Ha Long Bay Day Cruise from Hanoi
The essential day trip from Hanoi: a guided cruise among the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay, with lunch on board, the vast chambers of Sung Sot Cave and a swim or a climb on Ti Top Island.
Vietnam
Hanoi
Hanoi is Vietnam’s thousand-year-old capital, a city of lakes, temples and tree-lined boulevards where scooters pour through the streets and the smell of charcoal-grilled pork and simmering pho drifts out of every alley.
At its heart lies Hoan Kiem Lake, ringed by the narrow lanes of the Old Quarter, where each street once belonged to a single trade and tiny plastic stools still spill onto the pavement at every corner. To the south runs the French Quarter, with its opera house and grand colonial hotels; to the west, the solemn Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum on Ba Dinh Square and the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, founded almost a thousand years ago. Hanoi is also the gateway to the north’s great landscapes: the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay, the rice fields and river caves of Ninh Binh, and the stilt-house villages of Mai Chau are all within a day’s reach. November is one of the best months to come, with dry, mild weather after the summer heat. This guide shows which day trips and tours are worth booking, how to see the mausoleum and the Hoa Lo Prison, where to eat your way through the Old Quarter, and where to stay, from the legendary Metropole to an Old Quarter hostel.
Don't miss
Ha Long Bay Day Cruise from Hanoi
The essential day trip from Hanoi: a guided cruise among the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay, with lunch on board, the vast chambers of Sung Sot Cave and a swim or a climb on Ti Top Island.
Ninh Binh Day Trip: Hoa Lu, Tam Coc and Mua Cave
Rowing boats through river caves and rice fields under limestone peaks, an ancient royal capital, a bike ride between villages and a stiff climb to the Mua Cave viewpoint, all in one guided day from Hanoi.
Old Quarter Street Food Tour by Vespa
Ride pillion on a vintage-style Vespa through the evening streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter with a local driver-guide, stopping at street stalls and hidden corners to taste the city’s best-loved dishes.
Temple of Literature (Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam)
Vietnam’s first university and a temple to Confucius, a sequence of walled courtyards, ponds and gateways where stone tablets on the backs of turtles record the names of scholars from centuries past.
Things to do in Hanoi
Ninh Binh Day Trip: Hoa Lu, Tam Coc and Mua Cave
Rowing boats through river caves and rice fields under limestone peaks, an ancient royal capital, a bike ride between villages and a stiff climb to the Mua Cave viewpoint, all in one guided day from Hanoi.
Old Quarter Street Food Tour by Vespa
Ride pillion on a vintage-style Vespa through the evening streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter with a local driver-guide, stopping at street stalls and hidden corners to taste the city’s best-loved dishes.
Temple of Literature (Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam)
Vietnam’s first university and a temple to Confucius, a sequence of walled courtyards, ponds and gateways where stone tablets on the backs of turtles record the names of scholars from centuries past.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ba Dinh Complex
The granite mausoleum on Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh lies in state, the heart of a complex that also holds his stilt house, the Presidential Palace grounds and the One Pillar Pagoda.
1.5 to 2 hours for the complexDetails →
Hoa Lo Prison Relic
The French colonial jail that the Vietnamese call the fiery furnace and American prisoners of war nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton, now a powerful museum in the heart of the city.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
Hanoi’s classic evening out: lacquered wooden puppets dance, fish and race boats across a pool of water to live traditional music, at a theatre on the shore of Hoan Kiem Lake.
Hanoi Sky Lotte Observation Deck
A high-speed lift to the 65th floor of Lotte Center Hanoi for a sweeping view over the city’s lakes, rivers and rooftops, with a glass-floored Sky Walk for the brave.
Mai Chau Valley Day Trip from Hanoi
Cross the mountains west of Hanoi to a green valley of rice paddies and stilt-house villages, for lunch with a White Thai family and a gentle bike ride between Pom Coong and Na Phon.
VinKE and Vinpearl Aquarium, Times City
An indoor aquarium and a children’s play-and-learn centre side by side in the Times City complex, an easy, air-conditioned family outing for a rainy or very hot day in Hanoi.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
French Quarter
Hanoi’s grand dame, a white French colonial hotel by the Opera House with a courtyard pool, a famous bar and a wartime bomb shelter you can tour, a short walk from Hoan Kiem Lake.
Rates on Expedia →InterContinental Hanoi Westlake
West Lake (Tay Ho)
A resort-style five-star hotel built out over the water of West Lake, with pavilions linked by walkways, lake-view balconies on every room and Hanoi’s only overwater bar.
Rates on Expedia →Pan Pacific Hanoi
Truc Bach and West Lake
A smart five-star tower between West Lake and Truc Bach Lake, with lake and river views, a rooftop bar, an outdoor pool and easy access to Ba Dinh and the Old Quarter.
Rates on Expedia →La Siesta Premium Hang Be
Old Quarter
A highly rated boutique hotel in the heart of the Old Quarter, two minutes from Hoan Kiem Lake, with a glass ship-shaped rooftop bar, a spa and famously warm service.
Rates on Expedia →Mad Monkey Hanoi
Old Quarter
A sociable, adults-only backpacker hostel on Ma May Street in the Old Quarter, with dorms from six to twelve beds, female-only rooms, a sports bar and nightly events.
Rates on Expedia →Hanoi guides
First Time in Hanoi: What to Book, How to Get Around & How Many Days
The practical primer for a first visit to Hanoi: which day trips and tours to book ahead, how to cross the road and get around, how many days you need and where the headline sights fit.
Where to Stay in Hanoi: Old Quarter, French Quarter, West Lake or Ba Dinh
Where to stay in Hanoi for every kind of trip: the lively Old Quarter, the elegant French Quarter, the calm shores of West Lake and the lakeside Ba Dinh district, with the best hotel for each.
