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Hanoi City Tour – Full Day

  • Hanoi
  • Day trip
  • Small group
  • Hotel pickup

One full day through a thousand years of Hanoi: Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Museum of Ethnology, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison, with optional cyclo and water puppets.

Hanoi has been Vietnam's capital, on and off, since 1010, when it was founded as Thang Long – the 'Ascending Dragon'. A day here moves through layers of that story, one stop at a time.

You begin at Tran Quoc, the city's oldest pagoda, on its little peninsula in West Lake, then stand on Ba Dinh Square before the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The Museum of Ethnology brings Vietnam's 54 peoples into one place, the Temple of Literature recalls the scholars of the Imperial Academy, and Hoa Lo Prison tells the harder chapters of the 20th century.

Want more? Add a cyclo ride through the streets or a water puppet show, a folk art born in the rice paddies of the Red River Delta.

  • Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi's oldest, on West Lake
  • Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum on historic Ba Dinh Square
  • The Museum of Ethnology and its traditional houses of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups
  • The Temple of Literature, home of Vietnam's first university
  • Hoa Lo Prison, the 'Hanoi Hilton'
  • Optional cyclo ride and water puppet show

Day by day

  1. 1

    Calm by the lake

    Tran Quoc Pagoda

    Tran Quoc Pagoda tower reflected in West Lake at dusk

    Hanoi's oldest pagoda, with roots going back some 1,500 years, sits on a small peninsula in West Lake. Its slender red stupa rising over the water is one of the city's most-loved views.

  2. 2

    History

    Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

    Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and its gardens in Ba Dinh, Hanoi

    The granite mausoleum stands on Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence in 1945. The square and its surroundings are among the most significant places in modern Vietnamese history.

  3. 3

    54 peoples

    Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

    Garden path to a traditional stilt house at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

    A window into the lives of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, with crafts, clothing and everyday objects inside and full-size traditional houses in the outdoor garden. On Mondays, when the museum is closed, the Vietnamese Women's Museum is visited instead.

  4. 4

    Scholars

    Temple of Literature

    Gate of the Temple of Literature in Hanoi among green gardens

    Founded in 1070 to honour Confucius, it became home to the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first university. Courtyards of old trees and ponds lead past stone steles carved with the names of doctoral laureates, set on the backs of stone turtles.

  5. 5

    Memory

    Hoa Lo Prison

    The Maison Centrale gate of Hoa Lo Prison museum, Hanoi

    Built by the French colonial government in the late 19th century to hold Vietnamese political prisoners, and later known to American pilots held there as the 'Hanoi Hilton'. Today the remaining section is a museum.

Moments you'll remember

  • Stone turtles

    At the Temple of Literature, rows of stone turtles carry the steles of the scholars who passed the royal exams – centuries of names, still legible.

  • A village in the garden

    Behind the Museum of Ethnology, you step from a stilt house into a communal house, each built full size the way its people build them.

  • Strings and water

    If you add the water puppet show, wooden dragons and farmers glide across the water to live traditional music.

Why we love this trip

Five places, five chapters of the same city. By evening Hanoi's streets make a lot more sense – you know who the pagodas, the scholars and the prisoners were.

— The AmGo team

What's included

  • Pick-up and drop-off in Hanoi
  • Transport by shuttle bus (or limousine if chosen)
  • Visits to Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (Women's Museum on Mondays), the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison

Not included

  • Cyclo ride (add-on)
  • Water puppet show (add-on)
  • Limousine upgrade, unless booked
  • Personal expenses and tips

Good to know

Cancellation

Free cancellation with a full refund up to 1 day before the tour starts.

What to bring

  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Clothing that covers shoulders and knees for the mausoleum and pagoda
  • Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
  • A small umbrella or raincoat in the rainy season
  • Water bottle
  • Some cash for personal spending

Notes

  • Price shown: shuttle bus, 784,000 VND per adult.
  • Upgrade: Limousine bus +140,000 VND per person (limousine package 924,000 VND per adult).
  • Monday: the Vietnamese Women's Museum replaces the Museum of Ethnology, which is closed.
  • Add-on: cyclo ride +140,000 VND per person.
  • Add-on: water puppet show +210,000 VND per person.
  • Children 1–4: free when sharing a seat with their parents (parents pay any extra sightseeing tickets).
  • Children 5–8: 75% of the adult price (one child with 2 adults; the second child pays the adult price). From 9 years: adult price.
  • Children 1–4 with their own seat: +280,000 VND (shuttle bus) or +350,000 VND (limousine).
  • Public holidays: +40% on the tour price on New Year (31/12 – 02/01), Lunar New Year (from the 28th of the last lunar month to the end of the 4th day of Tết), 30/4 – 1/5, Hung Kings Commemoration Day (29/04) and 2/9.
  • Photos via Wikimedia Commons: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (CC BY-SA 3.0); Daderot (CC0); Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (CC BY 2.0).

Meeting point

Pick-up in Hanoi by shuttle bus or limousine; we confirm the exact point when you book.

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Frequently asked questions

Which places do we visit?

Five sights: Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison.

What happens on Mondays?

The Museum of Ethnology is closed on Mondays, so the Vietnamese Women's Museum is visited instead.

Can I add a cyclo ride or a water puppet show?

Yes: a cyclo ride is +140,000 VND and a water puppet show +210,000 VND per person.

Shuttle bus or limousine?

The tour is 784,000 VND per adult by shuttle bus or 924,000 VND by limousine (+140,000 VND).

How much do children pay?

Ages 1–4 are free sharing a seat with their parents (+280,000 VND by shuttle or +350,000 VND by limousine for their own seat). Ages 5–8 pay 75% of the adult price (one child with 2 adults; a second child pays the adult price). From 9 years the adult price applies.

Is there a holiday surcharge?

Yes, +40% on New Year (31/12 – 02/01), Lunar New Year (28th of the last lunar month to the end of the 4th day of Tết), 30/4 – 1/5, Hung Kings Commemoration Day (29/04) and 2/9.

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