Things to do in Hanoi
Top things to do in Hanoi include Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Ngọc Sơn Temple, Old Quarter (36 Streets), Hoàn Kiếm Old Quarter. Plan each day around one neighborhood to avoid backtracking, then add your dates to check opening hours and booking needs.
First visit? Start with these — and plan each day around one neighborhood:
- Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Ngọc Sơn Temple★ 4.4 · 13.3k reviewsThe Lake of the Returned Sword anchors central Hanoi, with Ngọc Sơn Temple reached by the red Huc Bridge.
- Old Quarter (36 Streets)★ 4.6 · 10.5k reviewsThe Old Quarter grew around trade guild streets such as Hàng Bạc, Hàng Gai, Hàng Mã, and Ta Hien.
- Hoàn Kiếm Old QuarterThe Old Quarter is compact, noisy, and commercial, with Hang streets, Dong Xuan Market, beer corners, Hoàn Kiếm Lake, and constant scooter movement.
- Getting aroundHanoi buses are easiest with the BusMap Ha Noi app, while taxis and Grab are the practical tools between Old Quarter hotels, Ba Đình sights, West Lake, and outer museums.
By TripSapien · Updated November 3, 2026
About Hanoi
City overview
Hanoi is Vietnam's Red River capital, where Hoàn Kiếm Lake, the 36-street Old Quarter, French-colonial boulevards, and West Lake sit inside a city shaped by Chinese, French, North Vietnamese, and reunification-era layers. Ba Đình carries state monuments, Hoàn Kiếm carries the old commercial core, and Tây Hồ adds lakeside temples and expat cafes.
Food & drink
Hanoi food is built around pho bo, bun cha, cha ca, banh cuon, xoi xeo, bun thang, egg coffee, and bia hoi. Dong Xuan Market, Ta Hien beer corner, Tong Duy Tan food street, and Cha Ca Street are more city-specific anchors than hotel buffets.
What Hanoi is best for
Hanoi is best for food, architecture, history, art, and shopping.
- How long to stay
- A weekend to a week
- Typical budget
- Budget-friendly
Top sights
Ranked using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Temple of Literature
- 2Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Presidential Palace Area
- 3Vietnamese Women's Museum
- 4Vietnam Military History Museum
- 5Museum of Ethnology
- 6One-Pillar Pagoda
- 7West Lake and Trấn Quốc Pagoda
1Temple of Literature
4.6★ · 26,192Founded in 1070, Van Mieu became Vietnam's first university in 1076 and still holds courtyards, Confucian altars, and stone doctorate steles on turtle bases. It sits west of Hoàn Kiếm near Đống Đa.
Wikipedia
2Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Presidential Palace Area
4.5★ · 21,366Ba Đình Square holds the mausoleum, the stilt house complex where Ho Chi Minh lived from 1954 to 1969, and the French-built Presidential Palace exterior. Dress rules and bag checks are strict.
The mausoleum closes in afternoons and for annual body maintenance; confirm the schedule before crossing town.
3Vietnamese Women's Museum
4.5★ · 6,868The museum near Hoàn Kiếm covers family rituals, wartime roles, street vendors, Mother Goddess worship, and ethnic-minority textiles. English and French labels make it one of Hanoi's clearest museums.
Wikipedia
Show 4 more sights
4Vietnam Military History Museum
The museum moved in 2024 to a large 39-hectare site about 12km from its former Flag Tower location. Outdoor aircraft, tanks, artillery, and bilingual exhibits cover conflicts from early Vietnam to the 20th century.
Wikipedia5Museum of Ethnology
The Cầu Giấy museum explains Vietnam's ethnic groups with indoor displays and outdoor reconstructed houses. It is one of the best English-labeled cultural stops outside the Old Quarter.
Wikipedia6One-Pillar Pagoda
Emperor Ly Thai Tong ordered the lotus-shaped wooden pagoda in 1049 after a dream of Avalokiteshvara. The French destroyed it in 1954, and the present structure is the post-withdrawal reconstruction.
Wikipedia7West Lake and Trấn Quốc Pagoda
Ho Tay is the city's largest lake, with Trấn Quốc Pagoda on a small causeway island, lakeside cafes, Quang An streets, and sunset views. It gives a slower contrast to the Old Quarter.
Neighborhoods
1French Quarter and Trang Tien
The French Quarter has wider boulevards, the Opera House, Trang Tien Plaza, colonial facades, embassies, and calmer blocks southeast of Hoàn Kiếm.
2Ba Đình
Ba Đình feels monumental and official, with the mausoleum, Presidential Palace grounds, One-Pillar Pagoda, government buildings, and wide parade spaces.
3Tây Hồ and Quang An
Tây Hồ is lakeside Hanoi, with West Lake views, Trấn Quốc Pagoda, cafes, international restaurants, villas, and long scooter loops.
Show 26 more neighborhoods
- 4Đống Đa
Đống Đa is local and academic, with the Temple of Literature, universities, train-station edges, street food, and denser residential lanes.
- 5Cầu Giấy
Cầu Giấy is the west-side modern district, useful for the Museum of Ethnology, offices, Korean restaurants, and newer hotels outside the heritage core.
- 6Bat Trang
Famous ceramic village southeast of central Hanoi, mapped as a tourist-recognizable day-trip area rather than a central neighborhood.
- 7Bồ Đề
- 8Cát Linh
- 9Ciputra
- 10Cống Vị
Historical significance with remnants of the ancient Dai La citadel and the Bao Khanh gate. The area features local markets and is close to the To Lich River.
- 11Cửa Nam
Streets laid out in a grid pattern from the French colonial period, with a mix of historical significance and local life. It's near the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
- 12Điện Biên
- 13Đội Cấn
Doi Can Street, which runs between Ngoc Ha Street and Buoi Street. It's a central area in Hanoi with a mix of residential and local life.
- 14French Quarter
Broad-street colonial-era quarter around the Hanoi Opera House, Metropole area, embassies, museums, cafés and high-end hotels.
- 15Giảng Võ
Giảng Võ in Hanoi features Botanica Restaurant and steak houses.
- 16Hai Bà Trưng district
Hai Bà Trưng district is home to some of Vietnam's largest universities and is named after the Trưng Sisters, important figures in Vietnamese history. The area features a mix of educational institutions and local life, with streets like Trần Hưng Đạo and markets nearby.
- 17Hàng Bạc
Hàng Bạc has local stops such as the Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre, known for water puppetry, and Cafe Dinh, famous for its egg coffee and balcony views of Hoan Kiem Lake. Lux SkyBar offers cocktails with views overlooking the lake and city lights.
- 18Hàng Bài
Hàng Bài in Hanoi features the Vietnamese Women's Museum, with Indian restaurants and coffee shops like Nổ Coffee nearby.
- 19Hàng Bông
- 20Hàng Gai
Hàng Gai has local stops such as L'essence De Cuisine for upscale Vietnamese dishes, Cafe Phố Cổ for a unique coffee experience, and Solar Sky Bar for panoramic city views. Studio 13 & Coffee adds a culture cafe vibe with live music and a fusion menu.
- 21Hàng Mã
Hàng Mã Street is known for its shops selling toys and paper votive offerings, a tradition that has been ongoing for over 500 years. The street is part of a larger area with various religious goods stores that reflect its cultural significance.
- 22Hàng Trống
Compact café, hotel and church-area neighborhood around St. Joseph's Cathedral, Nha Chung and the southwest edge of Hoan Kiem.
- 23Hoàn Kiếm
Centers around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, which is surrounded by a mix of the Old Quarter's narrow alleys and the French Quarter's broad avenues. Notable sites include the Hanoi Opera House and the National Museum of Vietnamese History on Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street.
- 24Hoàng Mai
- 25Khu tập thể Nghĩa Tân
Khu tập thể Nghĩa Tân in Hanoi features Nha Nam Book Store, alongside bookstore boutiques.
- 26Kim Liên
- 27Kim Mã
This area contains LP Club.
- 28Láng
- 29Linh Đàm
Tall buildings surrounding Linh Đàm Lake, which serves as a community hub. The area has developed rapidly since the 1990s, transforming from a swamp into a densely populated neighborhood.
Day trips
60km / about 2h by road plus boat and cable car or 30-45min hike
Perfume Pagoda
The Buddhist pilgrimage site combines Yen Stream boat rides, mountain temples, and Huong Tich cave. Go early because festival-season queues are long.
95km / about 2h by train or road from Hanoi
Ninh Binh and Trang An
Karst river boats, Hoa Lu temples, Tam Coc rice fields, and Mua Cave viewpoints make Ninh Binh the strongest nature-and-history day trip from Hanoi.
160km / about 2.5-3h by expressway from Hanoi
Ha Long Bay
Limestone islands and overnight junk cruises are possible as a long day, but an overnight from Tuan Chau or Bai Chay gives the bay more time than a same-day bus loop.
Getting around
Hanoi buses are easiest with the BusMap Ha Noi app, while taxis and Grab are the practical tools between Old Quarter hotels, Ba Đình sights, West Lake, and outer museums. Metro Line 2A serves Cát Linh to Hà Đông, but visitors still rely on walking, rideshare motorbikes, and taxis for Hoàn Kiếm and Ba Đình.
Planning a Hanoi trip?
Add your dates and we'll check every place for closures, limited hours, and booking needs before you go.
Things to do in Hanoi by month
Pick a month for weather, any sourced events, holidays or observances, and seasonal timing. December, November and March have the most comfortable weather (tagged below).
Common questions about Hanoi
- Which neighborhoods should I explore in Hanoi?
- Hoàn Kiếm Old Quarter, French Quarter and Trang Tien, Ba Đình are useful starting points. Plan each day around one or two neighboring areas to avoid unnecessary backtracking.
- When is the best time to visit Hanoi?
- December, November, March balance comfortable temperatures with fewer rainy days in Hanoi.
- How many days do you need in Hanoi?
- a weekend to a week gives you time for food, architecture, and history in Hanoi. Choose your month to see date-specific details.
- What is Hanoi known for?
- Hanoi is best for food, architecture, history, art, and shopping. For matched places, TripSapien checks available hours, closure signals, and booking links.
Ready to plan Hanoi?
Turn everything above into a day-by-day Hanoi plan, with every place checked for closures and booking needs on your dates.