Hanoi Attractions

What to See in Hanoi

If you're a culture vulture Hanoi has so much to offer. With a 1,000-year history and many well-preserved buildings along with lush and verdant parks as well as a well-appointed zoo, Hanoi will quite simply keep you busy for days on end.

One of the loveliest features to this French-colonial city is its many lakes and these provide many beautiful locations to rest in between venturing out in the capital's streets.

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Most Popular Attractions in and near Hanoi

Ba Vi National Park

Ba Vi National Park is one of Vietnam’s most famous areas of outstanding natural beauty, and is centered around a three-peaked mountain jutting steeply out of the landscape. The national park offers a great escape from the city with cool fresh mountain air in a mystical atmospheric backdrop of clouds, jungle and tropical rainforest. Read More...

Hanoi’s Maison Centrale - 'Hanoi Hilton'

Built by the French in 1896 and once the site of a huge prison nicknamed the 'Hanoi Hilton' by US POWs, the remaining small museum contains numerous objects reflecting the anti-French movement, including torture instruments and a guillotine. Read More...

Hanoi Old Quarter

Packed with charming colonial architecture, Buddhist temples and pagodas, the Old Quarter, located near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hoan Kiem District, is Hanoi’s major commercial district. Its heart and soul is exposed in the ancient commercial streets which are named after their original businesses dating back about 1,000 years. Read More...

Hanoi Opera House

The beautiful Hanoi Opera House was built in 1911 by the then ruling French. It’s a phenomenal piece of neo-classical French architecture featuring Gothic themes on the doors and domes with pillars, shuttered windows, balconies and a glass room. Musicians, actors and dancers play to a 600-strong audience delivering powerful operatic and classical performances, making it a very popular theatrical attraction. Read More...

Hanoi Zoo

Formerly known as Bachthao Gardens, Hanoi Zoo is home to about 800 animals with over 90 different species on exhibition, including big cats, monkeys and reptiles. The zoo is located within Thu Le Park – a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi central. The park also features a lake with pedal boats for kids to enjoy and an ornamental garden for visitors. Read More...

Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple

Hanoi tourists and locals alike head to Hoan Kiem Lake when seeking a place to get away from the noise of the city. Peaceful and quiet, the lake surrounds Ngoc Son Temple, a pagoda sitting in the centre on a small island. Read More...

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh is probably the most popular leader of Vietnam and known to his people as ‘Uncle Ho’. His body is preserved here in a glass case at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in central Hanoi (albeit against his wishes). Read More...

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

The large central sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long in Hanoi was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site just in time for Hanoi’s millennial anniversary in 2010. The ancient site was the political centre of the country for 13 consecutive centuries and served as the capital of Vietnam for eight centuries. Read More...

Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature is often cited as one of Hanoi’s most picturesque tourist attractions. Originally built as a university in 1070 dedicated to Confucius, scholars and sages, the building is extremely well preserved and is a superb example of traditional-style Vietnamese architecture. Read More...

The Perfume Pagoda

The Perfume Pagoda, known locally as Chua Huong or ‘inner temple’, is at the centre of a very revered and sacred site featuring a maze of mainly Buddhist temples built into the limestone cliffs of Huong Tich. At the heart of this complex lies the Perfume Temple or Perfume Pagoda in the Huong Tich Cave. Read More...

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi offers an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam in an effort to preserve cultural heritage and promote socio-cultural diversity within the country. Visitors are welcome to browse some of the vast research on offer at this public museum which is also a centre for ethnographic research. Read More...

Vietnam Women’s Museum

The Vietnam Women’s Museum delivers a beautifully presented tribute to the women of Vietnam across the ages. There are plenty of historical contexts alongside a wealth of information on today’s more modern Vietnamese woman. Read More...

Water Puppet Theatre

The world-famous Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi has its roots in an art form that dates back to the 11th century. This tradition is unique to North Vietnam but has recently found fame on stages all over the world. Read More...

Other Attractions in Hanoi

Art Museum

A compact collection of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and hill tribe articles. Military Museum Displays and memorabilia of the wars against France and the USA.

There is an interesting model of the President's house at the time of the fall of Saigon. Adequate explanations in English.

History Museum

Houses articles dating from prehistoric periods up to 1945. The Imperial days of the Nguyen Dynasty are particularly well represented.

Museum of Ho Chi Minh

Built in 1990 to commemorate his 100th birthday, the museum is dedicated to Ho Chi Minh's life and legacy.

Exhibits are not always easy to understand, and a tour with a competent guide is recommended.

One Pillar Pagoda

First constructed in 1049 and built on a single stone pillar just over a metre in diameter, this wooden structure was destroyed by the French after their defeat in 1954 and rebuilt by the new government

Tour Available: Hanoi City Tour

Revolutionary Museum

Documents the wars against French and American forces. Small, but with many original and interesting exhibits.

The Tran Quoc Pagoda

This attractive pagoda is one of the oldest in Vietnam and sits on an island in the West Lake. King Ly Nam De commissioned the construction of this pagoda on the river bank 1,400 years ago. During the reign of King Le Kinh Tong (1600-1618), the pagoda was moved to its current location. Next to the pagoda there are some bars and restaurants. There is a walkway affording access.

Attractions Outside Hanoi

Handicraft Villages

There are several handicraft villages worth visiting around Hanoi, including the silk weaving village of Van Phuc, the ceramic centre at Bat Trang, and the furniture making village of Dong Ky. Of culinary interest is the snake-breeding village of Le Mat, with several restaurants cooking the serpents to order.

Hanoi Tours & Excursions

The list of things to do and places to see in Hanoi is long. If your schedule does not allow you to spend many days in this great city, you should at least take a day tour or a half-day tour to visit the city. A wide range of daily excursions is available, as well as tour packages... Read More...

Featured Stories in Hanoi

Hanoi Old Quarter
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum in Hanoi
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long in Hanoi

Hanoi Attractions Related Information

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