The Turtle Tower on Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, with the Central Post Office behind
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Hanoi in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 8.5 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days is just the right amount of time for Hanoi to win you over rather than overwhelm you. Each day has one walking route, in the morning or at dusk, and the rest goes to museums, West Lake, the water puppets and long coffee breaks. This is the plan for curious travellers who want to understand the city, not just photograph it, and who know the best moments here happen on a plastic stool.

Day 1From the iron bridge to the water theatre

Open your trip with “From the iron bridge to the Opera” first thing: Long Biên Bridge, Đồng Xuân Market, the old house on Mã Mây and Hoàn Kiếm Lake, all the way to the Opera House and the National Museum of History. Have bún chả at Đắc Kim on Hàng Mành and keep the afternoon for two indoor stops: the Vietnamese Women's Museum in the French Quarter and a water puppet show by the lake. At the weekend, stay on afterwards to wander round the traffic-free lake.

  1. Morning

    From the iron bridge to the Opera: Hanoi highlights

    Mixed · 3.1 km · 2 h

    1. Long Biên BridgeAn iron bridge from 1902 that survived the bombing and, despite what you may hear, was not designed by Eiffel.
    2. Đồng Xuân MarketThe Old Quarter's great covered market, built by the French in 1889 and rebuilt after a fire.
    3. 87 Mã Mây Ancient HouseA merchants' tube house, restored with help from Toulouse, that shows how people lived in the Old Quarter.
    4. Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Ngọc Sơn TempleThe heart of Hanoi: a lake, a red bridge and a temple dedicated to letters and to an unbeatable general.
    5. Hanoi Opera House (Nhà hát Lớn)A little Palais Garnier in the tropics, whose square launched the August Revolution of 1945.
    6. National Museum of HistoryA building blending France and Asia, created for the school of Orientalists that uncovered ancient Vietnam.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Bún chả at Bún chả Đắc Kim. Phố Hàng Mành, 1

  3. Afternoon

    Vietnamese Women's Museum

    A small, very well curated museum about the women of Vietnam: family life, work, their role in the wars and the costumes of the country's many ethnic groups. It is in the French Quarter, a short walk from the National Museum of History.

    Directions

    Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre

    Water puppetry (múa rối nước) was born in the rice paddies of the Red River Delta, and here it comes with a live traditional orchestra. Shows are short, the theatre is on the north shore of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, and booking ahead is wise.

    Directions

Day 2Mandarins, Hồ Chí Minh and West Lake

Be at the Temple of Literature when it opens and follow “A thousand years of Thăng Long” past the Flag Tower, the Citadel's Đoan Môn Gate and the North Gate, still scarred by French shells, to Ba Đình. If you want to go inside the mausoleum, check the opening times and go first, early in the morning. Head down for chả cá on Chả Cá Street, then return to the Ba Đình area in the afternoon: Hồ Chí Minh's stilt house and, a short walk away, Trấn Quốc Pagoda, as the sun sets over the lake.

  1. Morning

    A thousand years of Thăng Long: from mandarin academy to Ba Đình

    History · 3.2 km · 2 h 5 min

    1. Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu)The temple to Confucius that housed Vietnam's first university for seven centuries.
    2. Flag Tower of Hanoi (Cột cờ Hà Nội)The brick lookout that survived when the French tore down the citadel.
    3. Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long: Đoan Môn GateThe south gate through which emperors entered the heart of a thousand years of power.
    4. North Gate (Cửa Bắc)The only citadel gate still standing bears the wounds of the French attack of 1882.
    5. Ba Đình Square and Hồ Chí Minh MausoleumThe square where independence was declared in 1945, and the mausoleum its protagonist never wanted.
    6. One Pillar Pagoda (Chùa Một Cột)A tiny shrine on a single pillar, born of an imperial dream and rebuilt after being blown up.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Chả cá Lã Vọng at Chả Cá Lã Vọng. Phố Chả Cá, 14

  3. Afternoon

    Hồ Chí Minh's Stilt House and Presidential Palace

    In the grounds of the yellow palace the French built for the Governor-General, Hồ Chí Minh lived in a simple wooden house on stilts beside a pond. You see the palace from outside; check the opening times, as the site closes at midday.

    Directions

    Trấn Quốc Pagoda (West Lake)

    Regarded as Hanoi's oldest pagoda: it was founded in the 6th century beside the Red River and moved in the 17th century to an islet in West Lake. Walk over from Ba Đình and linger on Thanh Niên causeway for the sunset.

    Directions

Day 3Vietnam's peoples and the lake of the sword

Take a Grab first thing to the Museum of Ethnology, best enjoyed while the garden is still cool and the traditional houses are empty. Back in the centre, peek at Train Street only if access is allowed, and have bánh cuốn on Hàng Gà. Take the afternoon off with an egg coffee, then at dusk do “Sacred turtles, a magic sword and jailbreaks”: from Hỏa Lò Prison to the Turtle Tower and the White Horse Temple. Round off the trip with a bowl of phở on Bát Đàn.

  1. Morning

    Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

    It covers Vietnam's 54 recognised ethnic groups through objects, rituals and crafts, and has a garden of full-size traditional houses, such as the Bahnar communal house with its towering roof or an Ede longhouse. It is in Cầu Giấy, about twenty minutes from the centre by Grab.

    Directions

    Train Street

    A stretch of railway where trains squeeze past the front doors of houses, with cafés on both sides. The authorities have closed access several times for safety reasons: watch only from a café if it is permitted, never stand on the tracks, and don't push it if you are turned away.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Bánh cuốn at Bánh cuốn gia truyền Thanh Vân. Phố Hàng Gà, 14

  3. Early evening

    Sacred turtles, a magic sword and jailbreaks: legendary Hanoi

    Mysteries & legends · 2.2 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Hỏa Lò Prison (Maison Centrale)The colonial jail American pilots called the "Hanoi Hilton", from which a hundred prisoners escaped through the sewers.
    2. St Joseph's Cathedral (Nhà thờ Lớn)A neo-Gothic cathedral built on the site of a pagoda whose twelve-storey tower vanished without trace.
    3. Turtle Tower (Tháp Rùa)In the middle of the Lake of the Returned Sword, a tower full of rumours: vanished coffins and a Statue of Liberty.
    4. Ngọc Sơn Temple and the lake turtleThe Temple of the Jade Mountain keeps the body of a giant turtle from the lake, a creature caught between science and myth.
    5. White Horse Temple (Đền Bạch Mã)The Old Quarter's oldest temple keeps the legend of the horse that showed the emperor where to build the walls.
    6. Ô Quan Chưởng GateThe last gate of the old city wall, and the mystery of an officer said to have died defending it.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Phở at Phở Gia Truyền (Phở Bát Đàn). Phố Bát Đàn, 49

The map

Hanoi in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Hanoi in 3 days

  • Pick your season: from May to September it is very hot and humid, with heavy downpours; winter is cool and grey. Autumn and spring are the most pleasant times for walking.
  • Use Grab for longer hops, such as the Museum of Ethnology or the ride back from West Lake, and walk within the Old Quarter, where a car saves no time at all.
  • Check the calendar before ordering your days: the Museum of Ethnology usually closes on Mondays and the mausoleum shuts on several days of the week.

Questions

Hanoi in 3 days: your questions

How many days do you need in Hanoi?

Three days let you see the highlights without stress: all three routes, the Museum of Ethnology, West Lake, the water puppets and another museum, with time to eat and recover from the heat. With one or two days you see the essentials, but at a faster clip.

Can I fit Hạ Long Bay into these 3 days?

Yes, but only by giving up a day in the city: the bay is a full-day trip with several hours on the road each way. The sensible option is to add a fourth day or a night on a boat; if you can't, drop day 3 and move the dusk route to day 1.

How far will I walk in 3 days?

The routes add up to about 8.5 km: 3.1 km on day one, 3.2 km on day two and 2.2 km on day three, plus the walks to the extras. It is a gentle pace; the heat is what tires you, so drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks.

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