Hanoi Attractions - What to See in Hanoi Vietnam

What to see in Hanoi

With over 1,000-year history and diverse cultural traditions, Hanoi is one of the most popular destinations for all those who travel to Vietnam. Hanoi is also the second largest city in Vietnam as well as the biggest center of culture and education with many historical monuments, famous landscapes, theaters, museums, craft villages… of the country. One of the loveliest features to this city is its many lakes and parks. These provide many beautiful locations to rest in between venturing out in the capital's streets.

Taxis are the best way to travel long distances in Hanoi. But it is quite easy to get around the city on foot or on cyclo. If you are wondering where to see in Hanoi, here are some suggestions for you:

1. Hanoi Old Quarter - The Most Important of Hanoi Attactions

People said that Hanoi would not be Hanoi without its 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. Though most of the specialties (cotton, jewellery, herbs, and silk) have changed over time and have been replaced with a variety of modern-day commodities and services, visitors can still appreciate some of the original goods as well as get a feel of rich old Vietnamese customs.

Hang Bac Street (in Hanoi Old Quarter) in the early morning 

A very small alley in Old Quarter

2. Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake, Thap Rua (Turtoise Tower) and Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain) Temple

Hoan Kiem Lake, Tortoise Tower, The Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son Temple are a cluster relic, a famous landscape in Hanoi and the pride of Hanoian. Hoan Kiem Lake with the Turtoise Tower in the center of the lake is considered as the heart of Hanoi. Peaceful and quiet, the lake surrounds Ngoc Son Temple, a pagoda sitting in the centre on a small island. The lake and the temple offer plenty of trees and shaded spots in which to escape the busy city streets. The best time to visit Hoan Kiem Lake is in the early morning. You can take a walk around the lake in order to enjoy the fresh and peaceful environment.

Turtoise Tower in the center of Hoan Kiem Lake

The Huc Bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple in the summer time

3. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - Unique Attraction to See 

For visitors, a trip to Uncle Ho’s final resting place can be an extraordinary experience as it is not just an average attraction; it’s a part of a unique history. 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 front of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is Ba Dinh Square - a famous square in Hanoi where president Ho Chi Minh read the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945.

Moreover, if you visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, you should spend time on visiting some attractive sites surrounding the mausoleum. For example: Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, One Pillar Pagoda – the most unique architecture by the Asian Records Organization, Ho Chi Minh Museum, President’s Palace…

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ba Dinh Square

One Pillar Pagoda

4. West Lake - Peaceful Hanoi Sightseeing Point

West Lake was created from a curved part of Red River and it is the largest lake of Hanoi with the shore length of 17 kilometers. A small part of West Lake is divided by Thanh Nien road to form Truc Bach Lake. And Thanh Nien road is also one of the most beautiful roads of the capital. West Lake is surrounded by many significant places in history of Hanoi and Vietnam: Tran Quoc Pagoda - the oldest pagoda in Vietnam, Quan Thanh Temple - one of the Four Sacred Temples of ancient Hanoi (Thăng Long Tứ Trấn), Tay Ho Temple, etc. There are also many 5-star hotels located close to the West Lake (Sofitel Plaza, Sheraton, Hanoi West Lake Intercontinental…)

West Lake at night

Tran Quoc Pagoda

Thanh Nien Road

5. Temple of Literature - Historical Hanoi Attraction

The Temple of Literature is quite close to the Ba Dinh Square. The temple was built in 1070 and it hosts the Quoc Tu Giam (Imperial Academy) – the first national university of Vietnam. It covers an area of over 54,000 square meters, including the Literature Lake (Hồ Văn), Giam Park and five interior courtyards which are surrounded by a brick wall. In front of the Great Gate are four tall pillars. The second courtyard contains the "Constellation of Literature pavilion" (Khue Van Cac) -a unique architectural work built in 1805 and it is a symbol of Hanoi.

Khue Van Cac - a symbol of Hanoi

Literature Lake

6. Long Bien Bridge - Exotic Hanoi Attraction

Long Bien Bridge was constructed from 1899 to 1902 by a French company. More than 100 years with decades of war, Long Bien Bridge was bombed many times by air attacks by American army in 1967, 1972; and many spans of the bridge were destroyed. Therfore, Long Bien Bridge is not only a traffic construction, a nice architecture, but also a living historical relic. This oldest bridge in Hanoi is still living and sharing the daily life with Hanoians silently. If you have a chance to visit Hanoi, do not forget to take a walk on Long Bien Bridge for sight seeing, feeling the daily life of Hanoians, and enjoying peaceful moments at the present but not forgetting memorable past. On bridge, there is a staircase; you can get down the mid-land on Red River.

Red River and Chuong Duong Bridge - look from Long Bien Bridge

Hanoi also has many interesting museum, such as: Woman’s Museum – the most attractive tourist site in Hanoi in 2012 (ranked by TripAdvisor), Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Art Museum, History Museum, Revolutionary Museum, etc. The city has a lot of ancient pagodas and temples as well as many other historical monuments.

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

When to go to Hanoi

The best time to visit Hanoi is in the autumn, from September to November, when the climate is rather cool but it still has sunshine. In the autumn, tourists can have chances to try many specialities of Hanoi, such as: Cốm (green rice flakes).

Spring is also a good time to visit Hanoi as tourists can enjoy the Tet Holidays – the biggest traditional festival of Vietnam (normally at the end of January or the beginning of February). The weather at this time is a little bit cold.

From the end of April to August, it is the summer time. The weather is hot. Sometimes it reaches 39 - 40°C in June or July and the atmosphere is truly stuffy.

Winter lasts from November to January. It is dry but cold in the northern Vietnam. 

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