THE BEST Sights and Attractions in Hanoi

🏛️ Sights and Attractions in Hanoi

• Hoan Kiem Lake — The spiritual heart, with a red bridge leading to an island temple and early-morning tai chi.
• Old Quarter — A maze of narrow streets packed with shops, street food, scooters and French-colonial architecture.
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum — The imposing final resting place of the revolutionary leader and a symbol of national pride.
• Temple of Literature — The Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu) is a Confucian temple and university complex founded in 1070, home to Vietnam's first national university (the Imperial Academy). A UNESCO-recognized site with courtyards, stone steles of doctoral laureates, and traditional Vietnamese architecture.
• One Pillar Pagoda — A tiny wooden pagoda rising from a lotus pond, one of the most iconic temples.
• Ho Chi Minh Stilt House — The modest home where Ho Chi Minh lived, set in a quiet carp-filled garden.
• Vietnam Museum of Ethnology — A modern museum showcasing the cultures of the 54 ethnic groups.
• Hoa Lo Prison — The notorious Hilton prison, now a museum about colonial and wartime inmates.
• Long Bien Bridge — Long Biên Bridge is a historic cantilever bridge across the Red River that connects two districts, Hoàn Kiếm and Long Biên of the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. It was originally called Paul Doumer Bridge.
• West Lake — The largest freshwater lake, lined with temples, cafés and upmarket neighbourhoods.
• Tran Quoc Pagoda — The oldest Buddhist temple, on a peninsula in West Lake with a tall stupa.
• Quan Thanh Temple — One of the four sacred temples, dedicated to the God of the North.
• St. Joseph’s Cathedral — A neo-Gothic Catholic cathedral in the heart of the French Quarter, modelled on Notre Dame.
• Ba Dinh Square — The vast square where Ho Chi Minh declared independence, surrounded by government buildings.
• Vietnam Fine Arts Museum — A museum of Vietnamese art from ancient to modern, including wartime propaganda pieces.
• Hanoi Opera House — A grand French-colonial opera house hosting classical music and dance performances.
• Thang Long Imperial Citadel — A UNESCO archaeological site with relics from a thousand years of Vietnamese history.
• Dong Xuan Market — The largest covered market, with wholesale goods, textiles and street food.
• Bach Ma Temple — The oldest temple, honouring a white horse and the guardian spirits.
• Ngoc Son Temple — A temple on a small island in Hoan Kiem Lake, reached by the red Huc Bridge.