Must-see attractions in Hanoi Region

  • Top Choice
    Temple of Literature

    Set amidst landscaped grounds near the centre of Hanoi, the Temple of Literature honours Vietnam's finest scholars, and also offers visitors a chance to…

  • Top Choice
    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 prisoners of war (POWs) during…

  • Top Choice
    Hoan Kiem Lake

    Legend claims that, in the mid-15th century, heaven sent Emperor Le Loi a magical sword, which he used to drive the Chinese from Vietnam. After the…

  • Top Choice
    National Museum of Vietnamese History

    Built between 1925 and 1932, this architecturally impressive museum was formerly home to the École Française d’Extrême-Orient. Its architect, Ernest…

  • Top Choice
    Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

    This fabulous collection relating to Vietnam's ethnic minorities features well-presented tribal art, artefacts and everyday objects gathered from across…

  • Top Choice
    Bach Ma Temple

    In the heart of the Old Quarter, the small Bach Ma Temple (literally 'White Horse Temple') is said to be the oldest temple in the city, though much of the…

  • Top Choice
    Vietnamese Women’s Museum

    This excellent and highly informative museum showcases the roles of women in Vietnamese society and culture. Labelled in English and French, exhibits…

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    Top Choice
    Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

    Added to Unesco's World Heritage List in 2010, Hanoi's Imperial Citadel was the hub of Vietnamese military power for over 1000 years. Ongoing…

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    Top Choice
    Hai Ba Trung Temple

    Two kilometres south of Hoan Kiem Lake, this temple was founded in 1142. A statue shows the two Trung sisters (from the 1st century CE) kneeling with…

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    Top Choice
    Heritage House

    One of the Old Quarter’s best-restored properties, this traditional merchants’ house is sparsely but beautifully decorated, with rooms filled with fine…

  • Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House

    This humble, traditional stilt house where Ho lived intermittently from 1958 to 1969 is set in a well-tended garden adjacent to a carp-filled pond and has…

  • Lotte Observation Deck

    The city's best views can be found on the 65th-floor 360-degree Observation Deck of the landmark Lotte Center in the western corner of Hanoi's Ba Dinh…

  • Hanoi Opera House

    This glorious neoclassical centrepiece of Hanoi's French Quarter is unmissable with its Gothic pillars and domes. The French-colonial 900-seat venue was…

  • West Lake

    The city’s largest lake, West Lake is 15km in circumference and ringed by upmarket suburbs, including the predominantly expat Tay Ho district. On the…

  • Long Bien Bridge

    A symbol of the tenacity and resilience of the Hanoian people, the Long Bien Bridge (built between 1899 and 1902) was bombed on several occasions during…

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    Perfume Pagoda

    This striking complex of pagodas and Buddhist shrines is built into the karst cliffs of Huong Tich Mountain (Mountain of the Fragrant Traces). Among the…

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    Thay Pagoda

    Also known as Thien Phuc (Heavenly Blessing), Thay Pagoda is dedicated to Thich Ca Buddha (Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha). To the left of the main…

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    St Joseph Cathedral

    Hanoi's neo-Gothic St Joseph Cathedral was inaugurated in 1886, and has a soaring facade that faces a little plaza that's usually stuffed with selfie…

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    Tay Phuong Pagoda

    About 30km west of Hanoi, Tay Phuong Pagoda, also known as Sung Phuc Pagoda, consists of three single-level structures built in descending order on a…

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    Fine Arts Museum of Vietnam

    The excellent Fine Arts Museum is housed in two buildings that were once the French Ministry of Information. Treasures abound, including ancient Champa…