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. 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. What are your questions about? 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:. This is white person central. As such, there is a lot of infrastructure for foreignersβwestern 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. Ba Dinh is much more authentically Vietnamese than Tay Ho. This is where I lived, and I was glad of that fact. It can be very cheap and everything you need is right there. You'll find Ba Dinh on the map below in blue. This is the third Hanoian neighborhood that I would recommend for a foreigner. Many of the schools I taught at during my time in Hanoi were in this neighborhood, so I spent a lot of time here.
