By Jane Nguyen, Jul 31, 2024
With more than 1000 years of history, Hanoi is home to a number of cultural and historic sites that attract tourists from all over the world. It is easy for you to map out an itinerary to enjoy your trip and deep into the beauty of the old and the new in Hanoi. Incredible Asia Journeys is pleased to recommend foreign tourists with some famous places in Hanoi that should not be missed out on your memorable trip.
Sunset in West Lake, Hanoi
Located in the middle of Hanoi, Hanoi Old Quarter with 36 old streets is a special historical site remaining its ancient beauty in this rapidly developing city. Here you can find narrow streets with many street vendors who sell food or souvenirs. Also, you will see several antique brick houses standing along the small streets in the dynamic atmosphere of the modern city.
Hanoi Old Quarter is always bustling with scooters, bicycles, and cars. It is easy to get lost when discovering these 36 busy streets on your own. Most of the foreigners travel around the Old Quarter on electric bikes of cyclos. It is truly an interesting experience that will give you an idea of how life in Hanoi is. Besides, you can try some tasty street food from street vendors nearby. Especially, if you visit Hanoi Old Quarter on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday you will have a chance to walk around the night market here and get some special souvenirs.
Street vendors in Hanoi Old Quarter
Just a few minutes walking from Hanoi Old Quarter, you will see Hoan Kiem Lake (which means “Lake of the Returning Sword” in English translation), one of the best places in Hanoi. Sword Lake and Turtle Lake are two other names. Hoan Kiem Lake is considered the symbol of Hanoi's capital and is visited by hundreds of people every day.
The lake is a sparkling colourful natural picture with Ngoc Son Temple (reached by a graceful red bridge, The Huc Bridge), Pen Tower, and scenic surroundings. Visiting Hoan Kiem Lake, tourists can have a chance to enjoy a different world from the bustling city, with no high-rise buildings or too much traffic. Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street takes place on three days of weekends, so you can walk on the street without bothering any traffic. However, it can be crowded on these days.
Hoan Kiem Lake
The thousand-year Temple of Literature is Vietnam’s first national university called Quoc Tu Giam. It was constructed to honour Confucius and now to celebrate the nation's scholars. From the entrance, you can see Dai Trung Gate, and Khue Van Cac (Pavilion of Constellation), then head to where doctor names were listed on a tombstone above tortoise backs.
Keeping moving, you can see the place worshipping Confucius and his 72 honoured students. The last courtyard is the Thai Hoc house, which is for teaching and learning in the past. A lot of students in universities in Hanoi come here to take photographs of yearbooks before graduating.
To get to the Temple of Literature, you can take a bus, a taxi, or ride a motorbike to travel.
Khue Van Cac in Temple of Literature
- In summer ( From April to October): 07.30-17.30
- In winter (From October to April): 08.00-17.00
- Adult: 30,000 VND for Vietnamese and foreigners
- Students: 15,000 VND (ID, student card required)
- Children under 15: Free
Located in Ba Dinh District, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (standing on Ho Chi Minh Complex) is a must-see place in Hanoi. Due to the dedication of the Ho Chi Minh President, the Vietnamese government decided to build the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to keep his body remain so later on people from any part of the country and foreign friends could visit him.
The words “President Ho Chi Minh” are written in red plum marble in the front of the mausoleum, which is considered to be the symbol of the lofty and morality of President Ho Chi Minh.
Go inside, you can see the golden sentence “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” – one of the most famous sayings of the President in the past. Also, you can see the traditional trees in Vietnam – bamboo trees on both sides as defences for this museum.
Besides, you can take time to visit other places in Ho Chi Minh Complex including Ba Dinh Square, Presidential Palace, Uncle Ho’s House on Stilt, One Pillar Pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Museum.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
One thing you need to note is that you are not allowed to bring a camera, cell phone, bare-shoulder T-shirts, or mini-skirts inside.
- Cold seasons (from November to March): 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
- Hot seasons (from April to October): 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
- Closed once per year in October/ November/ or December for the body maintenance
If you want to know more about the characteristics of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology will be an ideal place to visit in Hanoi. There are both inside and outside sections. The inside one is for the exhibition, while the outdoors is for you to take a rest with some activities and interesting displays.
You can enjoy the Water Puppetry Show here. It will be one of the most fascinating experiences in Hanoi when you enjoy it in such a tranquil garden.
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
- Adult: 40.000 VND
- University students with ID: 20.000 VND
- Children (6 years old to 16 years old): 10.000 VND
- Children under 6 years old: Free
Check our best tours to discover famous places in Hanoi:
Long Bien Bridge was constructed from 1989 to 1902. Passing through more than 100 years with decades of war, the bridge is not only a traffic construction, a nice French architecture but also a living historical relic. Long Bien Bridge is one of the best places in Hanoi to look at sunrise and sunset and take nice photos. It is also chosen to be a nice background for wedding albums of a lot of brides and grooms. Many foreign tourists want to visit this historical construction and nice scenery. While many teenagers come here to take nice photos to keep their memorable moments. Long Bien Bridge is not only a historical witness but also a memorable saver.
Sunset in Long Bien Bridge
Bat Trang is a seven-century-old ceramic village, which attracts tourists with their own handmade products. There are a lot of making the ceramic place and you can try to make and paint by yourselves as ceramic makers. It will be an unforgettable memory on your trip to Hanoi. Besides, you will also be really impressed by the incredible styles and beautiful and colourful ceramics of Bat Trang Ceramic Market. Please click on Bat Trang Ceramic Day Tour from Hanoi to see more details about this day tour.
Make your ceramic products
If you like traditional art, Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre is an ideal place for you. Water Puppet is a unique Vietnamese traditional art that has existed for more than a thousand years. Water Puppet Show performs the daily life of Vietnamese farmers like catching fish, tending buffalo, cultivating and so on. It is very interesting to enjoy.
16.10, 17.10, 18.30, 20.00 every day from May to September.
Water Puppet Show
Tran Quoc Pagoda is a famous place in Hanoi that attracts people who love religious places. The pagoda is extremely magnificent as a small island on West Lake. It is considered the most ancient pagoda in Hanoi with more than 1,500 years of history. Besides, you can walk around to enjoy the fresh and peaceful atmosphere of West Lake.
Tran Quoc Pagoda
One day is not enough to discover the beauty of Hanoi. Hanoi has many cultural and historic sites attracting your curiosity. If you plan your trip to Hanoi, spend 2 days or more to discover this lovely city. Reach out to Incredible Asia Journeys now to plan your trip and more!
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