Hanoi Trip Overview
The French-colonial era has left a legacy of beautiful buildings, with the Old Quarter a fascinating area to explore on foot.
Hanoi has always been a symbol of culture and a source of pride throughout the history.
This tour is designed aiming to give you an opportunity to enjoy an absolute and adorable Hanoi.
Small streets with old houses, friendly people with typical Vietnamese smiles offer you the true feeling of this capital city.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 to 9 hours
Starts: Hanoi, Vietnam
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Hanoi Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Hanoi, Vietnam, Vietnam
The French-colonial era has left a legacy of beautiful buildings, with the Old Quarter a fascinating area to explore on foot.
Hanoi has always been a symbol of culture and a source of pride throughout the history.
This tour is designed aiming to give you an opportunity to enjoy an absolute and adorable Hanoi.
Small streets with old houses, friendly people with typical Vietnamese smiles offer you the true feeling of this capital city.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
8:00 – 8:30 Tour guide and bus pick up at your hotel in old quarter area for start city tour.
Stop At: Chua Tran Quoc, Thanh Nien, Hanoi 10000 Vietnam
Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest of its kind in Hanoi, dating back to the 6th century during the reign of Emperor Ly Nam De Dynasty (544 – 548). The Buddhist shrine has undergone several changes throughout the years, particularly its renaming from An Quoc to Tran Quoc (protecting the country) by Emperor Le Huy Tong in the 17th century.
Although it’s now set on an islet within West Lake, the pagoda was originally located on banks of Red River before it’s relocated in 1615due to the river’s encroachment. Surrounded by lush greenery, Tran Quoc Pagoda was a favourite amongst the kings and royal families for festivals, full moons, and Tet Festival.
Standing at 15 metres, the main pagoda is made up of eleven levels, while its surrounding buildings include an incense burning house and a museum housing historic relics.You can also see intricately carved statues dating to 1639, each of which bear unique facial feature.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, 2 Hung Vuong Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square is one of the most visited attractions in Hanoi. It is the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh, the most iconic and popular leader of Vietnam, known to his people as ‘Uncle Ho’. His body is preserved here in a glass case at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in central Hanoi (albeit against his wishes).
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.
Started in 1973, the construction of the mausoleum was modeled on Lenin’s mausoleum in Russia and was first open to the public in 1975. The granite building meant a great deal for many locals as it ensures that their beloved leader ‘lives on forever’.
Security is tight and visitors should dress with respect (no shorts, sleeveless shirts and miniskirts) and everyone has to deposit their bags and cameras before getting in. Visitors are not allowed to stop and hold the constant queue up as the place is constantly busy. Uncle Ho’s remains are sent yearly to Russia for maintenance therefore the mausoleum is closed usually from October onwards.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: One Pillar Pagoda, Ong Ich Khiem St, Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
On program we will also visit One Pillar Pagoda where people worship the goddess of Mercy. It is the most unique pagoda in Hanoi and the world.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Nguyen Van Huyen Street Cau Giay, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
This museum is both a research centre and 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
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Temple of Literature & National University, Quoc Tu Giam Street Dong Da District, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
The Temple of Literature is often cited as one of Hanoi’s most picturesque tourist attractions. Originally built as a university in 1070 dedicated to Confucius, scholars and sages, the building is extremely well preserved and is a superb example of traditional-style Vietnamese architecture.
This ancient site offers a lake of literature, the Well of Heavenly Clarity, turtle steles, pavilions, courtyards and passageways that were once used by royalty. Visiting the Temple of Literature you will discover historic buildings from the Ly and Tran dynasties in a revered place that has seen thousands of doctors’ graduate in what has now become a memorial to education and literature.
Originally the university only accepted aristocrats, the elite and royal family members as students before eventually opening its doors to brighter ‘commoners’. Successful graduates had their names engraved on a stone stele which can be found on top of the stone turtles.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Ngoc Son Temple, Dinh Tien Hoang St. Old Quarter – Hoàn Kiêm Lake, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
This temple alongside Lake Hoan Kiem was built in the 19th century, and named after Saint Van Xuong. Confucian scholar Nguyen Van Sieu had a large pen-shaped tower built at the entrance of the temple in 1864, featuring three Chinese characters, Ta Thanh Thien, which literally means “to write on the blue sky is to imply the height of a genuine and righteous person’s determination and will.”
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Lake of the Restored Sword (Hoan Kiem Lake), Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi attracts tourists and locals looking to get away from the noise and frenetic pace of the city. Peaceful and quiet, the lake surrounds Ngoc Son Temple – sitting in the centre on a small island.
Ngoc Son Temple was built in the 18th century on Jade Island in the centre of the ‘Lake of the Returned Sword’ or Hoan Kiem Lake. Legend describes how an emperor was once given a magical sword which helped him defeat the Chinese Ming Dynasty and in doing so saw the return of the Golden Turtle God to the lake.
Today ‘Turtle Tower’ stands close to the lake in memory of this legend. There are also endangered large soft-shell turtles swimming in the lake, and to see one of these gentle giants is considered very auspicious. The name of the temple translates to ‘Temple of the Jade Mountain’ and is predominately dedicated to war hero General Tran Hung Dao who defeated an armed force of 300,000 soldiers sent by Mongolian Emperor Kublai Khan in the 13th century to invade Vietnam.
Also inside the temple are a large bronze bust and other deities. There are altars dedicated to Tran Hung Dao, some ancient artefacts including ceramics and a preserved specimen of a giant turtle found in the lake weighing 250kg.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Around 16:00 Our car will drop you at the same hotels/address where we picked up in the morning. Tour ends
