Things to do in a Hanoi day tour

Hanoi is the central city of Northern Vietnam - a city with thousands of years of culture, known for its ancient beauty and friendly people. Hanoi is not a big, not a small city but it has innumerable attractions that even expats living here haven’t explored them all. If you only have 1-2 days for Hanoi, then let a local here guide you where to go, what to do.

HANOI BEST ATTRACTIONS

1. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is one of the most famous destinations in Hanoi that not only has historical and cultural value but also attracts a lot of tourists to visit and express their admiration to the national hero – Uncle Ho

Inside the tomb, visitors can see the well-preserved body of Uncle Ho in the glass case inside the tomb. Tourists can also visit the museum next to, the area of stilt houses, lakes, gardens where Uncle Ho lived and worked, or watch documentaries about him. 

Finally, you can visit the One Pillar Pagoda - our country's unique pagoda with an established record: The temple has the most unique architecture. One Pillar Pagoda, known as the thousand-year-old lotus of Hanoi, is one of the symbols of the capital, so you have come here to remember to visit this temple to see the beauty of yourself.

NOTES:
-    Visiting the mausoleum is free of charge but donations are accepted.
-    You have to dress with respect and deposit packs, cameras before coming in.
-    You should check the dates before going because the mausoleum is closed on Mondays and Fridays or occasionally.

Opening Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 07:30 - 10:30, Saturday & Sunday 07:30 - 11:30 
Location: 8 Hung Vuong Street, Ba Dinh Ward, Hanoi

2. Temple of Literature 

Located in the south of Hanoi, the Temple of Literature is the first university of Vietnam. It is not only a historical and cultural complex but also a place to be visited by many monks and students to pray for luck in examinations, study.

The complex includes five courtyards, pavilions, stelae of doctors area. Tourists can get a map of the complex at the ticket office, or listen to the audio file in different languages.

The first courtyard starts from the main gate Van Mieu Mon to the Middle Gate. After that, visitors go through the straight path to Khue Van Pavilion - a unique architecture that symbolizes Hanoi's history with a harmonious and beautiful ratio. The third courtyard includes Thien Quang well and stelae of doctors area. Its architecture creates unique points of the harmony of feng shui for Quoc Tu Giam. The fourth and fifth courtyards are places to worship Confucius, Chu Van An, and kings who have great merits toward the Temple of Literature. All the buildings are built in harmony with natural ornamental plants, giving visitors a comfortable and cool sightseeing space.

Besides, visitors can buy water puppets and other objects such as stamps and wooden masks at the souvenir stores. You can see and buy miniature statues of famous Vietnamese historical people in the temple. You may have an opportunity to see people playing traditional Vietnamese musical instruments in the temple as well.

Opening Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 8:30 - 11:30 & 13:30 - 16:30 
Address: 58 Quoc Tu Giam Street, Dong Da Ward, Hanoi
Entrance fee: 30.000VND

3. Tran Quoc Pagoda

With a history of more than 1500 years of age, considered the oldest temple in Thang Long Citadel, Tran Quoc Pagoda was known as the most sacred temple in Hanoi. This is one of the historical-cultural relics that the city has made a conservation effort.

                                                Tran Quoc Pagoda sparkling in the sunset

Located in the east of West Lake, it now becomes the attractive spiritual destination of the capital, attracting a lot of tourists to visit and worship every year.

Tran Quoc Pagoda is located on Thanh Nien Street, Tay Ho District so visitors can easily travel by motorbike, car or bus during a Hanoi day tour. The temple is open daily from 8 am to 4 pm for monks, nuns, and tourists to visit and offer incense.
        
However, the people of Hanoi Capital often visit Tran Quoc Pagoda on the full moon, the first day or the Tet holiday to pray for peace, happiness and seek peace in the soul. 

Every year, the pagoda is also chosen as the place where important events related to Buddhism and the ceremony of millions of followers, attracting many tourists to visit and explore.

Tips: As lying on the West Lake, you should visit Tran Quoc Pagoda in the late afternoon so that you are likely to have a chance to behold the beautiful sunset on West lake. 

See more:  Hanoi surrounding - what to see in a day?

FUN THINGS TO DO IN HANOI 

1. Strolling along the Hoan Kiem Lake early in the morning

                                                                   Hanoi - City of Peace

Ho Guom Lake is the best place to start a new day. Regardless of any season in a year, whether it is sunny or rainy, Hanoi people still keep the habit of exercising early in the morning. Visitors can just walk, watch the natural scenery at dawn, enjoy the fresh air when the roads are still not crowded with vehicles, or try to immerse yourself in the group of aerobics, shuttlecock kicking,...

2. Get lost in the Hanoi Old Quarter with the night market

                                             Street music performance in Hanoi night market

When traveling to Hanoi, make sure to wander around 36 streets of Hanoi Old Quarter, the roads which preserved the capital's historical memories. Located in the west and north of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi's old town is home to a large concentration of people. 

To get there, you can walk, bike from the hotel, or go by motorbike and bus. The better option is using Grab - a very fast, convenient and safe motorcycle/taxi booking app. To use this service, simply download the Grab app to your phone, enter the pick-up point and destination and wait for the driver to pick you up. But to make the journey more memorable, walking is the best way to explore the life of Hanoi people.

Especially, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday weekly will take place the night market, which is one of the busiest trading places with the number of participating booths up to nearly 4000, making it truly a paradise for any shopaholic. The products here are very diverse and stylish from clothes to shoes, household appliances, crafts, souvenirs ... at affordable prices. Do not afraid to bargain because the sellers are quite friendly and nice. 

See more: What to see - Things to do in Hanoi night market?

2. Having Vietnamese egg coffee 

                                                 Many tourists have fallen in love with this

It is such a pity if you visit Hanoi without sipping a cup of egg coffee. Hanoi's egg coffee is in the list of drinks that make up the image of Hanoi and has become famous all over the world when many visitors come here to enjoy and share on social networks. Taste of the egg blended with the aroma of coffee creates the unique flavor of the coffee cup. You should drink as soon as the cup is hot, otherwise, it will be fishy and difficult to drink. Some shops also sprinkled on the top of the coffee cup a little brown cocoa powder, which was both beautiful and added to the flavor which was already very attractive.

To get the right taste of egg coffee, currently, in addition to two famous coffee shop under the name Giang in Nguyen Huu Huan and Yen Phu street, you can drink egg coffee at Dinh or Cafe Pho Co. 

See more: Hanoi cooking class

Above is the necessary information that you cannot ignore in your Hanoi travel guide. Hopefully, this information will help you have a great tour to discover the beautiful and interesting capital.