, a Bib Gourmand at about VND50,000 to 60,000\. Huyen Huong is Michelin Selected and richer, at up to VND160,000\. Both queue at peak hours. #### When is banh troi Pham Bang open? It reopened on 5 October 2026 for the cold months and opens at 3:30pm. Popular items can sell out by early evening, so go before 6pm. #### Can I take a Grab to the Old Quarter on a Friday night? Not into the lake zone between 7pm and midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until 31 December 2026\. Set your pickup or drop-off at the edge of the zone and walk in. #### Can tourists pay by QR code in Hanoi? Yes, with the right app. Fizen QR Pay lets visitors pay VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes from USDT on Solana or BNB Chain. Vietnamese residents cannot use it in Vietnam. #### Why did my QR payment fail at a Hanoi shop? In Vietnam, QR Pay pays only codes linked to Vietnamese account holders. An old or single-bill code, special characters in the payment message or going over US$800 per payment can also stop it. Ask the shop for a fresh code. #### Which network does a Fizen eSIM use in Vietnam? Vietnam plans in the Fizen catalog ran on Viettel's 4G network when checked on 26 October 2026\. Plans are data only, so keep your home SIM for bank texts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/ee/04eee3a6-7d95-474c-80a5-48f84338363b/content/images/2026/10/whats-new-in-hanoi-for-travellers-2026.png) #### Pay Hanoi's QR codes as a visitor Fizen QR Pay works for travellers and foreigners in Vietnam. Fund it from your Fizen wallet with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain, scan the shop's code and confirm the amount in dong. Travel eSIM data is in the same app, payable with USDT or by card via Stripe. [Get the Fizen app](https://link.fizen.io/s/B3Aenpj7fz?ref=blog.fizen.io) ### Terms and conditions - **Information only.** This article is information only. It is not an offer or a sale, and it is not financial, legal or travel advice. Venue details, prices, hours and traffic rules come from the sources listed and can change; check before you go. - **For readers in the United States.** This is information only, not an offer or sale, and not advice. Fizen products and services are not offered to US Persons. - **QR Pay availability.** QR Pay is for cross-border use by travellers and foreigners in Vietnam and the Philippines only, and is not available to residents of those countries in their own country. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. The Fizen wallet is self-custody; USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend. KYC applies. - **Independent.** Fizen is not affiliated with the restaurants, shops, tours or publications mentioned. Acceptance of any payment method at a given shop is not promised. ### Sources - [VnExpress International, Hanoi chicken pho shop Pho Ha earns Bib Gourmand, 17 October 2026](https://e.vnexpress.net/photo/food-recipes/chicken-pho-shop-owner-rejects-michelin-awards-invitation-as-scam-but-reaps-rewards-5128573.html?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [VnExpress, Pho ga Huyen Huong on Bao Khanh, 19 October 2026](https://vnexpress.net/pho-ga-160-000-dong-hut-khach-o-pho-co-ha-noi-5131376.html?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [VnExpress, Banh troi Pham Bang reopens, 7 October 2026](https://vnexpress.net/banh-troi-pham-bang-nhon-nhip-khach-ngay-mo-lai-5129139.html?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [VnExpress, pre-dawn Hanoi market walk with National Geographic Traveller, 18 October 2026](https://vnexpress.net/khach-tay-trai-nghiem-di-cho-ha-noi-tu-4h-sang-5132630.html?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [Big Bike Tours, Hanoi low-emission zone phase 1 explained, 30 September 2026](https://www.bigbiketours.com/hanoi-low-emission-zone-northern-vietnam-tour/?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [VnExpress International, Hanoi may relocate milkwood trees, 15 October 2026](https://e.vnexpress.net/news/life/trend/hanoi-may-relocate-milkwood-trees-over-complaints-about-strong-scent-5132707.html?ref=blog.fizen.io) Venues, prices and the low-emission zone rules checked against reports dated 30 September to 19 October 2026; eSIM network checked in the Fizen catalog on 26 October 2026. ### Related reading - [Paying for Hanoi street food by QR](https://blog.fizen.io/how-to-pay-in-hanoi-qr-street-food-2026/) - [Best eSIM for Hanoi](https://blog.fizen.io/best-esim-hanoi-2026/) - [Vietnam in November](https://blog.fizen.io/vietnam-in-november-2026/) - [VietQR for foreigners](https://blog.fizen.io/vietqr-for-foreigners-2026/)