Things to Do in Hanoi: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Guide

The best things to do in Hanoi sit in four walkable areas: the Old Quarter around Hoan Kiem Lake, the Ba Dinh political quarter, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison, and West Lake. This guide from our Vietnam travel blog takes them one area at a time, then covers food, evenings, how many days to plan, day trips and arriving at Noi Bai.

Our team has handled visas for travelers flying into Hanoi since 2012, so this Hanoi travel guide also flags the things that catch people out: sights that close on certain weekdays and paperwork that has to be ready before you board. If your passport is not visa-free, you can apply for a Vietnam e-visa online; it works at Noi Bai.

Hanoi at a glance:

Area	Main sights	Timing to know
Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake	Ngoc Son Temple, Dong Xuan Market, Train Street	Walking street from Friday 19:00 to Sunday midnight
Ba Dinh	Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, Imperial Citadel	Mausoleum open mornings only, closed Mondays and Fridays
Temple of Literature area	Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison	Open daily, go early to beat tour groups
West Lake	Tran Quoc Pagoda, lakeside cafes, Long Bien Bridge	Best at sunset

Most first visits start where the city is oldest and busiest.

Things to do in Hanoi's Old Quarter and around Hoan Kiem Lake

Hanoi's Old Quarter is a grid of narrow streets north of Hoan Kiem Lake, many still named after the goods once sold there. Walk it on foot, start at the lake early in the morning, and leave the afternoon for markets and coffee.

At dawn, Hoan Kiem Lake fills with people doing tai chi, dancing and jogging. Cross the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple on its small island, then head north into the lanes. From Friday at 19:00 until midnight on Sunday, the streets around the lake close to traffic and become a walking street with street performers and families out late.

Dong Xuan Market and the weekend night market

Dong Xuan Market is the largest covered market in the Old Quarter, mostly wholesale fabric, household goods and dried food. On weekend evenings a night market runs south from the market along Hang Dao toward the lake. Expect cheap clothes and souvenirs rather than crafts, and keep your phone in a front pocket in the crowd.

Hanoi Train Street

Hanoi Train Street is a stretch of track between houses near Phung Hung and Tran Phu streets, where cafes put stools beside the rails. As of October 2026, it is a restricted spot rather than a free attraction.

In March 2025 the Hanoi Department of Tourism asked travel agencies to stop running tours there for safety reasons, and police periodically close the cafes. If you go independently, obey any barrier or guard, stay behind the line when a train passes and never walk on the track.

Ba Dinh: the Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda and the Citadel

Ba Dinh, about 2 km west of the Old Quarter, is where modern Vietnam's history is concentrated. Plan a morning here, because the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum only opens in the morning and the other sites are next door.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Command runs visits on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 7:30 between April and October and from 8:00 between November and March. There are no visits on Mondays or Fridays. In 2026 the mausoleum is also closed for maintenance from September 4 to November 2 and reopens on November 3.

Dress with shoulders and knees covered, leave large bags at the check-in point and stay quiet in the queue. After the mausoleum, walk to the One Pillar Pagoda, a small wooden shrine on a single stone column, and the Presidential Palace grounds.

The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a short walk away. Its excavated foundations and the old command bunkers give a quieter hour than the mausoleum queue.

Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison

These two sites tell the long and the recent story of Hanoi. The Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 to honor Confucius, later housed the country's first university; Hoa Lo Prison shows French colonial and wartime detention.

At the Temple of Literature, walk through five courtyards to the stone turtles carrying the names of doctoral graduates. Students in graduation gowns pose here in spring. Hoa Lo Prison, about 1.5 km east, was built by the French and later held American pilots, who nicknamed it the "Hanoi Hilton". The exhibits are short and blunt; give it about an hour.

West Lake and Long Bien Bridge

West Lake is Hanoi's largest lake and its slower side, with expat cafes, lakeside paths and Tran Quoc Pagoda on a narrow causeway. Come in the late afternoon for the sunset.

Tran Quoc is one of the oldest pagodas in the city, and its red tower is the photo most visitors want. Rent a bicycle to ride part of the shore, or simply sit with a coffee and watch the light change.

On the way back, walk onto Long Bien Bridge, the iron bridge over the Red River completed in 1902. Trains, motorbikes and pedestrians share it, and the view of the riverbank farms is one of the few open horizons in central Hanoi.

Hanoi food and evenings

Hanoi's signature dishes are pho for breakfast and bun cha, grilled pork with noodles, for lunch. Most local places specialize in one dish, so follow the crowd on plastic stools rather than the longest menu.

Try egg coffee, whipped egg yolk over strong coffee, in one of the Old Quarter cafes that claim to have invented it. Afternoons are for coffee; evenings are for street food and cheap beer.

Water puppets

A Hanoi water puppet show is northern Vietnam's oldest stage art in action: wooden puppets glide over a pool while musicians play traditional instruments. The Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre beside Hoan Kiem Lake runs several shows a day, each under an hour. Book a day ahead in high season.

Bia hoi and the Old Quarter at night

Bia hoi is fresh, light draft beer brewed daily and served in small glasses on the pavement. The junction of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen streets is the busiest corner for it, loud until late. If you prefer quieter evenings, the cafes on the west side of Hoan Kiem Lake stay open past 22:00.

How many days in Hanoi

Three full days covers the city at a comfortable pace: one for the Old Quarter, one for Ba Dinh and the Temple of Literature, one for West Lake and a museum. Add a day for each trip out of town.

The plan below avoids Mondays and Fridays for the mausoleum and puts a Saturday evening on the walking street. Swap days around your arrival.

Example three days in Hanoi:

Day	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Saturday	Ba Dinh: Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda	Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison	Walking street around Hoan Kiem Lake
Sunday	Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, Ngoc Son Temple	Old Quarter lanes, Dong Xuan Market	Water puppet show, night market
Monday	Vietnam Museum of Ethnology	West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda	Long Bien Bridge at sunset, bia hoi

Two practical questions usually follow once the city is planned: where to go for a day outside Hanoi, and what to expect when you land at Noi Bai.

Beyond the city

Hanoi is the base for most trips in northern Vietnam, and Noi Bai is where most of those trips begin. The two sections below cover both.

Day trips from Hanoi

The most popular day trips from Hanoi are Ninh Binh for limestone scenery and river boats, Ha Long Bay for a cruise, Bat Trang ceramic village and the Perfume Pagoda. Ninh Binh and Ha Long each take about two hours by road each way, so an overnight stay is more relaxed.

With more time, stay further out: the rice terraces of Pu Luong suit a quiet two or three nights in the hills. Riders heading north can follow our four-day Ha Giang loop itinerary.

Arriving at Noi Bai airport

Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) is Hanoi's entry point, north of the city across the Red River, and it accepts both the Vietnam e-visa and visa on arrival with a pre-approved letter. Check that your visa covers Noi Bai before you fly.

Immigration queues are longest when several international flights land together in the evening. Noi Bai airport fast track takes you through a priority lane, and a pre-booked airport transfer avoids negotiating a taxi late at night.

VietnamVisa-Easy.com is a private visa service operated by H2 Global Travel JSC since 2012, not a government website, and you can apply directly at evisa.gov.vn for US$25. If you would rather have someone check your passport details and photo first, start your application with us and we will send the e-visa by email.