Exploring Vietnam’s History in Hanoi
As both the capital of the country and the largest city in northern part of the country, Hanoi, Vietnam is full of fun and educational things for families to do! From ancient Imperial ruins to some of the best food experiences in the world, you’re sure to find all sorts of trips perfect to do with kids.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter
Visitors to Hanoi who want an authentic taste for the city and its past should absolutely begin their journey in the Old Quarter.
The area where Hanoi’s Old Quarter is located today served as a commercial center for the city as far back as 1000 years ago, during the Lý dynasty. During that time, and for much of the area’s history, different types of merchants were located on different streets, so visitors who wanted one type of good would visit the specific street that sold what they wanted. Each street was under the domain of a different trade guild, of which there were 36. That’s why the Old Quarter is also known as the “36 Streets” despite there being many more than 36 different streets there today.
Just as in ancient times, the Old Quarter remains something of a shoppers’ paradise, with all sorts of different shops lining the streets. You can get all sorts of incredible products here, from silk dresses and handmade leather shoes, to blue tooth headphones and LEGO sets.
But my favorite part was the incredible street food and coffee! Vendors across the Old Quarter offer fresh, delicious dishes, like Bun Cha and Banh My, at unbelievable prices. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so well for so little anywhere else in the world!
While you could literally choose a corner food stand at random and have an incredible meal, I can personally vouch for a few places that we loved if you need more guidance.
Bun Cha Dac Kim (Excellent Bun Cha, Nem, and Char Siu Banh My)
Timelines Cafe (Try the Pho Cuon Rolls!)
Whatever this place was called (Bun cha was great!)
Or check out these highly rated food tours via Get Your Guide!
Historic Sites to Check out in the Old Quarter
There’s actually a bit of disagreement on which sites are actually “in” the Old Quarter, and you’ll see several sites labeled as Old Quarter sites that are technically in one of the “French Quarters.” Luckily, these historic sites are
O Quan Chuong Gate
The O Quan Chuong Gate is the last remaining gate of the belonging to the Citadel of Thang Long.
Dating back to 1749, the gate was built in the citadel’s outer wall, and has three large doorways that would be closed up at night to protect Thang Long from attackers or thieves. It was one of 5 larger gates in Hanoi’s walls during that period, and is one of the few monuments from that period of time that has been left intact.
87 Ma May Ancient House
Ma May street actually has several different ancient houses along its length, but the house at 87 Ma May is both in exceptional condition and open to visitors. It reminds me a lot of the ancient wooden houses that you can find in Hoi An, to the south, with two stories, a sun lit courtyard, and tons of ornate decorative wood carving.
It is a particularly good example of Hanoi’s tradition of making “tube houses,” which are narrow but long houses with more public areas on the lower floors and private areas upstairs.
Hanoi’s Famous Train Street Cafes
(See where we went on Google Maps)
If you’ve spent any time at all on Instagram, you’ve probably seen the videos of trains whizzing by just a few feet away from cafe patrons sipping their coffee. The train tracks date back to 1902, during the French occupation, when they laid the rail system to create a more convenient way to move people and goods around the country.
As Hanoi’s population grew, people chose to build shops and houses near the tracks, until eventually, it became the train street that it is today!
If I’m being honest, it’s an experience that I was a bit nervous to try, especially with kids in tow. But in the end, it ended up being really fun for the whole family, and we didn’t feel unsafe at any point!
A quick note on Train Street:
Vietnamese officials have been looking for a good way to close train street to tourists for a while now, because the more people who visit, the higher the possibility that something will go wrong. And a few years ago, there was a tourist who ignored warnings and came in contact with a train. He was unharmed (though embarrassed), but the train still had to stop to make sure everything was ok. The accident resulted in hours of backed up traffic!
All this to say, when you are on train street listen to the Cafe Owners! Their livelihoods rely on the continued safety of the tourists who come to train street, so they are extra invested in making sure you and your family have a safe, fun time.
All you have to do is choose a cafe, grab a seat, and order some delicious drinks or food while you wait!
The trains go by several times a day, and some of the scheduled trips are quite close together. We ended up watching one train over coffee and then moving to a different cafe a few doors down to watch the second one over snacks!
The whole process was super easy to do on our own, but if you would prefer to have a guide so you can skip the planning, Get Your Guide has some great options!
Hanoi Train Street Schedule
Daily Train:
7:45 am
8:50 am
9:25 am
11:40 am
3:20 pm
7:30 pm
8:20 pm
9:15 pm
9:40 pm
10:00pm
Hoan Kiem Quarter
The Hoan Kiem Quarter borders Hanoi’s Old Quarter, to the point that I didn’t realize I had left the Old Quarter the first time I explored the area. But where the Old Quarter’s streets are crowded with pedestrians and motor bikes, the space around Hoan Kiem Lake is much more open, thanks to several barriers keeping most traffic from entering.
Visiting was a breath of fresh air!
Hoan Kiem Lake Attractions
The main attraction in the Hoan Kiem quarter is, for obvious reasons, the Hoan Kiem Lake. It is a small, green lake located in the northern part of the quarter. The lake’s name, which translates roughly as ‘lake of the returned sword‘ comes from a legend about the Emperor Le Loi who drove out the Ming Dynasty from Hanoi.
It was said that the emperor was granted a magical sword by a golden turtle who came out of the lake, a la Excalibur. The emperor used the magic sword in his battles against the Ming Dynasty and was victorious. At that point he chose to return to the lake, where the golden turtle appeared again, and asked for the sword to be returned. Le Loi gave it back to the turtle, and the lake gained the name that it bears today.
Turtle Tower (Tháp Rùa)
This same legend had a part to play in the naming of Thap Rua, or the Turtle Tower, which is located on a small island in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake.
Thap Rua is an intriguing tourist attraction, in part, because tourists can’t actually visit it. But despite the tower walls being out of reach, visitors to the lake can still see it from afar and admire its beauty!
The Turtle Tower was built by the French colonists in 1886 as a burial monument to Nguyen Ngoc Kim, who was a supporter of their cause. However, when the French were defeated by the Vietnamese, the tower’s name was changed.
Ngọc Sơn Temple
Near the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake, there is a small temple that can only be reached by crossing a bright red foot bridge. This temple is the Ngoc Son Temple, which dates back to the early 1800’s.
The Ngoc Son Temple was built to honor the victories of the military commander, Tran Hung Dao, who fought against the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century.
I really loved how clean and bright this entire area felt!
One of the most interesting parts of our temple visit was the area of the temple dedicated to the lake’s turtles.
The two turtles on display at the temple were both extremely ancient turtles that lived and died in the Hoan Kiem lake. The legendary turtle that gave and received the magical sword was said to be similar to these turtles, and so these were held in high esteem by the people of Hanoi.
The first of these two died when a fisherman struck it in the 1960’s, and it was preserved soon after. The second died much more recently, in 2016, and has been on display only since 2019. There were said to have been two other turtles in the lake that died much earlier on before methods for their preservation were in place.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theater
Water puppet shows are a traditional type of show where puppeteers uses specially designed marionette puppets to perform a show on water.
The Thang Long theater puts on a show that includes daily life scenes, like farming for rice or catching fish, as well as fantastical scenes like unicorns playing with a ball, and even a portrayal of Le Loi returning the sword to the sacred turtle!
Even though there are several shows every day, the show we picked was completely packed on the night we were there. We had bought the tickets in person earlier in the day, mostly on a whim. We chose to visit the theater because we thought it would be a fun thing to do with the kids, but I ended up enjoying the show as much as they did.
When we bought tickets at the theater, the seats in the theater were divided into three zones based on how close to the stage you were. Tickets in the front zone were 200,000 VND (about $8) per person. The middle row was 150,000 ($6) and the back section was 100,000 ($4) per person. You can also rent an audio headset that will translate the performance into English (or another language, if you prefer) to help make the story easier to understand. We got one for my son and had him tell us the story, but it would still have been enjoyable without it.
I’ve heard that you can buy tickets on arrival, but honestly, with the crowds outside before the performance, I was very glad that we had bought ours ahead of time. If you can’t make it to the theater to buy tickets for your family ahead of time, but don’t want to wait in a line when you show up, you can also buy tickets online through one of these vendors:
Thang Long Water Puppet Show Tickets –
via Viator
via Klook (Cheapest online option)
via Get Your Guide
Because we booked in person, I haven’t booked these tickets through any of the online services, but my understanding is that if you go this route you will receive a QR code that can be redeemed for a paper ticket on arrival. Depending on how many people are there, you still might end up waiting in line a bit. The big advantage is being able to use your credit card instead of cash.
Bonus– The Always Cafe – A magical wizard cafe
Does this Harry Potter themed cafe in Old Quarter qualify as an educational trip out? Probably not.
But! Are the mocktails and cocktails they serve here some of the best that you’ll find in the city? Also no.
Even so, if there’s even a single Potterhead in your family, this is a genuinely fun stop in Hanoi. They have Hogwarts Robes for their guests to wear, fun magic themed board games, and all the Harry Potter decor you could want! (I’m a Hufflepuff.)
Hanoi Outside the Old Quarter
While the Old Quarter and the Hoan Kiem Lake area tend to be where most tourists focus their time while in Hanoi, there are tons of other great attractions spread through the city. After all, we’re talking about a capital city here!
Other Major Locations in Hanoi
Whether you’re looking to further explore the history of Vietnam as a whole, or just looking for something a bit different to do, Hanoi has a ton of great spots to check out.
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (UNESCO World Heritage)
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is a UNESCO World Heritage location dating back to the same time period as the Old Quarter, with parts of the citadel still active as archeological sites.
You can explore the Imperial Citadel on your own during the day for 70,000VND ($2.75) per adult, with kids under 16 getting in for free. The Citadel’s grounds cover a pretty large chunk of ground, including archeological sites encompassing 3 different Vietnamese dynasties as well as more modern historical constructions, such as the D67 house from the Vietnamese-American war.
There are also several different galleries that explain many of the historical findings from the archaeological surveys of the Citadel, and, when you need a break from history, there are flower gardens and a lantern street strung with beautiful red and gold lanterns.
If you would rather wait until the evening falls, Thang Long also has an after dark presentation called “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.” It’s a 2 hour long program that includes a guided tour of the grounds as well as a presentation (with lasers!) that explains the different layers of history represented in the Thang Long archeological site.
Unfortunately, my family wasn’t able to fit it in to our trip when we went, so I can’t say how good the tour is, but it’s supposed to be really cool!
Get regular entry tickets at the gate or online
Open 8am-5pm Daily
70,000VND ($2.75)/adult
Under 16 is free
Get tickets to the “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” event
Fridays and Saturdays, starting at 6:30 pm
Prices are per person, but you get a slightly better rate when you book with a larger group.
1 person is $49 | 2 people is $38/person | 4 people is $30/person
You’ll need to check the prices at the website linked above to get exact prices.
Ho Chi Minh Complex
Another major tourism spot in Hanoi is the Ho Chi Minh Complex that was built to honor and remember Uncle Ho, who was Vietnam’s first president.
The complex includes a museum in Ho Chi Minh’s honor, the presidential house where he lived, a Buddhist Pagoda that was rebuilt by him after the Vietnam War (the One Pillar Pagoda), and his mausoleum, where his body is still on display more than 50 years after his death. (My daughter made it very clear on our trip to Egypt that she does not do preserved bodies, so we skipped this.)
As the first president of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh means a lot to the Vietnamese people, so there’s a surprisingly large amount to do here, and the grounds are well-kept all year round.
Ho Chi Minh Complex Entry Fee
25,000VND ($1) for foreigners, free for locals
Open from 8:00-11:00am November to March | Open 7:30-10:30am April-October
Temple of Literature
The Temple of Literature is a Temple dedicated to Confucius that dates back to the year 1070, when it was built during the reign of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông. A few years after its construction, it also became the site of Vietnam’s first national university. It continued to serve as a university for 700 years until the Imperial City was moved to Hue, to the south, and the a new national university was founded.
Today, the temple remains a celebrated relic of Vietnamese history, and is even featured on the 100,000 VND note.
Temple of Literature Entry
70,000VND ($2.75)/person
Note: As a temple site, there is a dress code that is enforced. Shoulders and legs should be covered, as a sign of respect.
I’ve heard that there is a way to buy tickets for the Temple of Literature online, but I have not found the online portal yet.
Hanoi Flag Tower
The Hanoi Flag Tower dates back to the early 1800’s (1805-1812), which makes it one of the oldest monuments in Hanoi that has lasted to today. A large part of that is because the impressive 41.4m tall structure was considered useful enough to the French during their occupation that it was not destroyed and was instead used as a military outpost.
This was also the flag tower that was chosen as the location for the first raising of the National Flag of Vietnam after the war, which has kept it relevant even in the modern age. Today, National Military Museum of Vietnam is located at the base of the tower, as well, making it a doubly interesting spot to visit.
Military Museum of Vietnam Entry Fee
40,000VND ($1.50)/adult | 20,000VND ($0.79 )/child 6-15 | Under 6 is free
Open Daily, 7:30am-5:30pm
Note: The military museum has a lot of exhibits focused on the Vietnam-American War from the Vietnamese perspective.
Lotte 360 Observation Deck
If you’re looking for a high spot from which to observe the Hanoi cityscape from above, this is the location you’re looking for!
While it isn’t as tall as some other international observation decks, like the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, it is one of the highest accessible spots in Hanoi and offers a fabulous view! The 360° Observation deck lets you look all over the city, and, for those who dare to look down, portions of the floor are made from glass so you can see what it feels like to stand in the sky.
Observation Deck Entry (via Klook)
210,000VND ($8.25 )/adult | 155,000VND ($6.00 )/child 3-11
This is far from an exhaustive list of things to do and see in Hanoi, but it is a pretty good start! Be sure to keep your eyes open as you walk around, especially in the Old Town and Hoan Kiem Areas, as there are a ton of smaller (but still historical!) locations to check out.