Top 7 Affordable Snack Spots Under 3,000 VND You Must Try in Hanoi

Bui Ngoc Duong’s fried donut stall is easy to spot, located at the intersection of Bui Ngoc Duong and Hong Mai. The delicious aroma hits you even before reaching the stall, where you'll notice a clean, golden frying pan. The shop is small, with just two tables inside, so most customers opt for takeout. Both sweet and savory donuts are priced at 1,500 VND each, and on Shopeefood, you can grab 10 donuts for just 19,000 VND, making it a steal! The sweet variety includes sesame donuts, mung bean-filled ones, sugar-coated donuts, and honey donuts. For savory, try the mushrooms, stir-fried noodles with a meaty taste, all wrapped in a thin, crispy dough. Pair it with a tangy dipping sauce and pickled vegetables.

The donuts at Bui Ngoc Duong are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and never too greasy, making them the perfect snack. Besides their signature sweet and savory donuts, the stall also serves stuffed dumplings with quail egg, noodles, pork, and Chinese sausage, all freshly made. The fresh herbs and pickled veggies are abundant and thoroughly cleaned, so you can enjoy as much as you like. What sets this Hanoi fried donut shop apart is the thin, crispy crust that wraps around the flavorful fillings. The sweet mung bean filling is smooth and creamy, while the savory meat filling is packed with flavor, best paired with their unique dipping sauce.

CONTACT INFO:
Address: 8 Bui Ngoc Duong, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 09:00 AM - 07:00 PM

As one of Hanoi's longest-standing fried bread shops, Saigon Banh Mi & Fried Bread continues to maintain remarkably affordable prices. Despite being around for years, it still draws in a large crowd daily. This shop offers three options: fried dough sticks, stuffed dumplings, and freshly fried bread. Notably, if you're taking it to-go, they provide pre-fried dough sticks in bags for quick pickup. Although the space is small and the hours are limited, it remains a popular spot. The fried dough sticks are small, deep-fried, crisp, and fragrant.

At Saigon Banh Mi & Fried Bread, you can enjoy freshly fried dough sticks and sweet dough, prepared right in front of you. Additionally, the shop serves a distinct dipping sauce that's perfectly balanced in flavor. Despite its compact size, the shop sees a steady stream of customers, especially for its delicious fried bread. The fried dough sticks here are smaller than usual but incredibly easy to eat and satisfying. The shop also serves fried bao buns, a popular snack among Hanoi's youth, along with other favorites like dumplings, stuffed dumplings, pho rolls, and fried sour spring rolls.

CONTACT INFO:
Address: 2 Van Chuong, Dong Da District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 06:00 AM - 09:00 PM

When it comes to sweet fried donuts in Hanoi, Thanh Beo - Sweet & Savory Fried Donuts is a must-mention. This brand has become a staple in Hanoi, especially well-known among the locals in the Old Quarter. Around the shop, you’ll often spot delivery drivers from Now or Baemin waiting to collect the freshly made donuts. During peak times, expect to wait in line for your share of hot, crispy donuts. The dough is crafted from a mix of glutinous and regular rice flour, with a modest filling of finely ground mung beans. The donut shell is crisp and lightly coated with sesame seeds on one side, unlike other places that cover the entire donut with sesame.

The freshly fried donuts from Thanh Beo are aromatic and irresistible. Each donut, although slightly irregular in shape, delivers an outstanding taste. The crust is not too thick, with a beautiful caramelized golden hue, offering a delightful crunch. Beneath the crispy outer layer lies a soft, chewy dough, followed by a filling of mung bean paste mixed with grated coconut, giving it a pleasant texture. The sweetness of the filling is subtle, making it easy to enjoy. Besides the honey-filled donuts, the shop also serves sugar-filled ones, with a balanced sweetness in the mung bean paste. The donuts are made fresh to order and sold out immediately, ensuring they are always hot. You can enjoy them straight out of the fryer when they’re soft and warm, or wait for them to cool, turning them into crunchy, sweeter bites.

CONTACT INFO:
Address: 20 Alley 13 Khuat Duy Tien, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

When visiting Hai Xe - Cao Lau Fried Donuts, you can't miss their savory fried donuts. The savory donuts here are perfectly balanced, with a crispy, crunchy crust that pairs wonderfully with a savory filling of meat, wood ear mushrooms, glass noodles, and mushrooms. Besides the savory options, Hai Xe also offers sweet fried donuts. Similar to many other places, their sweet fried donuts are coated with sesame and filled with a mildly sweet mung bean paste.

The dough has a smooth, chewy texture, and the crispy exterior is sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. The fried donuts here come in two varieties: savory and sweet. The golden, crispy donuts, when fried, release an irresistible aroma. The savory donuts are plump and filled with generous portions of meat, while the sweet donuts contain a smooth mung bean paste filling, offering a delightful bite! The fried donuts at Hai Xe - Cao Lau remain crispy even after cooling, and each donut is priced affordably at just 3,000 VND, making it a popular snack for students and everyone else. The shop operates from 7:00 AM to about 4:30 PM, so make sure to add it to your must-visit list!

CONTACT INFO:
Address: 5 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

The owner of Quynh Mai Fried Sweet Potato Balls has been running the shop for about 7 years and has built a strong base of regular customers. The shop feels like a family-run business, with the owner as the main cook and her mother and daughter helping shape the dough. There are two types of dough: the regular glutinous rice dough and a mix of sweet potatoes and taro, with a mung bean filling. The dough balls are fried in hot oil until golden brown and served fresh. The natural color of the balls ensures there are no artificial colors added. The outer layer is crispy and aromatic, while the filling is perfectly sweet and light. The purple ones are sweeter, while the yellow ones are richer and creamier.

Each skewer of five balls costs just 10,000 VND, meaning each ball is less than 3,000 VND—an incredibly affordable treat. Despite the low price, the owner prepares and fries them with great care, ensuring food safety for all customers. Although Quynh Mai Fried Sweet Potato Balls is a small shop, it's always bustling with customers who stop by for takeout. The skewers are fried continuously and are highly popular. This shows the appeal of these small, yet flavorful treats. So, why wait? Come and enjoy!

CONTACT INFO:
Address: 103 C8 Quynh Mai, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Located at 1 Hang Chieu, right at the entrance of O Quan Chuong, this stall is commonly referred to as O Quan Chuong Fried Cakes, or sometimes as Cao Lau Fried Cakes. These small, crispy fried cakes are filled with a modest amount of mung bean paste. Despite their size, they are always served hot and crunchy, with a fragrant sesame-coated crust. The balance between the sweetness of the filling and the cake’s texture makes for a perfect bite. Priced at just 1,000 VND per piece, these are as affordable as they come, reminiscent of the prices during the subsidy period, offering great value for money. These little fried cakes have been a beloved street snack in Hanoi for many years, bringing warmth and nostalgia to all who pass by.

The cakes have a thin, crispy shell and are filled with a generous amount of mung bean paste, ensuring they are not too heavy. The filling is smooth and slightly salted, with a touch of shredded coconut for added fragrance. There are also variations like sesame fried cakes, which are softer and chewier, covered generously with sesame seeds, or sweet fried cakes, which are crunchy and coated with sugar for a satisfying sweetness. A dozen of these cakes costs only 20,000 VND, making them just 2,000 VND each—unbelievably affordable! These freshly fried cakes are prepared with great care and cleanliness, so you won’t be disappointed!

CONTACT INFO:
Address: 1 Hang Chieu, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

The Tiny Bao Buns at Nghia Tan Market are located in a residential area near Nghia Tan Market, and though the stall doesn't have a seating area, it's easy to find. The buns are sold from a cart for take-out, and many customers buy them along with tofu pudding from a nearby vendor. The buns are delicious, with thick and fluffy dough and a generous filling of fresh, sweet meat that’s seasoned just right. Small but mighty, these bao buns may be tiny, but they pack a flavorful punch. Each little bun is filled with a mixture of minced meat, onions, wood ear mushrooms, and glass noodles, creating a perfectly harmonious taste.

They’re affordable too, priced at just 3,000 VND per bun. However, when bought in bulk from the shop on Shopee, you can get 10 for 30,000 VND, so you might not stop at just 10. When the vendor opens the steamer lid, you’re greeted by a stack of tiny, perfectly white and delicious bao buns. You can buy as many as you want, and if you like, pair them with chili sauce to add a kick. This is a unique delicacy exclusive to Hanoi that’s hard to find anywhere else!

CONTACT INFO:
Address: A15 Nghia Tan, Cau Giay District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM