Go with a plan.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Hanoi at 66/100 for crime — that makes it read about the same as than Vietnam's national picture overall (65/100 vs 65/100).
City page · part of Vietnam
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Hanoi report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside Vietnam's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
33.6
Safety Index
66.4
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as Vietnam's national page, with crime swapped for Hanoi's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Hanoi, specifically
- • Traffic: The simple act of walking can be intimidating, especially in the narrow streets around the Old Quarter.
- • When you leave the curb, look not only left and right, but to the front and back.
- • Hustles and scams: Be vigilant when taking a taxi.
- • Be careful of hustler hawkers.
- • Pickpockets: You've read warnings about pickpockets a hundred times, but it's rarely as true as for Hanoi's busy and narrow Old Quarter or the Dong Xuan Night Market.
Legal status (national law)
Legal + UN decl. sign.
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / B / C / F · 220V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 113 / ambulance: 115 / fire: 114
Tipping
Tipping is not practised by the Vietnamese themselves and generally not expected, though tips will not be refused if offered. Some establishments which are used to serving Western tourists have come to expect tips, though it is still perfectly acceptable not to tip. In any case, the price quoted to you is often many times what locals will pay, so tipping can be considered unnecessary in most circu
SIM / Data
Mobile numbers in Vietnam must always be dialed with all 9 or 10 digits (including a "0" prefixing the "1nn" or "9nn" within Vietnam), no matter where they are being called from. The 1nn or 9nn is a mobile prefix, not an "area code", as such and the second and sometimes third digits (the nn part) denotes the original mobile network assigned. As is the case with most mobile numbers, they can also b
Cash vs. Card
Credit/debit cards are now accepted more and more around the country, especially where there is a lot of tourists present. Credit/debit card purchases are required by law to be charged in dong.
How this compares to Vietnam
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Hanoi at 66/100 for crime — that makes it read about the same as than Vietnam's national picture overall (65/100 vs 65/100).
See the full Vietnam page and all receipts →