Hanoi Airport Guide: Everything to Know About Noi Bai Before You Land

Hanoi Airport: Quick Facts 

Flying into Hanoi Airport from India

• Arrival airport: All flights from India land at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), with international arrivals at Terminal 2. Set your watch forward—Vietnam runs 1.5 hours ahead of IST.
• Direct flights: Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, and IndiGo fly nonstop on India–Vietnam routes. Delhi–Hanoi takes about 4 hours 15 minutes, Mumbai–Hanoi roughly 4 hours 45, and Kolkata—when nonstops are running — is the shortest hop at under 3.
• Schedule check: Not every route flies daily, and airlines trim frequencies by season. Check the live schedule before booking rather than assuming last year's timetable still holds.

Vietnam E-Visa for Indian Travellers

• Indian passport holders qualify for Vietnam's e-visa — up to 90 days, single or multiple entry.
• Apply: Upload your passport bio page and a photo, fill the online form, pay the fee, download the approved PDF.
• Fee and timing: USD 25 single entry, USD 50 multiple. Official processing is 3 working days, but allow a week or more — approvals slow around Tet and Vietnamese public holidays, and the fee isn't refunded if an application bounces.
• Use the official portal only: evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, run by Vietnam's Immigration Department. Dozens of lookalike sites sell the same visa at two or three times the price with an "agency fee" added — skip them, and skip visa-on-arrival agents too, since the e-visa replaced that workaround. Check your name, passport number, date of birth, and entry dates character by character before submitting; a mismatch can stop you at check-in in India.

What Immigration at Noi Bai Airport Is Like

• Off the plane at Hanoi International Airport, follow the Arrivals/Immigration signs through Terminal 2 — immigration first, baggage claim after, customs last.
• Have your passport and e-visa ready at the counter. Vietnam scrapped arrival cards, so there's no form to fill on the plane.
• Queue times swing: 15 minutes when quiet, an hour when several international flights land together. Don't book an airport pickup with zero buffer.
• Terminal 2 has automated gates, but they serve Vietnamese passports and limited categories - Indian tourists should head straight for the staffed counters.

How to Get from Hanoi Airport to the City Centre

Bus 86 — Best Budget Option for the Old Quarter

• Fare: 45,000 VND per person on the airport's current transport listing. Confirm when boarding.
• Duration: 45–60 minutes, traffic depending.
• Where to board: Follow the public-bus signs outside arrivals at T1 or T2. The route runs to Hanoi Railway Station with useful stops through central Hanoi.

Public Buses 07 and 17 — Cheapest Option

• Fare: 12,000 VND for Bus 07 and 15,000 VND for Bus 17, per the airport's listings.
• Duration: 60–90 minutes or more once onward travel is counted.
• Where to board: The designated public-bus area outside the terminals. Bus 07 heads towards Cau Giay; Bus 17, towards Long Bien.

Metered Taxi — Best for Door-to-Door Convenience

• Fare: Budget 350,000–450,000 VND for a typical run to central Hanoi.
• Duration: 35–50 minutes in normal traffic.
• Where to board: The official taxi queue in the public arrivals area, Level 1, at both T1 and T2.
• Operators: G7 Taxi and Mai Linh are the established names; G7 also runs dedicated Noi Bai airport services.

Grab — Best for Upfront Pricing

• Fare: Roughly 250,000–350,000 VND on current app estimates, rising at busy hours.
• Duration: Around 40 minutes.
• Where to board: ollow the app's designated airport pickup point after booking. Pickup locations can change, so use the latest location shown in the app.

Xanh SM — Electric Taxi Alternative

• Fare: Distance-based, with tolls and airport charges added on top.
• Duration: 35–50 minutes, traffic permitting.
• Where to board: At T1, exit Doors 1–5 (Halls A–B) or E1–E5 (Hall E) for the taxi lane. At T2, exit Hall A1, turn left, and find Xanh SM at Column 5.

Pre-Booked Hotel Pickup — Easiest After a Late Arrival

• Fare: Usually 350,000–600,000 VND, depending on the hotel, vehicle size, and whether the transfer is private.
• Duration: 40–50 minutes to the Old Quarter.
• Where to board: Your driver waits in the arrivals meeting area with your name, or the hotel sends a fixed meeting point in advance.

Inside Noi Bai Airport: SIM Cards, Currency, Food & Lounges

• SIM Cards: Tourist SIMs are available at the airport, although prices may be higher than in the city. Keep your passport handy because SIM registration requires identification.Tourist SIMs with healthy data allowances typically cost 150,000–300,000 VND - a little above city prices, but worth it to have a working phone before you reach the taxi rank.

• Currency Exchange & ATMs: ATMs and banking facilities are available at Noi Bai, including Terminal 2. For better value, avoid exchanging your entire travel budget at the airport; convert only enough Vietnamese Dong (VND) for immediate expenses and compare rates before exchanging larger amounts in Hanoi. 

• Food & Drinks: Cafés and restaurants operate both before and after security at Noi Bai Airport, and a handful run 24/7. Expect airport pricing and shorter menus than the city.  Options are generally more limited and expensive than in central Hanoi. 

• Airport Lounges: Terminal 2 has international departure lounges, including the ACV Business Lounge. Access may depend on your airline, class of travel, lounge membership, or paid entry. Check current access conditions before your flight.  

• Free Facilities: Free Wi-Fi covers both terminals, alongside drinking-water stations, charging points, rest areas, and children's play zones. Terminal 2 also runs a free electric shuttle within parts of the departure area—worth boarding when your gate sits at the far end.

• Traveller Tip: Just landed? Handle things in this order: SIM at the arrivals counter, a small amount of VND, then transport — all before stepping outside. Departing? Clear check-in and security first, and only then settle into a restaurant or the lounge, not the other way round.

Departing from Hanoi Airport

• How early to arrive: Reach Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) 3 hours before an international flight. Counters typically close 50 minutes before departure, morning, and evening banks are the busiest, and the Old Quarter drive adds 40–50 minutes on top.
• Terminal to use: International departures leave from Terminal 2; domestic flights from Terminal 1. If you are dropped at the wrong terminal, the free shuttle will fix it in minutes.
• Check-in flow: The screens inside T2 list your airline's counter row. Finish check-in and baggage drop, then keep your passport and boarding pass in hand - they come out repeatedly from here.
• Immigration & security: Departure immigration comes first, security screening after. There's no departure card to fill; a passport and boarding pass are enough.
• Allow extra time: Queues swell when several international flights leave in the same window. If your documents need extra verification, widen the buffer instead of trimming it.
• What's airside: Past security, T2 offers duty-free, restaurants and cafés, seating, charging points, and lounges near the gates.
• Before heading to the gate: Recheck the displays after security - gates and boarding times shift, and T2's far gates are a genuine walk.

First-Timer Tips for Hanoi Airport

• Ignore taxi offers inside arrivals: Anyone approaching you before the exit doors is a tout. Walk past to the official taxi queue, or book on Grab or Xanh SM and head to the marked pickup pillars.
• Confirm your terminal: T1 is domestic, T2 is international. Wrong one? The free shuttle between them runs every few minutes.
• Keep small VND notes handy: Bus 86 and airport kiosks won't break a 500,000 note easily. Ask for smaller denominations at the ATM or exchange counter, and change only day-one cash at the airport.
• Save your hotel address offline: Screenshot the name, address, and phone number before you fly. It's what you'll show the driver if your new SIM is slow to activate - and Old Quarter street names confuse even Google Maps.
• Carry a printed e-visa copy: Keep the printout with your passport until immigration is done. Airline staff in India often ask for it before Vietnam ever does.
• Allow for Hanoi traffic: Noi Bai International Airport to the Old Quarter runs 40–50 minutes normally, closer to 70 in the evening crush — pad your buffer accordingly, especially for onward bookings.