Other sights in Hanoi
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Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum
In the tradition of Lenin and Stalin before him – and Mao afterwards – Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum is a monumental marble edifice. Contrary to his desire for a simple cremation, the mausoleum was constructed from materials gathered from all over Vietnam between 1973 and 1975. The roof and peristyle are said to evoke either a traditional communal house or a lotus flower, though to many tourists it looks like a concrete cubicle with columns. Set deep in the bowels of the building in a glass sarcophagus is the frail, pale body of Ho Chi Minh. The mausoleum is closed for about two months each year while Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed corpse goes to Russia for maintenance.
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Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
The outstanding Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is one of the country’s premier museums. Occupying a fine modern structure, the terrific collection features well-presented tribal art, artefacts and everyday objects gathered from across the nation. Displays are well labelled in Vietnamese, French and English. For anyone with an interest in Vietnam’s minorities, it’s an essential visit – though it is located way out in the suburbs.
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Women’s Museum
Hanoi’s Women’s Museum is the subject of an ongoing modernisation program that is introducing better displays and updated facilities. It’s a work in progress, so you might encounter some ongoing renovations. There are some powerful tributes to women soldiers and great exhibits from the international women’s movement protesting against the American War. And there’s much more in terms of cultural and political information. On the 4th floor, you’ll find different costumes worn by the women of the ethnic minority groups, and examples of tribal basketware and fabric motifs. Many of the exhibits have multilingual explanations, and regular exhibitions are held on topics as…
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Tay Phuong Pagoda
This is also known as Sung Phuc Pagoda and consists of three single-level structures built in descending order on a hillock said to resemble a buffalo. The figures representing ‘the conditions of man’ are carved from jackfruit wood, many dating from the 18th century, and are the pagoda’s most celebrated feature. The earliest construction here dates from the 8th century. Take the steep steps up to the main pagoda building, then find a path at the back that loops down past the other two pagodas and wander through the hillside village surrounding the complex.
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Bach Ma Temple
In the heart of the Old Quarter, the small Bach Ma Temple is said to be the oldest temple in the city, though much of the current structure dates from the 18th century and a shrine to Confucius was added in 1839. It was originally built by King Ly Thai To in the 11th century to honour a white horse that guided him to this site, where he chose to construct his city walls. Pass through the wonderful old wooden doors of the pagoda to see a statue of the legendary white horse, as well as a beautiful red-lacquered funeral palanquin.
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Memorial House
One of the Old Quarter’s best restored properties, this traditional merchants’ house is sparsely but beautifully decorated, with rooms set around two courtyards and plenty filled with fine furniture. Note the high steps between rooms, a traditional design incorporated to stop the flow of bad energy around the property. There are plenty of crafts and trinkets for sale here including silver jewellery, basketware and Vietnamese tea sets and there’s usually a calligrapher or another craftsperson at work too.
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Tay Ho Pagoda
Jutting into West Lake, beautiful Tay Ho Pagoda is perhaps the most popular place of worship in Hanoi. Throngs of people come here on the first and 15th day of each lunar month in the hope of receiving good fortune from the Mother Goddess, to whom the temple is dedicated. The entrance includes a colourful lane of stalls selling temple offerings and food, while a line of good fresh-seafood restaurants fronts the lake. It’s a great place to watch the world go by.
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Hai Ba Trung Temple
Two kilometres south of Hoan Kiem Lake, this temple was founded in 1142. A statue shows the two Trung sisters (who lived in the 1st century AD) kneeling with their arms raised in the air, as if they are addressing a crowd. Some say the statue shows the sisters, who had been proclaimed the queens of the Vietnamese, about to dive into a river. They are said to have drowned themselves rather than surrender following their defeat at the hands of the Chinese.
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One Pillar Pagoda
A Hanoi landmark, the One Pillar Pagoda was built by the Emperor Ly Thai Tong, who ruled from 1028 to 1054. According to the annals, the heirless emperor dreamed that he had met Quan The Am Bo Tat, the Goddess of Mercy, who, while seated on a lotus flower, handed him a male child. Ly Thai Tong then married a young peasant girl and had a son and heir by her. As a way of expressing his gratitude for this event, he constructed this pagoda in 1049.
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Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House
Behind Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum is a humble stilt house, where Ho lived on and off from 1958 to 1969. The house is an interpretation of a traditional rural dwelling, and has been preserved just as Ho left it. It’s set in a well-tended garden next to a carp-filled pond. Just how much time he actually spent here is questionable – the house would have been a tempting target for US bombers had it been suspected that Ho was hanging out here.
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Army Museum
Easy to spot thanks to a large collection of weaponry out front, the Army Museum displays Soviet and Chinese equipment alongside French- and US-made weapons captured during years of warfare. The centrepiece is a Soviet-built MiG-21 jet fighter, triumphant amid the wreckage of French aircraft downed at Dien Bien Phu, and a US F-111. The exhibits include English translations and some excellent war photography.
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Ba Vi National Park
Formerly a French hill station, the triple-peaked Ba Vi Mountain (Nui Ba Vi) has been attracting visitors for decades and remains a popular weekend escape for Hanoians. The limestone mountain is now part of the Ba Vi National Park which has several rare and endangered plants in its protected forest, mammals including two species of rare ‘flying’ squirrel and bountiful bird life.
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Ho Chi Minh Museum
Adjacent to Ho’s Mausoleum, the huge concrete Soviet-style Ho Chi Minh Museum is a triumphalist monument dedicated to the life of the founder of modern Vietnam, and the onward march of revolutionary socialism. Mementos of Ho’s life are showcased, and there are some fascinating photos and dusty old official documents relating the overthrow of the French and rise of communism.
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Hoa Lo Prison Museum
This thought-provoking site is all that remains of the former Hoa Lo Prison, ironically nicknamed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by US POWs during the American War. Those incarcerated at Hoa Lo included Pete Peterson, who later became the first US Ambassador to a unified Vietnam in 1995, and Senator John McCain (the Republican nominee for the US presidency in 2008).
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Thay Pagoda
This is also known as Thien Phuc (Heavenly Blessing) and is dedicated to Thich Ca Buddha (Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha). To the left of the main altar is a statue of the 12th-century monk Tu Dao Hanh, the master in whose honour the pagoda is named. To the right is a statue of King Ly Nhan Tong, who is believed to have been a reincarnation of Tu Dao Hanh.
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Quan Thanh Temple
Shaded by huge trees, QuanThanhTemple was established during the Ly dynasty (1010–1225) and was dedicated to Tran Vo (God of the North), whose symbols of power were the tortoise and the snake. A bronze statue and bell date from 1677. The temple is on the shores of Truc Bach Lake, near the intersection of Ð Thanh Nien and P Quan Thanh.
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Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex
This is the holiest of the holies for many Vietnamese. To the west of the Old Quarter, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex is an important place of pilgrimage. A traffic-free area of parks, monuments, memorials and pagodas, it’s usually crowded with groups of all ages, from all over the nation, who have come to pay their respects.
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Lenin Park
The nearest green lung to the Old Quarter, Lenin Park is about 2km south of Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s a great place to escape urban Hanoi (and incorporates Bau Mau Lake, where there are pedal boats) and has a couple of cafes. You’ll find fitness bars for pull-ups and dips, and its shady paths are popular with joggers.
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Truc Bach Lake
This lake is separated from Ho Tay by Ð Thanh Nien, which is lined with flame trees. During the 18th century the Trinh lords built a palace on the lakeside; it was later transformed into a reformatory for wayward royal concubines, who were condemned to spend their days weaving pure white silk.
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St Joseph Cathedral
The striking neo-Gothic St Joseph Cathedral was inaugurated in 1886, and boasts a soaring facade that faces a little plaza. Its most noteworthy features are its twin belltowers, elaborate altar and fine stained-glass windows.
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Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution
A must for all budding revolutionaries, the history of the Vietnamese Revolution is enthusiastically presented in this museum. It’s diagonally across the road from the History Museum.
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Dong Xuan Market
No trip to the Old Quarter would be complete without a visit to the Dong Xuan Market, rebuilt after a fire in 1994.
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Fine Arts Museum
Hanoi’s excellent Fine Arts Museum is housed in two buildings that were once the French Ministry of Information.
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