In Hanoi, Vietnam, I got a buffet breakfast, beef pho, bun cha, ice cream, Vietnemese egg coffee, sugarcane juice, four Hanoi beers, a room in a hostel, and explored the entire Old Quarter and western side of the city, all in one day -and all for LESS THAN 15 DOLLARS. That makes Hanoi OFFICIALLY the cheapest city I’ve ever visited.
Here’s how I spent my money in one full day in Hanoi:
($20 USD = 445,000 Vietnamese dong)
Hostel bed – 112,000 dong
Breakfast buffet – FREE (included with hostel)
Ice cream – 8,000
Egg coffee – 17,000
Beef pho – 30,000
Fried dough snack – 7,000
Temple of Literature – 30,000
Sugarcane juice – 10,000
Ho Chi Minh Complex – 40,000
Bun Cha – 35,000
Four beers @7k/beer – 28,000
TOTAL COST = 319,000 dong ($14.26 USD)
Oh, and one more thing: the egg coffee I drank in this video is seriously the best coffee I’ve ever had in my entire life. If you visit Hanoi, you MUST TRY egg coffee.
Where I stayed: Chien Hostel
This hostel had the friendliest staff I’ve ever encountered. They were so happy to help me make this video and show me around Hanoi. I couldn’t have had such an amazing yet frugal day without the help of the Chien Hostel staff. Shout out to Chun and Tuan!
Click here to book a room at Chien Hostel
Address: 12-14 Ấu Triệu, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Phone: +84 98 323 46 28

Chun, one of the staff of the Chien Hostel, was so friendly!

Breakfast time in the Chien hostel is busy

Seriously, a breakfast buffet and a bed for only 5 bucks? Can’t beat that.

Dormitory of the Chien hostel
Special Thanks
Want to say thanks to The Passion HiFi, the music producer who provides me with all my sick BEATS for these videos. I love hip-hop, and he has graciously given me the rights to use his beats exclusively for these videos. If you like instrumental hip hop/stuff to freestyle over, check out his music: www.thepassionhifi.com
September 27, 2016 at 1:50 am
This is such a great video! Can’t imagine the preparation and work that goes into compiling all these scenes; and then editing them down to a short, but robust view of a city. Hanoi was once a byword for what many Americans, during the Viet Nam war, perceived as the evil empire. Now, some 50 years later, it shows a youthful energy which welcomes the offspring of many of these same Americans. Go Kevin!!
October 10, 2016 at 9:56 am
Yeah, Hanoi is definitely a warm and welcoming place, far from what it was during the war. Thanks for watching!
September 27, 2016 at 3:59 am
Great work Kevin, Thanks for the tour of Hanoi. Keep these videos comming!