Hanoi night markets and late-night food: where to eat after 9pm
Hanoi gets a second wind after 9pm. Night markets, charcoal grills, late-shift phở stalls — here is where to eat when most of the city has gone to bed.
Hanoi has two food shifts. The morning shift — phở stalls, bánh cuốn carts, breakfast bún — runs from 5am to about 10am. Then a quiet middle of the day. Then a second shift kicks in around 6pm and runs until 1–2am: charcoal grills, beer streets, the late-night phở stalls that open just for the post-bar crowd.
Most travel guides only cover the morning shift. This is the night-shift guide.
Why the night shift exists
Hanoi summer afternoons are 35°C and humid. Cooking and eating outdoors at 2pm is unpleasant. So Hanoians eat lunch indoors at 11am, work until early evening, then come outside as soon as the sun goes down. The night markets and street stalls fill up between 7pm and midnight.
In winter (10–18°C), the night shift is even busier — the charcoal grills serve as informal heaters, and the smell of grilled meat carries blocks.
1. Đồng Xuân night market — Friday/Saturday/Sunday
Where: Hàng Đào / Đồng Xuân streets, Old Quarter When: 7pm–11pm, Fri–Sun only
A weekend-only walking street stretching ~1km north from Hồ Gươm to Đồng Xuân market. The food at the market itself is mediocre (set up for tourists), but the side streets just off it are excellent:
- Bánh xèo — sizzling Vietnamese savoury crepes filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. Try the carts on Hàng Buồm.
- Nem chua rán — crispy fermented pork sausages, a Hanoi street-night snack. Stalls cluster around 13 Hàng Bồ.
- Trứng vịt lộn — balut. A Vietnamese delicacy that's not for everyone. Tries first if you've never had it; you can hand back what you don't finish.
The market closes at 11pm but the surrounding street food keeps going.
2. Tạ Hiện ("beer street") — every night, late
Where: Tạ Hiện street + adjacent corners When: 6pm–1am
The infamous beer street. After 8pm it's wall-to-wall plastic stools spilling onto the pavement. Bia hơi at ~10,000 VND per cup; food carts roll up with grilled meat, peanuts, and dried squid. Touristy but the energy is real.
What to order:
- Bia hơi — fresh-brewed draught, ~3% alcohol. Light and cheap.
- Mực nướng — grilled dried squid, served with chili-tomato sauce. ~50,000 VND.
- Lạc rang muối — salt-roasted peanuts. ~20,000 VND for a cup.
- Chân gà nướng — grilled chicken feet (yes, really). ~60,000 VND.
It gets loud after 10pm. Earplugs if you're staying nearby.
3. Mã Mây grilled meat alley
Where: Mã Mây street, Old Quarter When: 6pm–11pm
Less touristy than Tạ Hiện, more focused on actual dinner-quality grilled food. Multiple stalls grill bún chả (yes, bún chả as dinner), pork ribs, beef rolls, and mackerel skewers over charcoal.
Best for groups. Order a mix of skewers + a plate of bún + cold beer; share family-style.
4. Late-shift phở — when you need carbs at 11pm
The morning phở stalls close at 10–11am. But Hanoi has a different set of stalls that open at 6pm and run until 1–2am, specifically for the after-drinks crowd.
- Phở Bưng (carry-around phở) — push-cart phở, walks the Old Quarter from ~10pm. Spot it by the steaming bowls on a bicycle. ~50,000 VND. The ladle is shared, so it's not for the germ-conscious.
- Phở Thìn (Lò Đúc) — the Hanoi-classic franchise stays open until 9pm.
- Phở 24h — opposite of the spirit of this article (it's a chain) but it does open all night near major hotels. Use it as backup at 2am.
5. Quảng Bá flower market + porridge stop
Where: Quảng Bá flower wholesale market, Tay Ho When: 11pm–4am
The flower market runs all night for vendors who deliver to florists at dawn. Around it, late-night cháo (rice porridge) stalls open from 11pm. Cháo gà (chicken porridge) and cháo vịt (duck porridge) are the orders. ~60,000 VND.
Locals come here after a long shift. Worth doing once — it's an entirely different Hanoi than the daytime tourist version.
6. Tay Ho lakeside cafés — the quiet alternative
If beer streets aren't your speed:
- Cong Cà Phê (Trần Quốc Toản branch) — open until midnight, lake view, communist-aesthetic décor, good cà phê dừa (coconut coffee).
- The Note Coffee — late-hours coffee on Lương Văn Can. Customers leave handwritten notes covering every wall.
- Tranquil Books & Coffee — bookshop café open until 11pm. Good for reading, not for eating.
What to skip after dark
- Train Street — the famous narrow street where trains pass through café-lined houses. As of 2026 it's repeatedly closed by police for safety. Goes in and out of accessibility every few weeks. Check the latest before walking there at night.
- Anywhere advertising "tourist menu" with photos in five languages — this rule applies day or night, but at night the markup is worse.
- Đồng Xuân market itself after 7pm — the indoor stalls have closed; what's left is mostly tourist tat.
Practical for night eating
- Carry small bills — vendors after midnight often can't make change for a 500,000 VND note.
- Watch your phone and bag — Old Quarter is safe but the crowds are dense; pickpockets exist.
- Mosquitoes in summer (May–Sep). Long sleeves or repellent, especially near the lake.
- Last metro/grab — Grab cars run all night but multiplied surcharges after 11pm. The Old Quarter is walkable; if you stay there you don't need transport.