Hanoi attractions

Hanoi’s largest indoor market, Don Xuan Market is jam-packed with stalls selling everything from clothing and cosmetics to household goods, pets, and plants. Although geared more toward local Vietnamese and wholesalers, it’s a great place to get a pulse on local life, and there’s also a lively food court and weekend night market.

Located in Hoan Kiem district, the neo-Gothic St. Joseph’s Cathedral is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Hanoi and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi. Modeled after Notre Dame in Paris, St. Joseph’s Cathedral is one of the most famous and striking landmarks in Hanoi from the colonial era.

The closest village to Sapa, Cat Cat Village is a popular trekking destination to experience the distinctive culture and traditions of the Black Hmong tribe. Located in Vietnam’s Muong Hoa Valley, at the base of Fansipan Mountain, Cat Cat Village is also known for its stunning scenery of terraced fields, rolling hills, and waterfalls.

Learn about Vietnam’s 54 different ethnic groups at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (VME), one of Hanoi’s most interesting museums. Featuring a range of exhibits, from replicas of homes and everyday objects to priceless antiques and multimedia displays, the museum offers valuable insight into the culture and heritage of the country’s many groups.

West Lake (Ho Tay), the largest freshwater lake in Hanoi, provides a tranquil escape from the chaos of Vietnam’s capital. Lakeside cafés offer gorgeous views; historic attractions such as the Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple provide insight into Vietnam’s past; and 5-star hotels offer fine dining and luxury accommodation.

Set on its own island on Hoan Kiem Lake, it’s easy to see why picturesque Temple of the Jade Mountain (Ngoc Son Temple) is one of the most visited places of worship in Hanoi. Full of history and scenic beauty, this fascinating 19th-century temple offers a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi.

Home to spectacular limestone panoramas and terraced rice paddies, Pu Luong Nature Reserve is the ideal choice for travelers looking to get off the beaten path. Although the reserve is a popular weekend getaway for Hanoi locals, Pu Luong sees few foreign visitors and has therefore managed to maintain an authentic feel and tranquil atmosphere.

One of Vietnam’s most important pilgrimage sites, the Perfume Pagoda is a vast complex of Buddhist temples, grottos, and shrines dotted around Huong Tich Mountain. The shrines lie amid a flooded valley of towering karst cliffs and lotus fields—a stunning backdrop that makes for some incredible photo opportunities.

Completed in 1906, the Presidential Palace was originally built by the French for the Governor General of Indochina. The French colonial–style palace, surrounded by lush botanical gardens and orchards, is the official home of the President of Vietnam, now used solely for formal receptions and state events.

Formerly the Army Museum, the Vietnam Military History Museum covers the country’s combat history from ancient times to the American War (Vietnam War). Learn about the many battles that Vietnam has fought for independence throughout its history through extensive photos, propaganda videos, weaponry, war machines, and other war relics.

Step back in time to late-19th-century Hanoi and see how a typical wealthy merchant family lived at the Hanoi Ancient House. Located in the Old Quarter, the house was renovated in the late 20th century but retains all the architectural and other features of a typical house of the era, in a style unique to Vietnam.

Built to preserve the legacy of North Vietnam’s first President, the Ho Chi Minh Museum (Bao Tang Ho Chi Minh) offers a comprehensive overview of Ho Chi Minh’s life, as well as the country’s fight for independence. Over 2,000 items are presented in this massive, Soviet-style building, built in the shape of a lotus.

Founded in 1987 and home to a collection of around 25,000 pieces, the Vietnamese Women’s Museum pays tribute to the role of women in Vietnamese society. Besides costumes and crafts from the nation’s 54 ethnic groups, the museum honors the role local women played in the Vietnam War. Most signs are in Vietnamese, English, and French.

Just behind the Presidential Palace is the modest wooden stilt house that Ho Chi Minh lived in from 1958 until his death in 1969, preserved just as he left it. Get a glimpse into the life of the founder of North Vietnam at this humble abode, set in a well-tended and landscaped garden across from a lovely carp-filled pond.

Located in the Hoan Kiem district of Hanoi, the Vietnam National Museum of History forms part of the Vietnam National Museum. With an extensive collection of over 200,000 objects, including numerous precious artifacts and antiquities, it traces the history of Vietnam from prehistoric times to the present.

Dating back more than 1,200 years, Van Phuc Silk Village is undoubtedly the best-known and best-developed of Vietnam’s designated craft villages. More than 700 households here are involved in silk production, and more than 100 shops sell silk clothing and decorative items. Even if you’re not looking to buy, this is a great place to see how silk is produced.

Savor sweeping views as you’re whisked to the peak of Vietnam’s highest mountain, then explore a variety of attractions at Sun World Fansipan Legend. Located on the slopes of Mt. Fansipan in Sapa, this tourism and entertainment complex is a scenic place to spend the day.

The Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi is the country’s premier art museum. A well-curated and exhibited permanent collection of over 2,000 items, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, lacquerwork, and temporary exhibits, trace the development of Vietnamese art from prehistoric times to the 21st century.

Located at the tip of a peninsula in the middle of Hanoi’s West Lake, this 17th-century temple is one of the city’s most sacred destinations. Dedicated to Princess Lieu Hanh, one of the Four Immortals in Vietnamese mythology, Phu Tay Ho welcomes locals coming here to pray for good fortune.

One of Hanoi’s most vibrant, colorful, cheerful attractions, the Quang Ba Flower Market is a can’t-miss—unless you need your sleep. Believe it or not, the market goes from roughly 10pm to 6am, winding down after sunrise. If you can get here, bring your camera, bring your haggling skills, and bring your appreciation for all things bright and beautiful.

Packed higgledy-piggledy around undulating karst peaks at the spot where three rivers meet, Kenh Ga is one of Ninh Binh’s less-visited tourist sights—although a new road and hotels are set to change all that. For now, from stilt homes and sampans to idling water buffalo and floating fish farms, it remains a fairly traditional fishing village—with some inviting hot springs.

Once a guesthouse for visiting ambassadors from nearby Buddhist countries, Ambassador’s Pagoda (Chua Quan Su) today is an active temple and the official center of Buddhism in Hanoi. Home to only a dozen or so Buddhist monks and nuns, this small but impressive pagoda is a haven of peace and quiet in otherwise hectic Hanoi.

Located along the Red River, on the outskirts of Hanoi, Bat Trang Ceramic Village is a traditional handicraft village dating back to the 14th century. One of the oldest and most popular pottery villages in Vietnam, Bat Trang Ceramic Village is renowned for its high-quality ceramics and attracts numerous visitors.

Located only 43 miles (70 kilometers) from Hanoi, Tam Dao National Park provides time-pressed visitors with a more convenient—yet no less restorative—alternative to the mountain highlands of Sapa. The tropical mountains are rich in biodiversity and harbor more than 750 species of flora and fauna.

The Ionah Show—which, you might notice, is “Hanoi” backward—is Vietnam’s take on Cirque du Soleil, combining the spectacle of circus with hip hop, theatre, pyrotechnics, modern dance, light, vivid costumes, 3D sets, and more. Audiences familiar with Hanoi will notice quite a few city references, some hidden, some not, as the technicolor show also tells the wild story of Vietnam’s capital.

Made famous by social media, Hanoi Train Street is a narrow stretch of an active railway line that runs between a residential area lined with houses, cafes, and bars in the Old Quarter. Visitors flock here to witness and capture trains passing by in extreme close quarters, as residents rush to move everything out of the way.

With a roof terrace, courtyard café, air-conditioned dining room, and culinary studio, the Hanoi Cooking Centre (HCC) is an ever-popular venue for discovering the joys of Vietnamese food. Established by Australian chef and food writer Tracey Lister in 2009, it offers cooking classes for kids and adults, market tours, and street-food tours.

Located in the Hoan Kiem district of Hanoi, the Vietnam Museum of Revolution contains over 40,000 exhibits across 30 galleries covering the country’s history of conflict and revolution from the French colonial occupation in the 19th century onwards, and forms part of the Vietnam National Museum.

Originally constructed in the 11th century, Do Temple (Den Do) in Dinh Bang Village is dedicated to the deities of the eight male kings of the Ly Dynasty. Known for its beautiful architecture, the temple was destroyed in 1952 by the French, and reconstructed in 1989 according to the original layout.