Hanoi is located in Northern Vietnam and it is one of the most popular places to visit in Vietnam.
If you are planning a Vietnam itinerary, you really need to add Hanoi to your list of places to go due to the amount of amazing cultural and tourist attractions located here.
If you are going to be visiting Hanoi for the first time here are some essential places not to miss.
1. The Old Quarter
The stunning Old Quarter of Hanoi is a really great area to explore, or even stay. It’s a maze of small old colourful colonial streets where you can find everything to buy. Every street has it specialty. The street of silk, of electronics, of toys, of flowers and just name it. This area is interesting to stroll around during the day but also at night. Here you will also find a lot of hotels, travel agencies and the ‘Dong Xuan’ market.
2. Army Museum and Flag Tower
The museum gives an overview (photos, maps, scale models) of the Vietnamese resistance and victory against the Chinese, French and American invasions. The flag tower (31 meters high) is the last remaining of the Hanoi citadel built in 1812. From the top you have a panoramic view of the city. The Army museum is located on Dien Bien Phu street 28A and entry costs around 10.000 VND. It is open everyday except Monday (8h00-11h30 / 13h30-16h30).
3. Ho Chi Minh Museum
The museum gives an overview of Vietnam going from the past to the future. The ground floor contains displays (most in Vietnamese language) from technical innovations to …….crop productivity charts. The first floor covers the life of Ho Chi Minh. Getting there is simple, head to Ngoc Ha 3, and it is open everyday except Monday (8h00-11h00 / 13h30-16h00).
4. One Pillar Pagoda
The one pillar pagoda is a wooden pagoda built on a single stone pillar in the middle of a very small pond. It resembles a lotus blossom rising out of the sea. The one pillar pagoda is next to the HCM museum and entry is free.
5. Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum
Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as Prime Minister of Vietnam from 1945 to 1955 and as President from 1945 until his death in 1969. The mausoleum holds the body of Ho Chi Minh in a glass case. This is quite an unusual place to visit and there are a lot of regulations to be taken care of. Not allowed are wearing shorts, cameras and bags, walking with hands in your pockets, taking pictures. If your shoulders are uncovered, you can rent a shirt for 5000 VND (Vietnamese are always willing to cut a deal). It is only opened from 7.30 till 11 am, and also closed on Monday and Friday. Usually the mausoleum is closed in October, Ho then goes to Russia for reparation. The house has a collection of relics from his life. You can find the Mausoleum next to the HCM museum and it is open daily (8h00-11h00), closed on Monday and Friday.
6. Temple of Literature ‘Van Mie’
The temple contains five walled courtyards connected to each other by portals. The most interesting ones are the 3th (82 tortoise carrying stone stelae) and the 4th (sanctuary with the statue of Confucius). Entry costs 12.000 VND, although sometimes it is also free. It is located on Quoc Tu Giam street.
7. Hoan Kiem Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake is a great place to escape the chaos of the Hanoi streets. Early in the morning (be there at 5h30) the lakeside is changed in a huge ‘sportcomplex’. People are playing badminton, football, exercising Tai Chi and jogging. During the evening (especially in the weekend) people come here to wander around and have a seat at the benches around the lake. You will find here also the water puppet theatre, the post and telephone office, the ANZ-bank, some restaurants and cafés. In the northern end of the lake is a small island with the Ngoc Son Pagoda accessible by an old red wooden bridge. Heading north will lead to the old quarter.
8. The Waterpuppet Theatre
The waterpuppet theatre is a series of scenes telling some stories about Vietnamese life represented by carved and painted wooden puppets held on sticks by people standing in the water behind a screen. You can find the theatre at Dinh Tien Hoang 57B at the Hoan Kiem lake. Shows take place everyday at 8.00 pm with 2nd class tickets costing 20.000 VND, 1st class 40.000 VND. The show lasts around one hour.
9. Hanoi Opera House
Hanoi Opera House is in a really pretty colonial building belonging to the Hilton hotel which lies next to it. The Opera House is located on Nguyen Dinh Chieu 15 and shows usually take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 20h00.
10. St. Joseph Cathedral
St. Jospeh Cathedral is a church on Nha Chung Street in the Hoàn Kiếm District of Hanoi. It is a late 19th-century neogothic catedral built by the French in 1887. It is a great photo stop opportunity.
11. Museum of Ethnology
This museum has displays, reconstructions, photographs and video footage. It presents the lives of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities, their artifacts, dress and music. The museum is 10 km out of the center. Built in 1997. The Museum is located on Nguyen Van Huyen, Dich Vong.
12. Revolutionary Museum
If you have an interest in history the presentation of the Vietnamese revolution will be of interest to you. Head to Ton Tan street 25.
13. History Museum
If you love museums and are interested to learn more about Vietnam’s complicated and fascinating history, then the history museum is recommended. Head to Trang Tien 1.
Day Trips and Best Places to Visit Near Hanoi
Hanoi is an excellent base to explore more of northern Vietnam. The two undoubted highlights are Ha Long Bay and Sapa which all travellers to Vietnam must visit. But these trips can be 2/3 days or more in duration so below we have focus on day trips and places near to Hanoi which can be done quickly. Excursions can be booked online or at travel agencies in Hanoi. Other places to check out include.
Hanoi Handicraft Villages
Villages dedicated to particular handicrafts are common in Vietnam. At least 50 specialized villages surround Hanoi. They produce diverse wares as paper, ceramics, snake wine, furniture and silk. Some villages have manufactured the same goods for centuries, others have responded to more recent market demands.
Examples are :
- Canh Hoach – birdcage
- Bat Trang – pottery
- Dong Ky – wooden carving
- Ha Dong – silk
Perfume Pagoda
It takes two hours to get there by bus passing by ricefields with some graves in it (Vietnamese believe that the spirits of the death guard the paddies against evil) and brickfactories. The entrance costs 60.000 VND.
A one hour rowingboat trip will take you to the base of the hill that houses the pagodas. Along the way you will see a lot of sunken wooden boats. They will only be used during the Tet (Chinese New Year) when many pilgrims visit the sanctuary. Under water the boats are better kept in condition. It’s a scenic ride passing by lotusflowers, ducks guarded by duckkeepers and people with boats stowed with clay for making bricks.
This boat trip could turn out to be the highlight of the trip due to the marvellous scenery. From the base of the hill it’s a one hour climb up to the pagoda-cave passing by some smaller pagodas. The heat and humidity makes this hike pretty heavy so it’s best to start the trip early in the morning. Don’t be afraid to run out of drinks because kids are following you all the time carrying buckets stowed with drinks and ice selling them at high prices.
What to take : sun cream, water, good shoes and (officially) long trousers (only if you want to go inside the pagoda). The price is around 12$ including entrance and boat trip.
Hoa Lu – Tam Coc and Bich Dong
Hoa Lu is the ancient capital of the Dinh Dynasty. The attractions are the two remaining temples ‘Dinh Tien Hoang’ and ‘Dai Hanh’ reachable after a climb of more then 200 steps.
The area surrounding Tam Coc and Bich Dong is a Halong bay look-alike but without the water. At Bich Dong you will experience a series of pagodas and a fascinating collection of caves farther up the outcrop. The caves are full of stalactites that have been carved into Buddhist images, some stalactites are hollow upon which tunes can be played.
At Tam Coc, which means three caves, the scenery is very similar to Bich Dong but you can observe it from a small boat that one of the locals will paddle you around in. During the boat ride you will have the opportunity to visit the Thai Vi Temple and the three caves from inside.
