Overview of Hanoi

Ha Noi, the capital city of Vietnam, is located in the Red River Delta in the center of Northern Vietnam. Many ancient architectural features are still preserved, particularly in the fascinating warren of streets known as the Old Quarter. Lakes, parks, shady boulevards and more than 600 temples and pagodas add to the appeal of this city. Stroll or ride by cyclo through the lively “Old Quarter” and shop for silk, lacquer and ceramics, enjoy famed water puppet theatre are great ways to discover its charm
 

 

From Ha Noi, there are lots of sourrounding sites to explore. Inside the city, Ho Chi Minh Complex (Including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Museum, One Pillar Pagoda) is a place that most travelers should not miss. Temple of Literature – some minutes walking from HCM Complex – is the oldest university in Vietnam. To have an overview of Northern Vietnam’s culture in general or Ha Noi in paricular, pay a visit to these places: Museum of Ethnology, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Museum of Women, Hoa Lo Prison, Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son Temple nearby, Museum of History… Get farther to around 10-20km into the “widen Ha Noi”, traditional trade villages such as Bat Trang Ceramic Village, Duong Lam Ancient Village, Van Phuc Silk Village… are so attractive for their unique characteristic.
 

 

Ha Noi is also the initial point for those who want to extend the visit to the famous Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh Province (Hoa Lu Citadel, Bai Dinh Pagoda, Nature Reserves Center of Tam Coc, Trang An, Kenh Ga, Van Long…) to the East or Mai Chau Valley, Sapa Hill Station to the North West; or Ba Be Lake, Ha Giang mountainous province… to the North East.