7 Things to Do in Hanoi While Your Dental Work Is Being Completed

Dental treatment in Hanoi often spans multiple days — consultations, scans, procedures, and follow-ups. Between appointments, you have one of Southeast Asia’s most compelling cities to explore. Hanoi offers ancient temples, colonial architecture, extraordinary cuisine, and a street life that never quite slows down.

Here are 7 things to do in Hanoi while your dental work is underway.

1. Morning Walk Around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter

Start early. Hoan Kiem Lake at sunrise is one of Hanoi’s most serene experiences — locals doing tai chi, joggers circling the path, the red Huc Bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple on a small island at the lake’s centre. The surrounding Old Quarter is a maze of 36 narrow streets, each historically dedicated to a different trade. Breakfast on a plastic stool eating pho or bun cha is mandatory.

The Old Quarter is well-located relative to central dental clinics and makes a natural pre- or post-appointment destination. See why Hanoi is Southeast Asia’s best dental tourism destination.

2. Temple of Literature

Van Mieu — Vietnam’s first university, founded in 1070 — is one of Hanoi’s best-preserved historic sites. Five serene courtyards, stone steles commemorating imperial scholars, centuries-old trees, and intricate traditional architecture. Allow 1–2 hours. It’s one of the few sites in Hanoi where the crowds thin and the atmosphere genuinely transports you.

3. Vietnamese Cooking Class

A half-day cooking class is among the most popular activities for dental tourists — and practical too. After implant placement or extractions, cooking soft Vietnamese dishes helps you understand what to eat after dental surgery. Classes typically begin with a market visit, then hands-on preparation of pho, fresh spring rolls, banh xeo, and Vietnamese coffee. Dozens of cooking schools operate in the Old Quarter and French Quarter.

4. Day Trip to Ninh Binh

For a full day between appointments, Ninh Binh is 90 minutes from Hanoi by car. Limestone karsts rise dramatically from flat rice paddies — a landscape sometimes called the “inland Halong Bay.” UNESCO-listed Trang An, the cave temples of Bich Dong Pagoda, and the ancient capital of Hoa Lu are all accessible in a day. Organised tours depart from central Hanoi each morning; private cars are also inexpensive by Western standards.

5. Hanoi Street Food Tour

Vietnamese cuisine is one of the world’s great food traditions, and Hanoi’s version — more savoury and herb-forward than southern Vietnamese cooking — is considered by many to be the country’s finest. A guided evening street food tour covers 6–8 vendors across the Old Quarter: bun cha (grilled pork with noodles), cha ca (turmeric fish with dill), banh mi from hole-in-the-wall bakeries, and more.

For patients on soft food restrictions, time your tour carefully — consult your dentist on what’s appropriate at each stage. Our full guide to combining a Vietnam holiday with dental treatment has more on planning around appointments.

6. Egg Coffee and West Lake Cafes

Vietnam has one of the world’s most distinctive coffee cultures. Hanoi’s own invention — ca phe trung (egg coffee), a rich mix of egg yolk whipped with condensed milk over strong Vietnamese coffee — is worth experiencing at least once. Cafe Giang (founded 1946) in the Old Quarter is the original; dozens of imitators have since appeared.

The West Lake (Tay Ho) neighbourhood, where Serenity Dental is located, also has Hanoi’s finest independent cafe scene: lakeside terraces, specialty coffee roasters, and French-era buildings repurposed as coffee houses. A post-appointment coffee stop is practically a tradition for our patients.

7. West Lake Sunset Walk and Tran Quoc Pagoda

Our clinic is in the Tay Ho district on the shores of West Lake — Hanoi’s largest lake and most desirable address. The lakeside promenade at sunset is one of the city’s great quiet pleasures. Tran Quoc Pagoda, Vietnam’s oldest Buddhist temple (founded in the 6th century), sits on a small peninsula jutting into the lake’s eastern edge and is particularly beautiful in the late afternoon light.

The surrounding neighbourhood has Hanoi’s best restaurants, wine bars, and boutique hotels — ideal for patients wanting a comfortable, low-key base that’s a short walk from the clinic.

Planning Around Your Appointments

• Most central Hanoi sights are 15–30 minutes by Grab (Vietnam’s Uber equivalent) from West Lake
• Avoid strenuous activity in the 24 hours following implant surgery or extractions
• Keep your dentist’s contact details accessible at all times during your stay
• For full planning guidance, read our 9 practical tips for dental tourists in Vietnam and the complete dental tourism guide