Sights in Hanoi
The 36 Streets of the Old Quarter (Phố Cổ)
The heart of Hanoi and one of the most fascinating neighborhoods in Asia. Since the 15th century, each street specialized in a craft or merchandise — and many still do today. Hàng Bạc (Silver Street) still sells silver, Hàng Mã (Paper Street) overflows with votive paper and lanterns, Hàng Gai (Silk Street) is the center for silk and embroidery.
The Old Quarter is a feast for the senses: steaming food stalls, the smell of incense, the roar of motorcycles, grandmothers on plastic stools at Phở breakfast. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the Old Quarter becomes a pedestrian zone (from 7 pm) with street performers, musicians, and a night market.
Tip: The street Tạ Hiện (aka "Beer Street") is the epicenter of nightlife in the evening — tiny plastic stools, cold Bia Hơi, international backpacker atmosphere.
Hoàn-Kiếm Lake & Ngọc-Sơn Temple★★★
The Lake of the Returned Sword is Hanoi's spiritual and geographical center. According to legend, in the 15th century, Emperor Lê Lợi received a magical sword from a golden turtle, defeated the Chinese occupiers with it — and returned the sword to the turtle in the lake.
On a small island in the north of the lake lies the Ngọc-Sơn Temple (Jade Mountain Temple), accessible via the iconic red Thê-Húc Bridge (Bridge of the Rising Sun). In the temple, a giant stuffed turtle is displayed — the last of its kind from the lake, died in 2016.
At 5:30 AM, the lake is magical: Tai Chi groups, joggers, badminton players, all in the golden morning light. On weekends, the surrounding streets are closed, and the lake becomes a folk festival.
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Come early on Sunday mornings! The streets around the lake are then closed to traffic, families picnic, children play, street performers appear. The best Hanoi experience.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & Complex★★
The founding father of Vietnam lies in a monumental granite mausoleum on Ba Đình Square — the place where he declared independence in 1945. Ho Chi Minh himself wanted to be cremated, but the party decided otherwise.
The visit is a unique experience: strict dress code (knees and shoulders covered), phones off, hands out of pockets, no stopping, no photography inside. You walk in pairs past the embalmed body — surreal and moving at the same time.
The complex also includes:
- Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House: The modest wooden house on stilts where "Uncle Ho" lived and worked from 1958 — deliberately simple next to the opulent Presidential Palace.
- One Pillar Pagoda (Chùa Một Cột): Hanoi's icon — a tiny Buddhist temple on a single stone pillar, like a lotus blossom on the water. Built in 1049.
- Ho Chi Minh Museum: Multimedia exhibition about "Uncle Ho's" life — propagandistic but historically interesting.
Achtung
The mausoleum closes annually from early October to mid-November — during this time, Ho Chi Minh's body is taken to Russia for preservation. Check beforehand!
Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu)★★★
Vietnam's oldest university and one of the most beautiful temple complexes in Southeast Asia. Founded in 1070, the temple was dedicated to the Chinese philosopher Confucius and served as an imperial academy from 1076 — for almost 700 years, until 1779.
The complex consists of five courtyards connected by ornate gates. In the third courtyard stand 82 stone steles on turtle pedestals — each bearing the name of a doctor who passed his exam between 1442 and 1779. They are a UNESCO World Documentary Heritage.
The Temple of Literature is depicted on the 100,000 VND note and is a sacred place for Vietnamese: Before exams, students come to stroke the turtle heads — it brings luck (the heads shine accordingly).
Thăng Long Water Puppet Theater★★
Vietnam's unique art form, found nowhere else in the world. Since the 11th century, hand-carved wooden puppets have danced on water to traditional music — originally on the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta.
The puppeteers stand waist-deep in water behind a bamboo curtain and control the puppets with rods and strings underwater. The stories tell of rice cultivation, dragons, the turtle myth of Hoàn-Kiếm Lake, and everyday rural life.
The Thăng Long Theater at Hoàn-Kiếm Lake is the best stage — 50-minute show, several times daily. Best to buy tickets in the morning (or online), evening shows are often sold out.
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Sit in the first three rows for the best view of the puppets and water effects. The 8 PM show is the most atmospheric, but also the fullest.
Train Street (Phố Đường Tàu)★★
One of Asia's most surreal sights: A train runs twice daily through a tiny residential street — just centimeters from the house walls. Residents quickly clear away their plastic chairs, cafés fold up their tables, and seconds later the train roars through.
The street at the Trần Phú / Phùng Hưng intersection became an Instagram hit and was temporarily closed by the police. As of 2025/26, the cafés on Train Street are open again, but the situation changes regularly.
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Train Street is occasionally closed to tourists. Ask at your hotel about the current status beforehand. Trains run around 3:30 PM and 7:20 PM — varies! Always keep a distance from the tracks.
