No. 01 · Landmark
Hoan Kiem Lake
Legendary lake at the edge of the Old Quarter
The 'Lake of the Restored Sword' with the red-painted Huc Bridge crossing to the Ngoc Son Temple on its central island.
Read more →Vietnam
Hanoi
Old Quarter chaos, lakeside cafés, and pho for breakfast
A 1,000-year-old capital where French colonial mansions sit next to communist monuments and a million scooters share the road with bowls of pho.
When to go
October–April. Summer is hot, humid, and rainy.
Getting around
Walk the Old Quarter; Grab bikes or taxis for longer trips.
Hanoi highlights
Don't miss
The top places to start with if you only have a day or two — the essentials before you go deeper.
No. 02 · Where to stay
Old Quarter
36 streets named for the goods they sold
Hanoi's medieval merchant district — each street historically dedicated to a trade (silver, silk, paper), now packed with shophouses, bia hoi, and pho stalls.
Read more →No. 03 · Landmark
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Granite memorial holding Vietnam's founding leader
Ho Chi Minh's preserved body in a granite mausoleum, plus his stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda in the same Ba Dinh Square complex.
Read more →Things to do in Hanoi
4 hand-picked
A curated mix of landmarks, neighborhoods, and museums worth your time in Hanoi, Vietnam — grouped by type below.
Landmarks
2 places
Attraction
1 place
Where to stay
1 place
Where to stay in Hanoi
4 neighborhoods
Hanoi runs on the Old Quarter — base inside it or on the lake's south edge and everything is walkable.
Old Quarter
36 streets, scooters, pho stalls
Best for: Atmospheric chaotic first trip
French Quarter
Boulevards, Opera, colonial mansions
Best for: Quieter elegant stays
Tây Hồ
Expat lake area, cafés, restaurants
Best for: Calm modern base
Ba Đình
Government district, museums
Best for: Walking to the mausoleum and museums
A 3-day itinerary, your way
If you only have a long weekend in Hanoi.
Day 1
Old Quarter & Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake at sunrise, breakfast pho, Old Quarter wander, lunch at a bun cha shop, water puppet show, bia hoi on Ta Hien.
Day 2
Ho Chi Minh & Temple of Literature
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (morning, closed PM), Presidential Palace, Temple of Literature, lunch in the French Quarter, Hoa Lo Prison Museum, dinner overlooking West Lake.
Day 3
Halong Day Trip
Bus or car day trip to Halong Bay or Ninh Binh, junk-boat cruise, return for a final egg coffee and street-side dinner in the Old Quarter.