Hoàn Kiếm Trip Overview
Our French Quarter Tour will take you to discover one of the most beautiful parts of Hanoi. The historical area is the southern part of Hanoi and full of history and culture that sets it apart from the rest of the city.
After an explanation of Vietnamese general history, we give a brief overview of French influences in Hanoi, featuring St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi Opera house, Hoan Kiem lake, Hanoi Post office, Trang Thi Street, Hanoi Metropole Hotel, and the very first university in French Indochina: Indochina Medicine School; we also have a cup of authentic Vietnamese coffee in an ancient French villa.
You will learn so much about how Vietnamese society changed under French rule and explore the bad and the good of this period.
Make sure you ask your guide plenty of questions!
Other things to note
Please read a bit about French Indochina and the Vietnam War.
Additional Info
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Starts: Hoàn Kiếm, Vietnam
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Hoàn Kiếm Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Our French Quarter Tour will take you to discover one of the most beautiful parts of Hanoi. The historical area is the southern part of Hanoi and full of history and culture that sets it apart from the rest of the city.
After an explanation of Vietnamese general history, we give a brief overview of French influences in Hanoi, featuring St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi Opera house, Hoan Kiem lake, Hanoi Post office, Trang Thi Street, Hanoi Metropole Hotel, and the very first university in French Indochina: Indochina Medicine School; we also have a cup of authentic Vietnamese coffee in an ancient French villa.
You will learn so much about how Vietnamese society changed under French rule and explore the bad and the good of this period.
Make sure you ask your guide plenty of questions!
Other things to note
Please read a bit about French Indochina and the Vietnam War.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: St. Joseph’s Cathedral, 40 Nha Chung Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Address: 40 Nha Chung street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
St Joseph Cathedral Hanoi is considered to be one of the symbols of Hanoi. It’s a late 19th-century Gothic Revival (Neo-Gothic style) church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi to nearly 4 million Catholics in the country. The architecture of St Joseph Cathedral Hanoi is designed in the style of medieval Gothic Europe.
The church and colonization are inseparable and the church has played an outsize role in Vietnam’s modern history. It is not only a regular place of worship activities of the Archdiocese of Hanoi, but St Joseph cathedral Hanoi is also a popular tourist destination in Hanoi, attracting a large number of tourists inside and outside to visit.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Hoa Lo Prison, 1 Hoa Lo St Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 10000 Vietnam
Hoa Lo prison was built in Hanoi by the French, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. The French called the prison Maison Centrale – literally, Central House, a traditional euphemism to denote prisons in France. It was built for housing Vietnamese political campaigners and was completed in 1913. Apparently razed one of the local outlying craft villages when they picked out the site for this, Hoa Lo prison was the largest of the French Indochinese prisons.
This was also kept many documents and files of the communist soldiers. Hoa Lo Prison has intact with many precious materials, science display, and the attractive spot for many domestic and foreign guests to Hanoi. Post Buttletin (the U.S) has an article on Vietnam’s tourist highlights Hoa Lo prison is a destination not to be missed when come to Vietnam.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street, Around Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Turtle Tower is one of Hanoi’s most iconic attractions, symbolizing the patriotic pride of the local population. The tower is a combination of European and Asian architecture – with gothic arches at its first two storeys combined with the hip roof of Vietnam architecture.
During the French colonial period, on the top of the Turtle Tower, a version of the Statue of Liberty (1890-1896), was placed by the French. However, it was removed when the Tran Trong Kim regime gained control of the city in 1945. During the French rule, the local people would often hang Vietnam’s revolutionary flag from the tower in order to show their defiant spirit.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Trang Tien Plaza, 24 Hai Ba Trung, Q, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi Vietnam
Trang Tien street are familiar to most of Hanoian, which was known as a beautiful street and has the development from the early days of Hanoi through the French period to the present time. Trang Tien is a busy shopping area, featuring bookshops, galleries and boutiques. On this street, Trang Tien Plaza, which was elaborated in elegant French style of architecture, is the first high-end luxury shopping center in Hanoi with various popular international authentic brands under one roof.
Located on 35 Trang Tien street, Trang Tien ice cream can be seen as the most popular ice cream brands in Hanoi, which is a great treat for everyone to enjoy, especially in hot summer days in tropical countries like Vietnam. Ice cream was introduced by the French during the First Indochina War, and this brand was opened in 1958, not long after the French left Vietnam.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Hanoia Metropole, 56 Ly Thai To, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Address: 15 Ngo Quyen street
Standing the test of time and being considered the most beautiful colonial era hotel, Hotel Sofitel Legend Metropole is recognized as Hanoi’s legendary landmark for its contribution to the city’s heritage.
The hotel has been a prominent fixture in the heart of Hanoi since 1901 when it opened as the first official luxury residence and hotel in the city during the French colonial period. It boasts a rich history, was constructed with a French Colonial architectural style by two talented designers.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Hanoi Opera House, 01 Trang Tien – Phan Chu Trinh Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Address: no 1 Trang Tien, Phan Chu Trinh, Hoan Kiem
Hanoi Opera House was a historical evidence of Vietnamese social and cultural development under French rule, a vestige for an architectural development stage dating back to the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries in Vietnam. The theatre has seen many significant historical events associated to the August Revolution and the early years of Vietnam
Hanoi Opera House embraces the European architectural style under the Renaissance period with the Italian-made marble floor, copper chandeliers and exquisite French murals on the ceiling, thus making the place one of Hanoi’s singular architectural landmarks.
For a long time, Hanoi Opera House has been a rendezvous for those who love theatrical performance and traditional songs and music, symphonies, opera and classical opera. It is also a tourist attraction for local and foreign visitors.
Duration: 15 minutes
