The Best Places with Live Music in Hanoi

A little bit of music and a chill-out night would do no harm. If you are looking for a new breeze to cool off your soul of those tiring and boring days, these cafes may be that ideal hidden getaway. Frankly, not as much of a sign of Western culture can be found around this tiny Hanoi but somewhere in those hidden corners, we can still sense the distinction by the sound of music, the artists that jazz up the place and the souls that are connected. Here are some popular places in Hanoi that you can find the Live Music.

Hanoi Walking Street

From 7:00 PM on Friday to 12:00 AM on Sunday, the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake including Dinh Tien Hoang, Hang Khay, Le Thai To, Le Lai, and so on will become a huge pedestrian zone. In these streets, especially the ones surrounding the lake, you will see lots of street musicians singing, dancing and playing different instruments.

Vietnam Institute of Musicology

Vietnam Institute of Musicology is where some famous Music Festivals and great music performances take place. Sometimes, the teachers and the students of the Institute are the main characters of the performances. But for other special occasions, lots of well-known musicians are invited to play here. Vietnam Institute of Musicology is where you can listen to classics, jazz, acoustics, folk music and much more. To check out upcoming events there, check its website here.

The Doors & Bar 84

The Doors and Bar 84 are the two you should stop by at any convenience. Both The Doors and Bar 84 have somewhat the similarity in the way of design of which simplicity and irreducibility are elevated. The mysterious attractiveness in the clever combination of black and white, dark blue and green with the dusty charm from the color of bricks gives the two a beauty that is hardly mistaken. These themes, I presume, are perfectly fit with what the places offer: drinks, music, chit chat and chill.

For The Doors, live music is on all week with a variety of types performed by many artists despite genders, skin colors, ages and vibes such as jazz, rock ‘n roll, acoustic and so on. Performances at The Door are usually live from 9:00 PM  and special music nights with the contribution of foreign artists are often on every Friday night and there will be promo like “2 get 1 FREE for Gin Mix” or “TEQUILA (SHOT) 2 GET 1 FREE”. The place is open from 8:00 AM.

For Bar 84, you can call it a bar, a nightclub or even a restaurant when you come to check it out. Just like The Door, Bar 84 offers quite the same types of music. However, each day is signed for a different type of performances. For example, Monday is “Ladies’ Night” where acoustic is played, Tuesday is for Pre-1975 Vietman songs and 60-70s ballads with the theme “The Old Boys Blue” and so on. The place is open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 AM. So in case you have any free time for a jazz, acoustic or simply for a cup of coffee, just drop by any of them and you will not regret it.

The Doors

Address: #11 Hàng Chĩnh Street, Hoàn Kiếm District
Website: www.facebook.com/TheDoorsCafe

Bar 84

Address: #23 Ngô Văn Sở Street, Hoàn Kiếm District
Website: www.facebook.com/bar84hanoi

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Words by Trang Nguyen
Photos by Mai Tran (Mai Tran‘s profile)