Places to visit in Hanoi
20 short guides to the sights of Hanoi: what the place is, what to look at, entry price and opening hours when they are known, how to get there and what is nearby.
These pages cover the places our long guides only mention in passing. Each one fits on a screen: the essentials for deciding whether to go and for finding your way once you are there.
Map of Hanoi with numbered sights →- TempleNgoc Son Temple and The Huc BridgeĐền Ngọc SơnNgoc Son Temple (Đền Ngọc Sơn, Temple of the Jade Mountain) sits on a small island at the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake, reached by the red The Huc Bridge. It is Hanoi's most visited shrine, and the walk across the bridge plus the preserved giant lake turtle make it well worth the short detour.
- TempleQuan Thanh TempleĐền Quán ThánhQuan Thanh Temple (Đền Quán Thánh) is a small Taoist temple at the southern tip of Truc Bach Lake, built to guard the northern side of the old capital. It takes little time and costs little, and its huge bronze statue makes it a good stop between West Lake and the Old Quarter.
- LakeWest LakeHồ TâyWest Lake, or Hồ Tây, is the largest lake in Hanoi, a wide sheet of water ringed by paths, pagodas, cafes and the residential Tay Ho district. Come for open sky, a slower pace than the Old Quarter and one of the city's oldest pagodas, all free to enjoy.
- TempleBach Ma TempleĐền Bạch MãBach Ma Temple (Đền Bạch Mã) is a small, active temple on Hang Buom Street, often called the oldest in Hanoi's Old Quarter. It takes only a short stop, and it gives you a calm, atmospheric break between busy shopping streets.
- MuseumVietnam Military History MuseumBảo tàng Lịch sử Quân sự Việt NamThe Vietnam Military History Museum (Bảo tàng Lịch sử Quân sự Việt Nam) is the country's main museum of military history, now in a large new building west of the centre. If you want to understand Vietnam's wars in depth, it is worth the ride out, but plan it as a half-day trip rather than a quick stop.
- SquareBa Dinh SquareQuảng trường Ba ĐìnhBa Dinh Square (Quảng trường Ba Đình) is the large open plaza in central Hanoi where Ho Chi Minh read Vietnam's Declaration of Independence on 2 September 1945. It is free, it faces Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, and it is the natural starting point for the Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda.
- TempleHai Ba Trung TempleĐền Hai Bà TrưngHai Ba Trung Temple (Đền Hai Bà Trưng) honors the Trung sisters, two women who led one of Vietnam's earliest revolts against Chinese rule. It is small, quiet and free, and it is worth the detour if you care about Vietnamese history or want a temple without tour groups.
- Historic sitePresidential Palace and Stilt HousePhủ Chủ tịch và Nhà sàn Bác HồThe Presidential Palace and Stilt House (Phủ Chủ tịch và Nhà sàn Bác Hồ) is the leafy relic site where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked, next to the grand colonial palace he refused to move into. If you are visiting the Mausoleum anyway, this is worth the short extra walk, and many visitors find it the most interesting part of the Ba Dinh complex.
- CitadelCo Loa CitadelThành Cổ LoaCo Loa Citadel (Thành Cổ Loa) is one of the oldest fortified sites in Vietnam, a ring of earthen ramparts and moats about 20 km north of central Hanoi. It is worth the half-day detour if you like history and legends, but don't expect stone walls or grand palaces.
- MuseumB52 Victory MuseumBảo tàng Chiến thắng B-52The B52 Victory Museum (Bảo tàng Chiến thắng B-52) tells the story of the December 1972 bombing of Hanoi and the city's air defense, with real aircraft wreckage, missiles and guns in its yard. It is free and compact, and it is worth the short detour from Ba Dinh if you have any interest in the war or in military hardware.
- LakeTruc Bach LakeHồ Trúc BạchTruc Bach Lake (Hồ Trúc Bạch) is a small lake in Ba Đình, cut off from West Lake by Thanh Niên road and ringed by a quiet residential neighborhood. Come for an easy lakeside stroll, a cheap beer by the water and some of Hanoi's best-known local dishes, all a few minutes from Quan Thanh Temple.
- StreetHang Gai StreetPhố Hàng GaiHang Gai Street (Phố Hàng Gai) is the Old Quarter's Silk Street, a short run of tailors, silk shops and galleries just northwest of Hoan Kiem Lake. It is worth the detour if you want a custom áo dài or a quick look at one of the 36 old guild streets. Just choose your shops with care.
- StreetHang Ma StreetPhố Hàng MãHang Ma Street (Phố Hàng Mã) is the Old Quarter street of paper goods: votive offerings, lanterns and seasonal decorations stacked from floor to ceiling. It is one of the most colorful blocks in Hanoi and an easy stop on any Old Quarter walk, especially in the weeks before a festival.
- TowerHanoi Flag TowerCột cờ Hà NộiThe Hanoi Flag Tower (Cột cờ Hà Nội) is a brick lookout tower built in 1812, and the national flag still flies from its top. It is a short stop rather than a full outing, but it pairs naturally with the Imperial Citadel and Ba Dinh, so it is well worth the detour if you are in the area.
- MuseumVietnamese Women's MuseumBảo tàng Phụ nữ Việt NamThe Vietnamese Women's Museum (Bảo tàng Phụ nữ Việt Nam) tells the story of Vietnam through the lives of its women, from marriage customs and motherhood to war, work and dress. It is one of the best-curated museums in Hanoi, with clear English captions, and it sits a short walk from Hoan Kiem Lake.
- MuseumNational Museum of HistoryBảo tàng Lịch sử Quốc giaThe National Museum of History (Bảo tàng Lịch sử Quốc gia) tells the story of Vietnam from prehistory to the modern era, a short walk east of Hoan Kiem Lake. Come for the finest Bronze Age collection in the country and a striking colonial-era building, all for a modest fee.
- MuseumVietnam Fine Arts MuseumBảo tàng Mỹ thuật Việt NamThe Vietnam Fine Arts Museum (Bảo tàng Mỹ thuật Việt Nam) holds the country's largest public art collection, from Đông Sơn bronze drums to contemporary painting. If you want to understand Vietnamese art in one visit, this is the place to go, and it sits right across the street from the Temple of Literature.
- PagodaQuán Sứ TempleChùa Quán SứQuán Sứ Temple (Chùa Quán Sứ) is the headquarters of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam and one of the busiest working pagodas in central Hanoi. It is free, close to Hoan Kiem Lake, and a good place to see everyday Buddhist worship, so it earns a short detour.
- City gateO Quan Chuong GateÔ Quan ChưởngO Quan Chuong Gate (Ô Quan Chưởng) is the only gate still standing from the old walls that once ringed Hanoi. It takes ten minutes to see, costs nothing, and makes a logical first stop on an Old Quarter walk.
- Heritage houseHeritage House, 87 Ma MayNhà cổ 87 Mã MâyThe Heritage House at 87 Ma May (Nhà cổ 87 Mã Mây) is one of the best-restored traditional merchant homes in Hanoi's Old Quarter. It is worth the short detour if you want to see how a prosperous Hanoian family lived and worked behind a narrow street front in the 19th century.