Hanoi’s Best Bars with Music
While big international bands tend to stick to Ho Chi Minh City (if they visit Vietnam at all), Hanoi can nonetheless offer its share of quality live tunes. And when no live musician is onstage, a talented DJ is often on hand to lend a creative soundtrack for the evening.
2 Tràng Tiền
Minh’s jazz club is owned by one of Hanoi‘s most famous jazz musicians, Quyen Van Minh. Live jazz, performed by local and foreign musicians, including Minh’s son, is the big draw here.
24b P. Tông Đản, Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Owned and operated by journalist and raconteur Nguyen Qui Duc, this Hanoi institution is now in its fourth incarnation near the Opera House. Expect a bohemian crowd, an eclectic music policy and a great selection of wine. Among the other strings in Duc’s bow is a talent for furniture making and his bar is a showroom for some of his exquisite handmade items.
6 Ngõ Hội Vũ, Hàng Bông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
The main draw at this Australian-run spot is the convivial and bohemian atmosphere. Housed in a stunning 1920s colonial villa in a quiet part of the Old Quarter, the cafe has a rustic, warm vibe. While items from the simple menu can be hit or miss at other times of the day, the breakfast offerings are exemplary and the coffee is right on the money.
Số 12 Phúc Tân, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Phuc Tan is something of a dive. In a city where things tend to shut early this is generally the last port of call for when the evening drags on a little bit longer than is perhaps advisable. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to like about the venue. Its strongest selling point (aside from the flexible opening hours) is its location by a branch of the Red River.
