Hanoi Jeep Tour: Old Quarter, Train Street & Countryside

You walk Train Street while locals live their daily lives around the tracks, and if the timing works, watch a train pass through.

A 4-hour Hanoi jeep tour in an open-air vehicle with an English-speaking guide covers the Old Quarter, French Quarter, West Lake, Red River Island and Train Street, with hotel pickup and lunch included. The jeep stops at a local family's home on the island, visits Van Nien Pagoda and B52 Lake, and ends at Train Street where you walk the tracks and stop for egg coffee at a trackside café. Children from age 1 are welcome, and the guide shares history and stories throughout the route.

Step-by-step itinerary

Hanoi city and countryside jeep tour

• Pick up from hotel by open air jeep
• Drive through Old Quarter streets
• Drive through French Quarter
• Pass and stop at West Lake viewpoint
• Drive through Red River island banana and vegetable farms
• Visit local family on the island
• Visit local market
• Drive around West Lake road
• Visit 1000 year old Van Nien Pagoda
• Visit B52 lake
• Pass many backroad traditional streets
• Drive past Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• Drive through Phan Dinh Phung road
• Stop at main gate of Thang Long Citadel
• Drive through Hoang Hoa Tham bonsai street
• Drive through back streets and small alleys
• See B52 American aircraft site
• View Hanoi skyscrapers in new city area
• Walk along Train Street
• Stop for egg coffee at Train Street coffee shop
• Head to restaurant for lunch
• Drive back to hotel or drop off point

The experience

The jeep picks you up from your hotel and heads into the Old Quarter, where the driver navigates the narrow streets lined with traditional shopfronts and street vendors. You pass through the French Quarter next, then drive along West Lake, one of Hanoi's largest, where a stop at a viewpoint gives you the panorama and some history of the area. From there the route turns outward, crossing into the countryside on Red River Island, where vast banana and vegetable farms spread across the landscape. A visit to a local family's home lets you see how people actually live on the island, not as a staged moment but as part of the day.

The jeep continues through backroads and past Hoang Hoa Tham street, known for its bonsai nurseries and bright flowers, then stops at Van Nien Pagoda (over 1,000 years old), and B52 Lake, where a downed American aircraft sits as a remnant of the war. Along the way the guide points out the contrast between old Hanoi's narrow alleys and the new skyline of high-rises. The route also passes Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Thang Long Citadel, where you learn the city's history from someone who knows it. By the final stretch, you're heading toward Train Street, the narrow alley where residents live alongside the railway tracks.

Train Street is where the tour's most distinctive moment happens: you walk the tracks themselves, stop at a coffee shop to drink egg coffee right next to the rails, and if conditions align, watch a train pass through the street. The jeep then takes you to a local restaurant for lunch before returning you to your hotel. Water is provided throughout, and if rain comes, the jeep has a loop cover. The whole day runs about 4 hours, with an experienced jeep driver handling the vehicle and an English-speaking guide narrating the stops and the history.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• open-air jeep with an experienced driver and English-speaking guide.
• entrance fees to all stops.
• lunch at a local restaurant.
• water throughout the tour.
• a rain cover for the jeep if needed.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:00 and 12:30

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (18 to 59 years) · Senior (60 and older) · Youth (12 to 17 years) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (1 to 4 years): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availableNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Authentic Vietnam Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're staying in central Hanoi without a car and want to see both the city's landmarks and the countryside in one morning or afternoon. The jeep handles the driving and navigation, and the guide explains what you're seeing as you move through the Old Quarter, out to the farms and back to Train Street.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 17 years); Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (1 to 4 years): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Train Street and why do people live there?

Train Street is a narrow alley in Hanoi where residents have built homes and businesses directly alongside the railway tracks. Trains pass through several times a day, and the street has become a popular spot for visitors to walk the tracks and photograph the unusual setup. On this tour you walk inside it and stop for coffee at a trackside café.

Will I actually see a train pass through on this tour?

The tour stops at Train Street and you walk the tracks, but whether a train passes depends on the schedule and timing of your visit. The operator notes you may see one "if lucky day will meet the train," so it's not guaranteed but possible.

Do I need to arrange my own way to the meeting point, or does the jeep pick me up?

The jeep picks you up from your hotel, so you don't need to find your own transport to start the tour. It also drops you back at your hotel at the end.

What happens at the local family's home on Red River Island?

You visit a family's home to see and learn about their daily life on the island, where they live among the banana and vegetable farms. This is part of understanding how people in the countryside around Hanoi actually live, not a performance.

Is lunch included, and where do you eat?

Yes, lunch is included at a local restaurant as part of the tour. You eat there after visiting Train Street, before heading back to your hotel.