How much does a street food meal cost in Hanoi?
A single street food dish in Hanoi runs 40,000–65,000 VND. A realistic full day — breakfast (xôi or bánh cuốn), lunch (phở or bún chả), dinner (bún riêu or bánh mì), plus a coffee — costs 150,000–220,000 VND, or roughly US$6–9. This is without alcohol; bia hơi adds 10,000–15,000 VND per glass.
Street food in Hanoi is cheap by any global comparison — but not free, and not uniformly priced. Where you eat matters as much as what you eat when it comes to the final number on a day of meals.
Per-dish prices (2026)
| Dish | Street stall | Sit-down local |
|---|---|---|
| Phở bò | 55,000–65,000 VND | 70,000–100,000 VND |
| Bún chả | 50,000–65,000 VND | 65,000–90,000 VND |
| Bánh cuốn | 35,000–45,000 VND | 50,000–65,000 VND |
| Bún đậu mắm tôm | 40,000–55,000 VND | 55,000–70,000 VND |
| Bún ốc / bún riêu | 40,000–55,000 VND | 55,000–75,000 VND |
| Bánh mì | 20,000–30,000 VND | 35,000–50,000 VND |
| Xôi (sticky rice) | 25,000–45,000 VND | — |
| Egg coffee | 35,000–55,000 VND | 45,000–65,000 VND |
| Bia hơi (draft beer) | 10,000–15,000 VND | — |
| Bottled water | 5,000–8,000 VND | 10,000–15,000 VND |
A realistic day of eating
Breakfast: Xôi at Xôi Yến (35B Nguyễn Hữu Huân) or bánh cuốn from a Hàng Than cart — 35,000–45,000 VND. Coffee (cà phê đen or egg coffee at Café Giảng) — 35,000–45,000 VND.
Lunch: Bún chả at Đắc Kim (1 Hàng Mành) or phở at Phở Bát Đàn (49 Bát Đàn) — 50,000–65,000 VND. Bottled water — 8,000 VND.
Afternoon: Bánh mì from a cart on Đinh Liệt — 25,000 VND. Optional: a second coffee or a glass of bia hơi at a corner stall — 15,000–20,000 VND.
Dinner: Bún ốc or bún riêu on Hàng Chiếu — 45,000–55,000 VND. Bia hơi — 10,000–15,000 VND per glass.
Total, eating well: approximately 220,000–280,000 VND per day (US$8.50–11).
Total, eating on a tight budget: approximately 150,000–180,000 VND per day (US$6–7) by skipping alcohol and opting for the cheapest versions of each dish.
Where prices are inflated
The tourist markup in Hanoi is concentrated in specific zones:
- The south and west sides of Hoàn Kiếm Lake (facing the lake directly)
- The Night Market on Hàng Đào on weekends
- Restaurants on Mã Mây and Hàng Bè that have English menus and tourist signage
The same dishes — phở, bún chả, bánh mì — cost 30–50% more at these locations compared to one or two streets away. The quality is not correspondingly higher.
What raises the price meaningfully
The single biggest driver of food cost in Hanoi is alcohol. A meal without drinks stays well under 100,000 VND. Add two glasses of bia hơi and you’ve added 20,000–30,000 VND. Switch to bottled beer (Hà Nội Bia or Tiger) and you’re at 25,000–35,000 VND per bottle. A night on the beer-and-food corner of Tạ Hiện can run 200,000–300,000 VND on its own.