Hanoi Cầu Giấy District

Cầu Giấy is a modern residential and corporate district west of central Hanoi. Once farmland, since 2000 it has become the city's IT and business-services corridor — Vietnamese tech companies (FPT, Viettel R&D, VNG), foreign IT firms, and many newer apartment developments. The population skews younger and more professional than central Hanoi.

What's here

• Vietnam National Museum of Ethnology — the country's best museum of ethnic minorities, with a large outdoor section of traditional houses from across Vietnam.
• Indochina Plaza Hanoi — major shopping and apartment complex.
• National Convention Center — used for major government and trade events.
• Multiple universities — National University of Hanoi (Cầu Giấy campus), several private universities.
• Vincom Mega Mall Smart City (in adjacent Nam Từ Liêm).
• Hanoi-Amsterdam High School — one of the country's top public schools.

Where to eat

• International chains and Vietnamese fast-casual in the malls.
• Korean restaurants clustered around the Korean community along Trần Thái Tông.
• Local lunch shops along Xuân Thủy and Trần Duy Hưng.
• Cafés and brunch spots are growing in number as the area gentrifies.

Where to stay

Tourists rarely stay here. For long-term residents, Cầu Giấy is the practical "newer Hanoi" choice — modern apartments, decent infrastructure, English-speaking services growing. Lower rents than Tây Hồ.

Getting around

To Old Quarter: 20–30 minutes by Grab. The new Hanoi Metro Line 3 (partially opened, expanding) connects Cầu Giấy to central Hanoi — a major improvement for commuting.

Honest take

Cầu Giấy is functional more than charming — it's where modern Hanoi lives and works, but the historic atmosphere of the Old Quarter or Tây Hồ is absent. Visit the Ethnology Museum (worth a half-day) but plan to base elsewhere.

For long-stay residents on a budget or working at IT companies in the area, Cầu Giấy is a sensible choice and increasingly liveable.