Things to do in

Temple of Literature

Your shared or private tour will begin as you are picked up from your hotel before being to the historic complex of Ba Dinh. You will visit Ba Dinh Square, where the former President Ho Chi Minh read Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945. You will visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and One-Pillar Pagoda, a must-see monument in Ha Noi. The One-Pillar Pagoda is an ancient Buddhist pagoda which is supported by only one pillar and resembles a lotus blossom. You will also visit Van Mieu and Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature), the first imperial school in Vietnam. Lunch will later be served at a local restaurant, after which you will pay a visit to the Women’s Museum (which is listed among Asia’s top 25 museums (closed on Mondays). The museum honors Vietnamese women throughout history, and includes displays of the country's recent history as well. Exhibits include: “Women and Ethnicity”, “Women and the National Struggle”, "Vietnam Women’s Association and Feminism”, “Women and Traditional Costumes” and “Women’s Cultural Traits Expressed Through Handicrafts”. Following the museum, you will take a cyclo (pedicab) ride around the “the 36 meandering streets” of Ha Noi’s historic Old Quarter and visit Tran Quoc Pagoda as well as Quan Thanh Temple. At the conclusion of your cultural experience, you will be returned to your point of origin.

Morning Tour The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in the Old Quarter and take you to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which is an important place of pilgrimage for many Vietnamese. A traffic-free area of botanical gardens, monuments, memorials and pagodas, it’s usually crowded with groups of Vietnamese who come from far and wide to pay their respects to 'Uncle Ho'. Within the complex are Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House and the Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda. The next stop is the Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam which was built in the 10th century under the Ly Dynasty and greatly influenced by Confucianism. Then, at the Hoan Kiem Lake, you will have time to take some pictures before joining a 30-minute car tour or 30-minute cyclo tour around the Old Quarter to experience the exciting local daily life. A cup of coffee will be served after. Afternoon Tour The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in the Old Quarter. The tour takes you to some famous highlights and destinations in Hanoi such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh House on Stilts and the Temple of Literature. After taking a rest with a cup of coffee at the hidden coffee shop, the tour continues with: (Please choose one of these options below) - Option 1: 30-minute electric car tour around the Old Quarter to experience local life. - Option 2: 30-minute cyclo tour around the Old Quarter to experience local life. - Option 3: Enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Show to know more about the ancient local life as well as Vietnamese's culture. At the end, the car will drop you off at your hotel.

Head off with your motorbike driver/guide on a 4.5-hour tour of Hanoi. Stop at the historic Opera House, and then take a short walk on the campus of Vietnam’s first university – the Temple of Literature. Dating from the 10th century, it was built during the Ly Dynasty. Continue to Quan Su Pagoda, where many important Buddhist activities take place, and then explore a second-hand market, where you will get a look at the daily life of locals. Head to Hanoi’s 36 Old Streets and stop for lunch at a traditional restaurant. Taste a variety of dishes at an eatery that’s a local favorite. Enjoy cold local beer, soft drinks, or tea. Spend some time shopping before heading back to your hotel.

Enjoy the unique experience of the Hanoi city hop-on hop-off bus tour. The tour route has 15 stops and passes more than 30 famous attractions, allowing travelers to explore and experience the city in their own way. With this 24 or 48-hour ticket, you can discover the city at your leisure. Pass through: • Stop 1: Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square – Hoàn Kiếm Lake (Mon-Fri) Hanoi Opera House – (Sat -Sun) • Stop 2: Le Thai To’s Statue – 30 Le Thai To Street, Hoan Kiem Dist. • Stop 3: St. Joseph’s Cathedral - 4B Trang Thi Hoan Kiem Street, Hoan Kiem Dist. • Stop 4: The Flag Tower of Hanoi - 28A Dien Bien Phu Street Ba Dinh Dist. • Stop 5: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - Opposite to 49 Dien Bien Phu Street Ba Dinh Dist. • Stop 6: Quan Thanh Temple - Thanh Nien Street, Quan Thanh Dist. • Stop 7: Tran Quoc Pagoda - Thanh Nien, Yen Phu Dist. • Stop 8: Northern Gate Church - 6 Hoang Dieu Street, Ba Dinh Dist. • Stop 9: The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - 26 Hoang Dieu Street, Ba Dinh Dist. • Stop 10: One Pillar Pagoda – Hung Vuong and Tran Phu Crossroad • Stop 11: The Temple of Literature - Opposite to 63 Quoc Tu Giam Street, Dong Da Dist. • Stop 12: Hoa Lo Prison Relic - Opposite to 52A Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem Dist. • Stop 13: Museum of Vietnamese Women - 39 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem Dist. • Stop 14: Hanoi Opera House – 1 Trang Tien Street • Stop 15: Hanoi Post Office - 175 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoan Kiem Dist. Other sights along the way include the Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison Relic, the Museum of Vietnamese Women, the Hanoi Opera House, and Hanoi Post Office. The hop-on hop-off buses operate from 9:00 AM to 6:15 PM. An English-speaking guide is available on board to help you get off at the right stop. Audio commentary is available in 10 different languages.

Enjoy a full-day tour of Hanoi with Tour guide and get a local's insight into Vietnam’s mythology, traditions and customs. Visit cultural and historical sites, such as the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, as well as everyday locales such as the houses of the Old Quarter. Following a pick-up at your hotel by your guide and driver, go to the Ho Chi Minh Complex to discover the heart of Viernam at “Uncle Ho’s” Mausoleum. Standing before the mausoleum are 79 cycad trees, symbolizing Ho Chi Minh’s 79 springs of life, while 2 bamboo ranges whistle in the wind to commemorate the former president and Father of the Nation. See the nearby house-on-stilts and quaint One-Pillar Pagoda, built out of wood for the 11th-century Emperor Lý Thái Tông. Continue to the Enthnology Museum - a public museum exhibiting the ethnic groups of Vietnam. The mission of the Museum is scientific research, collection, documentation, conservation, exhibition and preserving the cultural and historic patrimony of the nation’s different ethnic groups Next visit would be the Galary of Lacque Paiting Collection. The best of handicraft of the north of Vietnam. Then you would have lunch at Local restarant with the deep touch of the art of Hanoi Cuisine. You will then visit the Temple of Literature, the site of Vietnam’s first university dating back to 1070 and originally built as a temple to Confucius. Inside you can see the stone steles mounted on the backs of turtles, which have the names of Vietnam’s best scholars inscribed. The temple highlights the importance that Vietnamese society place on education both now and in the past. After the lunch. In the afternoon, explore the vibrant eastern sector of Hanoi, including Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, and Huc Bridge. Walking around the Old Quarter and mingle with the locals as they go about their hectic lives. End with a 30-minute Cyclo Tour around the Old Quater of Hanoi to have the best view of life of Hanoian.

Begin your tour at the Hanoi Opera House in the French Quarter, modeled on the Palais Garnier, which is considered to be one of the architectural landmarks of Hanoi. The next stop is the Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam which was built in the 10th century under the Ly Dynasty and greatly influenced by Confucianism. Next, visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, an important place for many Vietnamese pilgrims. A traffic-free area of botanical gardens, monuments, memorials and pagodas. Stop outside the Ba Dinh Square and take a look outside the mausoleum, then continue to explore the One Pillar Pagoda. Next stop is Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in Hanoi, before stopping at St. Joseph's Cathedral to learn about religion in Vietnam. The church was one of the first structures built by the French colonial government in Indochina when it opened in December 1886.

Start the day in the early morning from the convenient meeting point or with a pickup from your hotel in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Meet your guide and driver and depart for the visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex, consisting of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House, and Ba Dinh Square. See the final resting place of Uncle Ho and the One Pillar Pagoda, an important symbol for the people of Hanoi. Next up, continue on to the Buddhist Tran Quoc Pagoda at West Lake, one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam. Then, depending on the day of your tour, visit either Bat Trang village, an old village famous for its tradition of making porcelain and pottery items, or the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology for an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam. Afterwards, return to the Old Town and savor a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, proceed to Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam — the Temple of Literature — and Vietnam’s first university, constructed in 1070 with its gardens and well-preserved architecture offering a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past. You will also go past Hoan Kiem Lake to see the peaceful waters and the beauty of Ngoc Son Temple, the most visited temple in Hanoi, also known as the Temple of the Jade Mountain. Continue your day of discovery with an optional visit to the world-famous Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi for a unique 45-minute water puppet show starting around 4:30 PM. Enjoy one of Vietnam's most memorable and traditional art forms exploring the country’s traditions, folklore, ancient legends, and myths through music and a live puppeteer performance. If you would prefer to further explore the city, there is an optional cyclo tour taking in around 36 street during a 45-minute ride on a traditional Vietnamese rickshaw known locally as a xích lô.  This was the most popular means of transportation in Vietnam during the French colonial period and was used as luxury transportation for the French and a small number of Vietnamese people at that time. Nowadays, the cyclo has become a special experience for tourists who want to learn more about the period of French occupation in Vietnam.

With ochre-colored colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards, and scenic lakes, Hanoi is a capital city brimming with charm. Choose from a shared or private guided 4-hour tour, and visit some of the city’s most renowned heritage sites, such as Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam (the Temple of Literature), the first Imperial school in Vietnam, built in 1070 during the dynasty of King Ly. The history of Hanoi dates back for over one thousand years and boasts different cultural characteristics to other Vietnamese regions. Along the tour, you’ll also get the chance to discover why by visiting many important landmarks including Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, But Tower, Dai Nghien, and the Huc Bridge, as well as traversing the ‘36 meandering streets’ of Hanoi’s historic Old Quarter to get a taste of the city's bustling local life. Exploring Honoi this way with the help of your expert local guide will help make your visit to Vietnam a memorable one.

In the morning: 8.00 AM: The bus with the tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in the Old Quarter then transfer you to the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum – the final resting place of the beloved national hero, Uncle Ho – and President Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house where he lived off and on from 1958 to 1969. 9.30 AM: Visit the One Pillar Pagoda, which is actually a group of structures that collectively make up a pagoda built over the water in the middle of a square lake. After that, you’ll have a chance to explore the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the shore of west lake. From there, it’s onto the Temple of literature, which was Vietnam’s first university and is dedicated to Confucius. 12.30 PM: Have lunch at the restaurant in the Old Quarter. Afterwards, visit Hoan Kiem Lake - the heart and soul of Hanoi. In the afternoon: - OPTION 1: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Stop in at museum of ethnology. This superb museum showcases the depth of Vietnamese cultural diversity with an astounding collection of 15,000 artifacts gathered from throughout Vietnam. Maps, displays and dioramas are labelled in Vietnamese, French and English. Displays portray a typical village market, the making of comical hats and a Tay shamanic ceremony; videos show the real thing. You can also check out a traditional Black Thai house reconstructed in the museum. There's also a center for research and conservation where scientists from all over the world study traditional Vietnamese cultures. Take a break to enjoy a water puppet show that demonstrates a well-loved traditional Vietnamese art form. Later, explore the Old Quarter by yourself or get a taxi back to your hotel. - OPTION 2: Monday Depart for Bat Trang ceramic village which is about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) away from Ha Noi, this is a pottery village with a half-milleary historic development. 03.30 - 04.00 PM: Take the car come back the Old Quarter for the water puppet show. Take a break to enjoy a water puppet show that demonstrates a well-loved traditional Vietnamese art form. Later, explore the Old Quarter by yourself or get a taxi back to your hotel. Finish an unforgettable full day in Hanoi Sightseeing!

Your tour guide and driver will pick you up so please provide details of your hotel to confirm the pick-up service. Visit the Ho Chi Minh complex and have a chance to see the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh then walk around Ho Chi Minh garden to see the 2 houses where he lived and worked from 1954 to 1969. Visit the One Pillar Pagoda where people worship the Godess of Mercy. It is the most unique padoga in the world. Also visit either Bat Trang ceramics and pottery village or the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology depending on the day. Have lunch at a restaurant. Have an opportunity to enjoy Vietnamese cuisine including many delicious dishes. Continue to visit the Temple of Literature – the first university in Vietnam in the feudal system. See the Tran Quoc Pagoda – first built in Ha Noi in the 6th Century. You will see the oldest Bodhi Tree in Vietnam planted by Ho Chi Minh. Leave for Hoan Kiem Lake to visit Ngoc Son Temple where people worship General Tran Hung Dao who defeated the Mongolian invader in the 13th Century. After visiting the One Pillar pagoda, get to visit the Lacquer Paintings workshop – the biggest center in Ha Noi Then depending on the day, visit one of these : - Option 1 : Bat Trang ceramics and pottery village (On Mondays – Wednesdays – Fridays ) - Option 2 : Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (On Tuesdays – Thursdays – Saturdays and Sundays)