Top 10 Things to Do in Hanoi

The solemn granite monument where Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body lies in state draws thousands of pilgrims daily, and the surrounding Ba Dinh Square and Presidential Palace complex form the political and spiritual heart of the nation.

The Restored Sword Lake at Hanoi's centre is the city's beating heart — a place for morning tai chi, evening strolls, and the iconic red Huc Bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple on a tiny island.

Hanoi's signature dish — grilled pork patties in a sweet-savoury broth served alongside vermicelli noodles and a plate of fresh herbs — became world-famous when Barack Obama shared a bowl with Anthony Bourdain in 2016.

A uniquely Vietnamese art form dating to the 11th century, water puppetry uses a flooded stage to enact tales of dragons, fish, and rice-farming life — accompanied by a live traditional orchestra in a performance unlike anything else on Earth.

Vietnam's first national university, founded in 1076 to honour Confucius, is a tranquil complex of pavilions, courtyards, and stone stelae bearing the names of graduates — a serene oasis of learning in the modern city.

This world-class museum showcases the traditions, costumes, and crafts of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups through beautifully curated indoor galleries and an outdoor park with full-scale reconstructed stilt houses and communal halls.

Invented in the 1940s when milk was scarce, ca phe trung — strong Vietnamese robusta coffee topped with a thick, whipped egg-yolk foam — is Hanoi's most distinctive brew and a must-try at its birthplace, Cafe Giang.

Built in 1049 and reconstructed after French demolition in 1954, this iconic lotus-shaped pagoda rising from a single stone pillar over a lake is one of Vietnam's most recognisable symbols and a masterpiece of Ly Dynasty architecture.

Known as the "Hanoi Hilton" by American POWs, this colonial-era prison holds two very different histories — French colonial brutality against Vietnamese revolutionaries, and American airmen's surprisingly wry accounts of captivity.

The solemn granite monument where Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body lies in state draws thousands of pilgrims daily, and the surrounding Ba Dinh Square and Presidential Palace complex form the political and spiritual heart of the nation.

The Restored Sword Lake at Hanoi's centre is the city's beating heart — a place for morning tai chi, evening strolls, and the iconic red Huc Bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple on a tiny island.

Hanoi's signature dish — grilled pork patties in a sweet-savoury broth served alongside vermicelli noodles and a plate of fresh herbs — became world-famous when Barack Obama shared a bowl with Anthony Bourdain in 2016.

A uniquely Vietnamese art form dating to the 11th century, water puppetry uses a flooded stage to enact tales of dragons, fish, and rice-farming life — accompanied by a live traditional orchestra in a performance unlike anything else on Earth.

Vietnam's first national university, founded in 1076 to honour Confucius, is a tranquil complex of pavilions, courtyards, and stone stelae bearing the names of graduates — a serene oasis of learning in the modern city.

This world-class museum showcases the traditions, costumes, and crafts of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups through beautifully curated indoor galleries and an outdoor park with full-scale reconstructed stilt houses and communal halls.

Invented in the 1940s when milk was scarce, ca phe trung — strong Vietnamese robusta coffee topped with a thick, whipped egg-yolk foam — is Hanoi's most distinctive brew and a must-try at its birthplace, Cafe Giang.

Built in 1049 and reconstructed after French demolition in 1954, this iconic lotus-shaped pagoda rising from a single stone pillar over a lake is one of Vietnam's most recognisable symbols and a masterpiece of Ly Dynasty architecture.

Known as the "Hanoi Hilton" by American POWs, this colonial-era prison holds two very different histories — French colonial brutality against Vietnamese revolutionaries, and American airmen's surprisingly wry accounts of captivity.