Top 33 Best Things to do in Hanoi: Route Map, Tips, Entrance Fee

hanoi-old-quarter-thing-to-do — Hanoi-Old-Quarter

Top 33 Attractive Hanoi Tourist Sites that tourists should not miss

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, draws visitors not only with its beautiful scenery, numerous well-known sites, and delectable cuisine that bears its distinctive flavor, but also with its wide variety of entertaining places. And if you are planning to travel to Hanoi, do not miss the following places!

This more for you:

Hoan Kiem Lake	Hanoi Old Quarter
Dong Xuan Market	Hanoi Opera House

Well-known Tourist Attractions

You may like to read more:

Hoan Kiem Lake ( The Sword Lake ) – One of best things to do in Hanoi

If you visit Hanoi but don’t go around Hoan Kiem Lake, it will likely be a significant omission. Probably very few places can represent Hanoi’s essence as well as this one can. The calmness of the ambiance, the friendliness of the locals, the ancient features, the architectures that bear cultural and historical symbols, the street vendors and even the commercial areas with the modern comforts.
Coming to Sword Lake, you can visit Turtle tower, Pen tower, The Huc bridge, Ngoc Son temple, Ly Thai To statue and walk around the lake to learn about the people, culture and Hanoian’s life. Especially, on the weekend, you will have the opportunity to mingle with the crowd on the pedestrian street with extremely unique and highly community-based cultural and entertainment activities.

Hanoi Old Quarter

The Hanoi Old Quarter, which is northwest of Sword Lake, consists of 36 ancient streets running from Hang Chieu, Hang Luoc, to Hang Dao, Hang Ma.
Tourists can find the ancient architectural beauty of the old houses, the old streets, and the street culture in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, as well as a wide range of eateries that together make up Hanoi’s distinctive traits that cannot be found anywhere else. It is recommended that you should enjoy street food in any eatery in the old quarter. Then you will see the unique diversity of cuisine as well as the culture of a thousand-year-old capital.

Have a look at:

Dong Xuan Market

As the oldest market, Dong Xuan market is a cultural symbol of Hanoi. Coming to Dong Xuan market, a wide range of items from clothes, fabrics, household goods, toys, gifts to food are on sale at very affordable prices that will make you astonished and excited.

Hanoi Opera House

Hanoi Opera House is a typical artistic and cultural hub in the capital as well as one of the most outstanding symbols of architecture in Vietnam. It is frequently chosen to host major national artistic shows.

Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

The Thang Long Puppet Theater is where water puppet shows, a cultural characteristic of Northern Vietnam, are preserved and performed. When seeing water puppet displays, tourists will undoubtedly be in awe of the Vietnamese water puppeteer’s talent.
Especially, after enjoying the water puppet show, you can linger to learn more about this art form with artifacts or direct instruction from the artists. This is sure to be an unforgettable experience for any tourist.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

This is the place to keep the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh, the great president that every Vietnamese person is incredibly grateful and respectful of.

If you can arrange time, let’s go to the square in the early morning to view the solemn flag-raising ceremony in front of Ho Chi Minh mausoleum.

>>> Do you like to get A Hanoi City Tour – Explore Highlights of Hanoi as a Local

Water puppet show	One Pillar Pagoda
Temple of Literature	Thang Long Citadel

One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Museum

After visiting Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, tourists can visit nearby sites such as the stilt house where president Ho Chi Minh used to live, Uncle Ho’s fish pond and Ho Chi Minh Museum – a place to keep all documents, images, artifacts, and footage of President Ho Chi Minh. These attractions will help you understand more why leader Ho Chi Minh gains great love from the Vietnamese people and the world.
At the end of this city tour, you should visit One-Pillar Pagoda. Built on only one pillar, this is the pagoda with the most unique architecture in the world, and also a famous cultural symbol of Hanoi capital.

Temple of Literature Hanoi

Constructed in 1070 under King Ly Thanh Tong, The Temple of Literature Hanoi is associated with the a thousand-year-old capital. This is the first university in Vietnam and also a cultural attraction that exemplifies the tradition of fondness for learning of Vietnamese people.

>>> If you’d like a FREE itinerary tailored to your needs by a knowledgeable travel advisor, don’t hesitate to contact us for 24/7 help.

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

The complex of Thang Long Imperial Citadel is among must-see locations in the capital, notable with Kinh Thien Palace, the North Gate Citadel, Doan Mon, and the archeological site at No.18 Hoang Dieu street. Nearby is Hanoi Flag Tower, a monumental, intact work that bears the cultural symbol and pride of the Ha Thanh people. After visiting Hanoi Flag Tower, you should spend some time at the Vietnam Military History Museum to obtain a better understanding of Vietnam’s amazing military prowess and wisdom during the two resistance wars against French colonists and American imperialists.

Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo prison was constructed in 1896 by the French colonists with the intention of housing political prisoners. It is currently used to store images and artifacts that faithfully depict the arrest and torture of Vietnamese revolutionary fighters. Whether you are a foreign visitor or a Vietnamese citizen, you should visit Hoa Lo Prison to learn about the Vietnam War and the exploits of Vietnamese revolutionary fighters throughout the resistance against strong empires.

West Lake

You will undoubtedly feel at ease in West Lake’s expansive and romantic surroundings and the beautiful Thanh Nien street. When coming to West Lake, be sure to check out stunning locations with historical and cultural significance including Tay Ho Temple, Quan Thanh Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda – one of the top 16 most stunning temples in the world. Not only famous with impressive architecture and a peaceful ambiance, Tran Quoc Pagoda is also regarded as the Buddhist hub of the Thang Long ancient citadel.

Long Bien Bridge

Built by the French in 1898, Long Bien is the first steel bridge in Vietnam. This bridge over the Red River experienced two wars of resistance against the US and against the French, so it is regarded as a timeless symbol of wartime memories that cannot be erased. Bearing in it the vestiges of time, the wounds of destructive war, but Long Bien Bridge still stands there and becomes a historical witness, carrying the national values in terms of culture, history, and society.

Ta Hien Beer Street

It is the busiest nightlife street in Hanoi. Coming to Ta Hien, tourists still can find the ancient beauty of Ha Thanh from hundreds of years ago, presented by narrow houses and old brown tile roofs. When night falls, Ta Hien street will put on a charm and excitement, different from its peaceful beauty of every early morning.

The French Quarter Hanoi

The French Quarter, which was established and developed mainly between the end of the 19th century and 1954, is a precious cultural legacy of the Capital with unique imprints and features. Due to its lively ambiance and distinctive fusion of French architectural styles, it has quickly grown to be a popular location that draws a lot of tourists.

Quang Phu Cau Incense Village

Quang Phu Cau, an Incense Village that upholds the traditional craft of incense making for more than 100 years. A visit to Quang Phu Cau incense village will bring visitors an opportunity to learn about the traditional craft of making incense sticks and take lots of unique check-in photos. Right after you enter the incense village, you’ll be able to see the busy lives of the locals here.
The village is filled with bundles of red incense sticks that look like enormous flowers under the sunlight. Incense is dried in a variety of large areas, including the yards of houses or community houses, and vacant lots, which brings an impressive sight for visitors.

farmer-is-make-dry-incense — Quang Phu Cau Incense Village

Night Markets

>>> You may like to read more: What to do at night in Hanoi – Best Things To Do in Hanoi at night

Old Quarter Night Market

The Hanoi Old Quarter night market preserves several distinctive characteristics of Hanoi’s 36 ancient streets in addition to functioning as a location for trading and business. That is also a factor in the market’s popularity with foreign tourists who come to explore its intriguing items.

This market is only open on weekends, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, throughout the hours of 18:00 to 24:00. The Old Quarter Night Market, also known as Dong Xuan Night Market, is always rated as one of the shopping attractions not to be missed by tourists to Hanoi.

dong-xuan-night-market — Dong Xuan Night Market

Quang Ba Flower Market

Address: No.236, Au Co Street, Quang An Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi

The market is open from 23:00 until early morning. This is when the streets are asleep but this market becomes busiest and most crowded. The iridescent street lights shine on the colorful kiosks, making the whole market more fanciful. Coming here, you appear to be lost in this poetic setting with numerous vibrant flowers.

Long Bien Market

Address: Located right under Long Bien Bridge in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

The market’s lively, bustling, and crowded nightlife is what makes it interesting. This is undoubtedly a fresh location worth checking out if you love photography. Even though the lighting isn’t ideal, you still can capture vivid photos because of the golden lights in the night. The best time to go to the market should be in the early mornings, between 2 and 5 o’clock.

long-bien-night-market — Long Bien Night Market

quang-ba-flower-night-market — Quang Ba Flower Night Market

Shopping malls and amusement parks

Royal City Hanoi

This amusement park is referred to as a “miniature royal city,” which combines a shopping center with an area of entertainment for all ages, making it a popular destination with families and groups of friends. Visitors will enjoy enjoyable and fascinating moments here. Along with entertaining games, there are also restaurants offering a variety of European and Asian cuisines as well as local fare that draw numerous tourists.

Times City

Located in the heart of Vincom Mega Mall Times City, the entertainment area is an ideal place for children and families. It is well-known for having the largest modern aquarium in Vietnam and paradise fun for the whole family.

Address: Vinhomes Times City Mega Mall– No. 458, Minh Khai street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi

Landmark Sky72 Observation Deck

Located on the top floor of Keangnam building, the tallest building in Hanoi. The Sky72 observatory’s prime location and telescope-accessed panoramic view of Hanoi give tourists the most genuine sense of the city. This is undoubtedly an ideal place that visitors should not miss.

Address: Floor 72nd, Keangnam Landmark, E6 Pham Hung street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi

Hopefully, the information provided above about the best tourist attractions and entertainment spots in Hanoi has made it simpler for you to decide where to go out and enjoy yourself while visiting Hanoi.