20 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN HANOI

Without being Hanoi one of the most spectacular capitals of Asia, not even the most beautiful city in Vietnam (hello, Hoi An), it has an urban and gastronomic roll that usually hooks travelers. Add affordable prices, modern coffee shops, and a dose of move, to make Hanoi one of the options chosen by digital nomads to lay the egg and stay for a little while. If it is in your plans to visit this lively city, here we tell you what are the Top 20 things to see and do in Hanoi:

1. Stroll through the Old quarter, the old quarter and probably the site with the most personality in the city. We warn you that you will not be alone, your steps will be interrupted by millions of motorcycles, cars, fruit carts, stools and colored tables on the sidewalks ... But do not be scared, remember that the chaos of Hanoi is very organized. The bikes will end up avoiding you, the seller will try to plug you in 2 kg of pineapples and on the tables you will see bowls of soup with pint. All this, here, is normal (and how cool! Less on the bike, of course).

2. Another emblematic neighborhood of Hanoi is the French quarter, an area that shows the dominance of the French throughout this region of Asia (called then Indochina). There are a handful of buildings that stand out above the others, such as the Opera wave St. Joseph's Cathedral. The truth is that it is a very nice neighborhood to walk, full of cafes, restaurants and shops. Do not miss it.

3. Did you know that Ho chi minh, the most beloved figure in the recent history of Vietnam, was embalmed against his will? Rest in a mausoleum... like Lenin! Open from 08.00 to 11.30 and entering is free, although you can not take mobile and you will have to queue and controls. Once inside, you can only see it for a few seconds (you can't stand in front of it and you have to keep walking). Maybe sucking a good time in line is not worth it (although you will be facing a key figure to understand today's Vietnam), but the mausoleum on the outside is quite impressive. Eye: in October and November they take the body of Ho Chi Minh to Russia to do the odd “touch up” o_O

4. To continue diving in the history of Vietnam, visit the Presidential palace, right next to the mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh never wanted to live here, for him it was ethically wrong to live surrounded by luxuries while the country struggled to “survive”, so he stayed a season in humble rooms for servants, then moved to the nearby “Zancuda House”, A simple home where he spent the rest of his life. Curiosity: before 1954, the year in which the Vietnamese gained their independence from France, the Presidential Palace was the residence of the French governor general. Although you cannot enter the palace building, you can visit Ho Chi Minh's house and gardens. Admission costs VND 25,000 (€ 1).

5. Not far from there is the curious Unique Pillar Pagoda which, as the name says, is formed by a single pillar. It is a Buddhist temple of almost a thousand years that stands in a beautiful pond surrounded by greenery and full of lotus flowers. Admission is free.

6. There is another temple in Hanoi that is especially important and a must see: the temple of literature. There the real protagonists are the turtles. Turtles? Do not think that there is a pond full of these live animals: these are statues that represent wisdom, so many students come by to ask for luck in studies. The turtles hold stone slabs with the names of the only 1307 students who graduated between 1442 and 1779. And this temple, dedicated to Confucius (the one who invented the confusion, you know), was the first university in the country. Price: 30,000 VND, audio guide in Spanish 50,000 VND. Curiosity: one of the interior doors appears on the 100,000 VND bill.

7. Around the Hoan Kiem Lake The whole old city of Hanoi is articulated. and it is the place chosen by both locals and tourists to get some peace from one of the most chaotic cities in Southeast Asia. During the day it will not be uncommon to find a newly married couple doing the wedding album, although when it gets dark it is filled with groups of friends exercising, runners, old ladies doing gymnastics, romantic couples swearing eternal love ... a great atmosphere!

8. In the southern part you will see a small islet almost completely occupied by a stone pagoda. Is the call Turtle Tower (Thap Rua), built in 1886 in memory of the local hero Le Loi, who managed to defeat the Chinese invaders and restore the independence of Vietnam back in 1425. He did so thanks to a sword he found on the shore of Lake Hoan Kiem. At the end of the war, a turtle appeared from the waters of the lake and claimed the sword to be able to return it to its place. That is why the lake is named like this: Hoan Kiem means "restored sword."

9. At the other end of the lake you have to cross the famous Red Bridge (Cau The Huc) and visit the Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple). After crossing the bridge and the beautiful stone door, you will enter a space dedicated to the spiritual and sacred (many Vietnamese come here to pray). And guess, in a showcase a huge turtle is dissected! Spend both day and night, when it is lit red. Admission must be paid before crossing the bridge and costs VND 30,000.

10. We had read that the famous train street It was plated, but the truth is that it is still open. We go in parts: the train street is a very narrow street where the train tracks pass and ... obviously, the trains also pass. The experience of coming here to take a good photo I remember became very fashionable, the problem is that, often, many tourists came too close to take the best selfie and ... BAD. There have been several cases of accidents, so the local police decided to limit access to roads. We had no trouble enjoying this curious site in the A99 Cafe (and we saw the train 2 times in an hour ... thanks Vietnamese delays!).

11. In that cafeteria we tried for the first time the egg coffee, and we fell in love! It is a typical Vietnamese preparation that is prepared by adding to the coffee a cream made from egg yolk whipped with sugar and condensed milk. In the A99 cafeteria it costs 35,000 VND and it is suuuuper good! They say it was invented in 1946 in the cafeteria Giang Cafe That is still open.

12. Did you know that Hanoi has a imperial citadel? The truth is that it is not as spectacular as Hue's, but considering that not every day one walks through an imperial citadel ... not bad at all. It is also Unesco Heritage for its historical importance: the Imperial City of Thang Long It was built around 1010 (Ly Dynasty) and until 1810 (Nguyen Dynasty) it was the political heart of the country. Entering costs VND 30,000 (€ 1.20).

13. Come to see a show of the famous water puppetsIt is certainly something original to do in Hanoi. There are several theaters where they are made, although probably the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater It is the most famous. The tickets are worth 100,000 to 200,000 VND (4-8 €) and the schedules are these: 15:00 / 16:10 / 17:20 / 18:30 / 20: 00. You can also book in advance here.

14. If the day dawns rainy, do not stay in the accommodation: there are a few interesting museums in the city, such as the Vietnamese Women's Museum, the Hoa Lo Prison, or the Museum of Military History, from where you can access the Flag Tower, where proudly honors the flag of Vietnam. It was built in 1812 as a watchtower of the citadel, although it is now separated from it. Before you go make sure you go through the statue of Lenin, across the street, and once in the tower, you can climb to the top to have a good view.

15. But the best views of Hanoi are certainly obtained in the LOTTE Observation Deck. From the 65th floor you will have a wonderful 360 panoramic view of all of Hanoi, and to climb the adrenaline a little, walk on the glass floor. Price of 230,000 VND (50% discount from 09:00 to 10:00 and from 22:00 to 23.00.

16. Try one of the most typical dishes of Vietnam: pho bo, a soup made with a super tasty broth, beef, aromatic herbs and rice noodles. It is addictive :-p They say that one of the best pho in Hanoi is eaten in the Phở Gia Truyền Bát Đàn (It costs less than € 2!). Uff, how well you eat in Vietnam, here we tell you more about Vietnamese cuisine and we give you recommendations of 7 restaurants where to eat in Hanoi.

17. Come to see another lake in Hanoi: the Tay Lake. Of course, unless you do not want to wear the sole of your shoes at all, you better limit yourself to seeing a part of it: to surround it whole you would need many hours (its perimeter is almost 20 km). In the same lake is an islet that houses one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the city: the Tran Quoc Pagoda, your entrance is free. And near there is another temple, this time Taoist, very nice: the Quan Than Temple, where there is a huge statue of the god Tran Vu. Entering costs less than € 1.

18. Hanoi has a mosaic That has earned him a Guinnes record. Measure almost 4 km and if you arrive from the airport you will see it safe. It is almost impossible to imagine the number of bits that will have been used to finish it, and if you think it will be shabby, nothing is further from reality: we thought it was very curved, with scenes from the history of Vietnam and beautiful corners of Asia, such as Borobudur or Angkor.

19. Have a beer in Ta Hien Beer Street When night falls The experience is, at least curious: it is a street full of small bars that take small stools to the sidewalks and in which, for a small price (from 5,000D, about € 0.20!) You can take a cold jug of bia hoi (beer). Without a doubt, a must see in Hanoi. Cheers! Although the bia hoi is in many other areas of Hanoi, walk with your eyes wide open and as soon as you see those two words on a sign, stop to refuel energías

20. Do you want to buy some souvenirs? Do you need a charger? A sweatshirt, whatever? Well, most likely you will find it in the chaotic Dong Xuan market. Open every day from early in the morning until 7pm. Arm yourself with patience, dust off your bargaining skills and go for it!

20 + 1 Are you going to be in the city for many days? The truth is that Hanoi can be visited in 2 days (the main thing, at least) so if you have more time we recommend you to do some other excursion: Believe us, northern Vietnam is the best of Asia. These are the most recommended:

• Halong Bay Cruise. The normal thing is to hire a 2 day and 1 night package like this. There are others of 3 days and 2 nights and others to visit only during the day like this. On our first trip we liked it so much that we decided to return a second time ...
• Sapa excursion. In this case the ideal would be to have about 2-3 days of time, but if you only have 1 day, well ... better than nothing. Of course, try at least to sleep one night to take advantage of the time. You can do trekking more or less short, enjoy the characteristic landscape of the rice fields and relax in this northern corner (although be prepared: it is VERY touristy). Here we leave you our experience in Sapa. And if you want to hire a 2-day tour, this is a good option.
• Ninh Binh. It was one of our fiascos… we spent a couple of days waiting for the weather to improve and we couldn't visit this spectacular area. You can do it for free (based in Ninh Binh) or with this day tour from Hanoi that includes the mythical boat ride in Tam Coc.

Here you have a map with the best places to visit in Hanoi:

That said: it will not be the most beautiful place in Vietnam, but for us Hanoi is a city with a soul and certainly deserves a stop along the way. Have you been there? Did you like it? Do you want to recommend more things to see and do in Hanoi? Leave us a comment 😉

Video: Best Things To Do in HANOI, VIETNAM. Must Watch! (April 2024).