I’m really excited to interview Paul Kennedy of Vietnam Travel With Us about Hanoi, Vietnam. Paul’s tips for the best things to do in Hanoi are awesome because he went on a birthday trip four years ago and never stopped traveling. He stumbled upon Vietnam and fell in love with Hanoi and decided to start his business here.
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Hanoi Train Street. Photo by David Emrich on Unsplash.
Hanoi, Vietnam
We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out Visit Vietnam: The Official Tourism Website of Vietnam, the local visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.
If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.
Pho is a local soup that’s very popular, including in many parts of the U.S.
Getting around Hanoi
The local airport is Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), which is about a 35-minute drive to the city.Use our Expedia tool below to find flight, hotel, and rental car options.
Paul says that, if you’re staying downtown, there’s no need to rent a car. For the best offers, visit Avis, Budget, or Hertz.
Uber and Lyft are excellent ways to get around.
Street life in old quarter of Hanoi. Photo by Florian Wehde on Unsplash.
Places we talked about on the podcast
Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Paul Kennedy about Hanoi, Vietnam. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.
- Red dots = best places to eat in Hanoi, Vietnam
- Green dots = best things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam
- Yellow dots = best places to stay in Hanoi, Vietnam
Who is Paul Kennedy?
For the past thirty years, Paul has been working in the restaurant business, bringing together delicious foods and atmospheres where customers could create their own memories. Growing up in Northern Virginia, Paul went off to study hospitality management at East Carolina University, followed by culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University. After his education, he departed to New York City where he continued to establish himself in the restaurant world, while also homing in on his love of writing and photography.
In 2018, with a backpack and some inspiration, Paul cashed in his proverbial chips and took off to see the world. The inspiration clearly worked because he never returned. His journey of uncertainty found its purpose in exploring what the world has to offer.
Paul is currently working on a cookbook about Vietnam’s food and culture that will be available in 2022. Besides authentic Vietnamese recipes, Paul hopes to do his part in piquing the readers’ interest in understanding the world, in any aspect. Once you do that, he feels like everyone will understand each other a little better.
Here are a few articles that he’s written:
- A Fusion of Vietnamese Food and Culture
- It’s Time To Think About What You Really Want with Mimi Novic & Paul Kennedy
- Recipe Replacements and Vietnamese Cooking
You can connect with Paul on his website and on Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to download our one-page guide of Paul’s tips for Hanoi.
Big thanks to today’s affiliate partner – Acorns
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I’ve been using Acorns for years, and I love how easy it is to use. For a limited time, when you sign up at wetravelthere.com/acorns, we’ll both earn $5.
The Presidential Palace, where Ho Chi Minh once lived. Photo by Sandip Roy on Unsplash.
Stay tuned for our next episode
Dan and Izdihar Skidmore with their son
Listen to the next episode when Dan & Izdihar Skidmore of Riad La Vie share the best things to do in Marrakech, Morocco. In this episode, we talk about visiting Bahia Palace, exploring the Jardin Secret, and hitting the slopes at the Exotic Ski Resort. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.
What’s your favorite part of Hanoi? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!
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To see which cities we’ve interviewed and scheduled, please visit WeTravelThere.com/map. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please submit an application at WeTravelThere.com/guest.
Related episodes
If you want to learn more about other destinations in Southeast Asia, listen to our other episodes:
- Flying Lanterns, Elephant Sanctuaries & Historic Temples in Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Finding Speakeasies in Manila, Philippines with Kathy
- Sak Yant Festival, Grand Palace & Muay Thai in Bangkok, Thailand
- Best Things To Do In Hong Kong with Sarah Li Cain
- Exploring the Batu Caves with Grant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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