Quick search
CTRL+K
Quick search
CTRL+K
Hanoi is a city and place, where you experience a distinguished mix of historical sights like pagodas and modern Vietnam from the colonial era to present day. The colonial years have made a special architectural mark on the city with the European ambience, French style and cultural influence, which is still visible.
Soak in the French colonial era on a tour to the opera or by a visit to the city’s cathedral, which is perhaps the most visible symbol of France’s historical influence. On a walk you will also see Vietnam’s traditional Asian culture and traditions as well as modern Vietnam’s impressive buildings and fine museums.
Whatever you choose to do in Hanoi, everywhere in the city you will find the Asian charm that prevails in the major cities of the continent. Here, the scenery is special with the colonial style buildings mixed with centuries-old temples, churches and pagodas.
You can also make a great day trip out of town. There are some fine pagodas and the interesting city of Dinh Bang. Many visitor choose to include Halong Bay in a Vietnam trip, since it is one of Vietnam’s most beautiful landscapes with all the limestone islands scattered in the great bay.
Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum was built in 1973-1975 to house the late father’s embalmed body, as had been done in other communist countries. The mausoleum was built in Ba Dinh Square, which was the place where Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam as an independent country on September 2, 1945. Exactly 24 years after that date, Ho Chi Minh died.
Today, several shifts of guard can be seen daily in front of the mausoleum, which is accessible. Note that you must be properly dressed out of respect for Ho Chi Minh, just as the visit must of course be done in devotion.
The One-Pillar Pagoda is a pagoda whose name comes from the fact that it rests on only one pillar. According to tradition, this is because in 1049, King Ly Thai Tong dreamed of the goddess of mercy Quan Am, who was sitting in a lotus flower. Following the advice of a monk, the king built the pagoda as a lotus flower, which has a stem as a root.
The original pagoda was built in the 11th century, but it is not the one that has survived to this day. The current one-pillar pagoda was rebuilt in 1955 after being destroyed by the withdrawal of the French from Hanoi the year before.
Hanoi’s Catholic St. Joseph’s Cathedral is a well-known church that was built with Notre Dame in Paris as a clear inspiration. The cathedral was built in the years 1884-1886, and it stands as one of the best-known buildings from Vietnam’s French era.
The cathedral is the oldest church in Hanoi, and it is the archbishop’s seat for Vietnam and thus the main church for the country’s Catholics. The church was not active for many years during the country’s communist era, after the Viet Minh closed it in 1954, only to allow religious services again in 1990.
St. Joseph’s Cathedral, just like the model in Paris, has a facade with two towers. The Towers of Hanoi are 31 meters high and the outer walls of the building are made of granite. The interior of the church is beautiful and stylish in Neo-Gothic architecture. The glass mosaics were once produced in France and brought to Hanoi.
Hanoi Opera House is a building that was built by the French as the Grand Theater in 1901-1911 in period French architecture. The inspiration for the building style came from Paris’s famous Garnier Opera House, and it has been said that Hanoi’s Opera House is more refined and beautiful than the original.
The balcony of the Opera House is where the Viet Minh announced the seizure of power in Vietnam in 1945. Completely renovated in 1997, the building is one of the most beautiful in the city from the French colonial period.
The Temple of Literature in Hanoi is a temple that, since the foundation of the site in 1070, has played a central role in the city’s cultural development. As early as 1076, a kind of university was built at the temple, which educated the foremost young men in the country. The university was in operation until the transfer of the capital from Hanoi to Hue in 1802.
The temple is dedicated to learned people such as Confucius, and in the temple’s very strictly symmetrical construction you can reflect some of the strongly patriarchal thoughts in the Confucian teachings.
On the way to the center of the facility, which is made up of the actual Temple of Literature from the 19th century, you pass several temple courtyards. The farm with the memorial stones on the backs of turtles is particularly interesting. The stones here were erected 1442-1779 in honor of appointed doctors at the university and tell about the persons and their contemporaries.
Ngõ 224 Lê Duẩn is a narrow street in Hanoi, better known as Train Street. The nickname comes from the fact that in the normally inhabited street there is an active railway that almost fills the entire width of the street. The railway opened in 1902 and is part of the line between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
Train Street is one of Hanoi’s most photographed streets, and it is a special experience when trains run through the street. Before the arrival of the train, the street can be full, and before the trains pass through, the local shops and cafes remove their belongings. The train then runs through with a very short distance to houses, shops and café patrons.
Vietnam’s beautiful presidential palace was built in the years 1900-1908 as the French governor-general’s residence. After the country’s independence, Ho Chi Minh did not want to live in the palace, which symbolized the French colonial power.
Since then, the house has functioned as a residence for the country’s official visitors, such as heads of state on official visits to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh instead took up residence in one of the official residences in the area.
Behind the Presidential Palace, you can see Ho Chi Minh’s Pile House/Nhà Sàn Bác Hồ, which was built in the North Vietnamese style. The stilt house became Ho Chi Minh’s residence when in 1958 he vacated the presidential palace service residence in favor of the stilt house.
Ho Chi Minh used the house for both representation on the ground floor and as a workplace with an office on the first floor, where he also had a bedroom. Ho Chi Minh lived here until his death in 1969.
Quan Thanh Temple was built in the 11th century. However, the temple does not stand as originally built, as later expansions until 1677 led to its current appearance.
Inside the temple’s impressive gate, you can see a statue of the figure Tran Vu, who, according to legend, helped King An Duong defend the area in the 200s.
With its roots dating back to the 5th century, the Tran Quoc pagoda is one of Vietnam’s oldest. However, it has only stood in its current location since 1615, when it was moved to the dam area from its original location on the Red River.
The pagoda is worth seeing, and so is the pagoda’s garden. In the fine facility you can see, among other things, a site-typical elevation with bonsai trees and a small artificial lake.
Ho Chi Minh Museum is a museum that was established as a tribute to and in memory of Vietnam’s unifying father Ho Chi Minh. The museum opened in 1990 and it was the 100th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s birth.
The museum portrays Ho Chi Minh’s life in an elegant way and thus naturally a large part of Vietnam’s recent history. The collection of effects is rich, and various films about and with Ho Chi Minh are also shown. One should spend time here to get a proper impression of the Vietnamese perception of their fatherland.
Lotte Center is a modern skyscraper in Hanoi. The high-rise was built 2010-2014 with 65 floors and a height of 272 meters. There is, among other things, a hotel, shops and restaurants in the building.
You can also get to the top of the Lotte Center, where there is an observation deck on the 65th floor. From here you can go on to the roof of the skyscraper, where there is a bar called Top of Hanoi. The view is of course fantastic from both the observation deck and from the Top of Hanoi.
The centrally located Hoan Kiem Lake is a lovely breather in Hanoi. Around the lake there are several green areas with several cafes. The lake has previously been connected to other lakes in the city, and it got its current extent by filling in at the end of the 1800s.
The very idyllically situated Ngoc Son Temple/Đền Ngọc Sơn was built in 1864 by Nguyen Van Sieu on an island in the northern part of the lake. Access to the island in Hoan Kiem Lake is over the beautifully named Sunbeam Bridge/The Huc.
At the bridge you can see Pennetårnet/Thap But. On Thap But it says in Chinese Ta Thanh Thien, which means “writing on the blue sky”, and the symbol is connected with the fact that the temple was dedicated to, among others, the great Vietnamese literati Van Suong.
A little further south in Hoan Kiem Lake is Turtle Island, where the Turtle Tower was built in 1886. It is said to bring good luck if you see a turtle on the island.
The Revolution Museum in Hanoi is a museum that focuses on the history of Vietnam from 1945 to the present day. It gives visitors a good insight into the country’s recent development, and the prehistory of the revolution back to 1858 is also depicted.
The museum’s exhibition is divided into different themes such as the period 1945-1975 with the country’s independence and struggle for unification, the economic development from 1976 and Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s Communist Party.
Quan Chuong Gate is a city gate that stands on the border of Hanoi’s Old Town. It is the only remaining of the city’s original gates, which were the historic entrances to the city.
Hanoi’s Old Town is southwest of Quan Chuong. The district, with its narrow streets and traditional Vietnamese atmosphere, is a very exciting place to explore. Among other things, there are countless small shops and good eateries here.
Long Bien Bridge that was built 1898-1902 over the Red River. It is 1,683 meters long and was Asia’s longest in its time. The initiator of the Long Bien bridge was the Governor-General of France, Paul Doumer, and the bridge initially bore his name.
When the French later left Hanoi, it was via the Long Bien Bridge, which survived bombardments during the Vietnam War thanks to frequent repairs. Today, the bridge is open to train traffic, pedestrians and cyclists.
Hanoi Citadel is a defensive structure that was founded during the Ly Dynasty from the 11th-13th centuries. The facility was expanded during later dynasties until the country’s capital was moved to Hue in 1802.
The early citadel had three ring walls, with the king and family living inside, which formed the forbidden temple area. The large area in the city center has been a military area for many years. Today, you cannot see many remains from the original temple and defense buildings. The most interesting thing is the entrance gate from Phan Dinh Phung street.
You can also notice a statue of Vladimir Lenin. It faces Hanoi’s Citadel, where it was erected as a gift from the Soviet Union to Hanoi.
Halong Bay is one of Vietnam’s most beautiful natural areas. Here lie 1,969 beautifully and differently shaped islands in limestone and slate. The islands are almost thrown around in the sea, and the name Halong also means: “The descending dragon”. This leads to the fact that the area was said to have been created by a dragon that descended and spread the islands around off the mainland.
When visiting Halong Bay, it is highly recommended to go on a good long sailing trip in the unique archipelago. The many, traditional-looking Vietnamese boats sail on different trips, on which you can possibly examine the difference. Alternatively, you can go on one of the many trips organized here from Hanoi.
Around Halong Bay there are several interesting caves that you can visit. Among the most interesting are Dau Go on Driftwood Island, Thien Cung outside Halong city and Quang Hanh west of Cam Pha.
The Dau Go cave consists of three larger caves, which Emperor Khai Dinh visited in 1917. Thien Cung is considered the most beautiful in Halong Bay, while Quang Hanh, with its 1,300 meters, is the longest in the area.
If you want to take a longer stay at Halong Bay, the very beautifully situated seaside resort of Bai Chay can be the place. Bai Chay is very cozy and offers beautiful nature, a lovely beach and good restaurants where you can enjoy the delicious Vietnamese food with a view of the bay.
The city of Dinh Bang was the place where Ly Thai To, the founder of the Ly Dynasty, was born. The dynasty was founded in the year 1010, and Ly Thai Po founded, among other things, Hanoi. Today you can visit the Den Do Temple, which was established in the 11th century in honor of Ly Thai Po.
Dinh Bang’s best-known building is the town’s assembly hall, which, after decades of construction, was completed in 1736. The house is considered the most beautiful of its kind in the country, and it is not least the highly detailed and exciting woodcarving works that impress upon a visit here.
In the decorated woodwork you can see a number of motifs such as the four sacred animals; the lion, the dragon, the phoenix and the tortoise. Some of the city’s traditionally important fruit crops such as apricots and bamboo are also carved into the tree.
The collection house functions as a temple for the land, the water and the cultivation of the area. There are also memorial statues for six of the city’s ancestors who made a special effort in rebuilding the city after the great fire that destroyed Dinh Bang in the 15th century.
The Perfume Pagoda is a pagoda located in the Perfume Mountains. Despite its name, the pagoda is not just a pagoda, but a complex with a number of temples and pagodas in the very beautiful landscape.
The site’s primary temple was built under Le Chinh Hoa, who ruled from 1680 to 1705. The other buildings in the area were built later. The Perfume Pagoda itself is considered to be one of Vietnam’s most beautiful pagodas, but both the other buildings and the site’s fascinating nature with rivers, mountains and forests are also particularly worth seeing.
Tam Dao is a town that the French founded in the early 1900s. Tam Dao is located at an altitude of 900 meters in the mountains, and it was therefore a recreational place where you could relax away from Hanoi and the heat of the lowlands.
In Tam Dao you can see some buildings in French colonial style such as a stone church and some villas. Most of the city’s French history was destroyed after the French withdrawal from the area, and over a few decades buildings were erected in a Soviet-inspired style.
Tam Dao is a small town, and it is not least the nature that you should come here for. The mountains rise from the plain to a height of 1,400 meters, and during the drive to Tam Dao there are countless fantastic views over the beautiful and hilly terrain.
Pho Hang Khoai
Pho Hai Ba Trung 17
Hoan Kiem District
Hoan Kiem District
Hang Bong, Hang Dao, Hang Gai, Hang Khay, Dong Xuan
Hanoi Circus/Rạp Xiếc Circus
Tran Nhan Tong
Hanoi Zoo/V thn thú Hà nội
Park Thun Le, Ba Dinh
hanoizoo.com
Thang Long Vandant Pantomime Theater/Múa rối nước
Dien Tien Hoang 57B, Hoan Kiem
Zoological Museum/Sinh học Động vật học Viện bảo tàng
Le Thanh Tong 19
Since ancient times, settlements have taken place on the lush plain of the river delta where Hanoi is today. Over time, there have been various state formation in the Vietnamese area, including the kingdom of Funan, founded shortly after year 0 of the Mekong Delta in part of present-day Vietnam.
In the year 1010, the Ly Dynasty was established by King Ly Thai Po, who came from the nearby town of Dinh Bang. In doing so, he founded Thang Long, today’s Hanoi, which he made to the kingdom’s capital. Thang Long means: “The Ascending Dragon”, and according to the legend, Ly Thai Po chose the place after just seeing the dragon.
It was the first time a Vietnamese dynasty was independent of Chinese influence, and Thang Long evolved rapidly. Over time, a number of institutions were established in Hanoi. The one-pillar pagoda that King Ly Thai Tong built in 1049 and the country’s first university, the Literature Temple, founded in 1070.
Over the next several centuries, the city developed peacefully, except for a few periods of scattered uprisings or attacks. The town plan for Hanoi’s Old Town with its many narrow and crooked streets and alleys appeared in the 13th century, and the city grew quietly.
In 1802 it was over with Thang Long’s status as capital. Emperor Gia Long, who founded the Nguyen Dynasty, conquered the city and northern Vietnam and united it with the part of the country that today forms central Vietnam. Hue was more central, and Gia Long made it the country’s new capital. Thang Long changed its name to Hanoi, referring to the city’s location on the river, and it continued as the administrative center of the city’s region.
In the mid-1800s, France’s colonial interests began to move towards Vietnam, French Indochina. The country was to be the bridgehead for a greater French influence in the area, and from 1848 came regular attacks against the Vietnamese areas.
In 1872, the French conquered Jean Dupuis citadel in Hanoi, and it became the starting point for the French colonization of the area. After several years of scattered fighting, French troops gained control of Hanoi, and northern Vietnam officially became a French protectorate.
In 1887, Hanoi was the administrative center of the Franco-Indochinese Union, and numerous buildings of mansions, theaters, churches and government buildings were started, which, together with the French city plan with avenues, still show the clear French dominance of the area in about 1900 and the following decades.
After Japan’s withdrawal from Vietnam in 1945, the Communist Party became the country’s most successful anti-colonial movement. The thoughts of an independent Vietnam were manifested on September 2, the same year, when Ho Chi Minh at Hanoi’s Ba Dinh Square proclaimed the Democratic Vietnamese Republic.
Ho Chi Minh’s proclamation became the starting point for many years of war. Vietnamese waged guerilla war against France’s colonial power until 1954, when the French were finally defeated by Dien Bien Phu. The war destroyed many of Hanoi’s historic buildings, some of which were rebuilt later in the 20th century.
Immediately following the withdrawal of French troops from Hanoi and northern Vietnam, an international resolution was passed, temporarily dividing Vietnam into the communist north and the US-controlled south. It was planned to unite the country in 1956. Hanoi was now established as the capital of Ho Chi Minh’s northern government.
Instead of the planned unification of the country, there were many years of fighting between the Communist North and US troops and US-backed Vietnamese groups. During the time of the major bombings of Hanoi, 1965-1968, most of the city’s population was evacuated and large parts of the city destroyed during the bombing of the Americans.
Ho Chi Minh died in 1969, but that did not put an end to the Communist regime’s military, which eventually took over. After heavy losses, the United States launched a withdrawal of its forces in 1973. Vietnam was now reunited with Hanoi as its capital and as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and in honor of Ho Chi Minh, the mausoleum at Ba Dinh Square was erected.
A great deal of reconstruction work was done and most of the historic buildings were rebuilt after Vietnam’s unification and final independence. Foreign investment was opened in the 1980s, and the country began to build its tourism industry, which year after year attracts more and more tourists by virtue of the country’s nature, climate, exciting history and great hospitality.
Hanoi, Vietnam
Overview of Hanoi
Hanoi is a city and place, where you experience a distinguished mix of historical sights like pagodas and modern Vietnam from the colonial era to present day. The colonial years have made a special architectural mark on the city with the European ambience, French style and cultural influence, which is still visible.
Soak in the French colonial era on a tour to the opera or by a visit to the city’s cathedral, which is perhaps the most visible symbol of France’s historical influence. On a walk you will also see Vietnam’s traditional Asian culture and traditions as well as modern Vietnam’s impressive buildings and fine museums.
About the Whitehorse travel guide
Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
Published: Released soon
Author: Stig Albeck
Publisher: Vamados.com
Language: English
About the travel guide
The Whitehorse travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Canadian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Whitehorse is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Whitehorse and Canada
Canada Travel Guide: https://vamados.com/canada
City tourism: https://visitwhite-horse.ca
Main Page: https://www.vamados.com/
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Whitehorse you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Vietnam’s beautiful presidential palace was built in the years 1900-1908 as the French governor-general’s residence. After the country’s independence, Ho Chi Minh did not want to live in the palace, which symbolized the French colonial power.
Since then, the house has functioned as a residence for the country’s official visitors, such as heads of state on official visits to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh instead took up residence in one of the official residences in the area.
Behind the Presidential Palace, you can see Ho Chi Minh’s Pile House/Nhà Sàn Bác Hồ, which was built in the North Vietnamese style. The stilt house became Ho Chi Minh’s residence when in 1958 he vacated the presidential palace service residence in favor of the stilt house.
Ho Chi Minh used the house for both representation on the ground floor and as a workplace with an office on the first floor, where he also had a bedroom. Ho Chi Minh lived here until his death in 1969.
Quan Thanh Temple was built in the 11th century. However, the temple does not stand as originally built, as later expansions until 1677 led to its current appearance.
Inside the temple’s impressive gate, you can see a statue of the figure Tran Vu, who, according to legend, helped King An Duong defend the area in the 200s.
With its roots dating back to the 5th century, the Tran Quoc pagoda is one of Vietnam’s oldest. However, it has only stood in its current location since 1615, when it was moved to the dam area from its original location on the Red River.
The pagoda is worth seeing, and so is the pagoda’s garden. In the fine facility you can see, among other things, a site-typical elevation with bonsai trees and a small artificial lake.
Ho Chi Minh Museum is a museum that was established as a tribute to and in memory of Vietnam’s unifying father Ho Chi Minh. The museum opened in 1990 and it was the 100th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s birth.
The museum portrays Ho Chi Minh’s life in an elegant way and thus naturally a large part of Vietnam’s recent history. The collection of effects is rich, and various films about and with Ho Chi Minh are also shown. One should spend time here to get a proper impression of the Vietnamese perception of their fatherland.
Lotte Center is a modern skyscraper in Hanoi. The high-rise was built 2010-2014 with 65 floors and a height of 272 meters. There is, among other things, a hotel, shops and restaurants in the building.
You can also get to the top of the Lotte Center, where there is an observation deck on the 65th floor. From here you can go on to the roof of the skyscraper, where there is a bar called Top of Hanoi. The view is of course fantastic from both the observation deck and from the Top of Hanoi.
The centrally located Hoan Kiem Lake is a lovely breather in Hanoi. Around the lake there are several green areas with several cafes. The lake has previously been connected to other lakes in the city, and it got its current extent by filling in at the end of the 1800s.
The very idyllically situated Ngoc Son Temple/Đền Ngọc Sơn was built in 1864 by Nguyen Van Sieu on an island in the northern part of the lake. Access to the island in Hoan Kiem Lake is over the beautifully named Sunbeam Bridge/The Huc.
At the bridge you can see Pennetårnet/Thap But. On Thap But it says in Chinese Ta Thanh Thien, which means “writing on the blue sky”, and the symbol is connected with the fact that the temple was dedicated to, among others, the great Vietnamese literati Van Suong.
A little further south in Hoan Kiem Lake is Turtle Island, where the Turtle Tower was built in 1886. It is said to bring good luck if you see a turtle on the island.
The Revolution Museum in Hanoi is a museum that focuses on the history of Vietnam from 1945 to the present day. It gives visitors a good insight into the country’s recent development, and the prehistory of the revolution back to 1858 is also depicted.
The museum’s exhibition is divided into different themes such as the period 1945-1975 with the country’s independence and struggle for unification, the economic development from 1976 and Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s Communist Party.
Quan Chuong Gate is a city gate that stands on the border of Hanoi’s Old Town. It is the only remaining of the city’s original gates, which were the historic entrances to the city.
Hanoi’s Old Town is southwest of Quan Chuong. The district, with its narrow streets and traditional Vietnamese atmosphere, is a very exciting place to explore. Among other things, there are countless small shops and good eateries here.
Long Bien Bridge that was built 1898-1902 over the Red River. It is 1,683 meters long and was Asia’s longest in its time. The initiator of the Long Bien bridge was the Governor-General of France, Paul Doumer, and the bridge initially bore his name.
When the French later left Hanoi, it was via the Long Bien Bridge, which survived bombardments during the Vietnam War thanks to frequent repairs. Today, the bridge is open to train traffic, pedestrians and cyclists.
Hanoi Citadel is a defensive structure that was founded during the Ly Dynasty from the 11th-13th centuries. The facility was expanded during later dynasties until the country’s capital was moved to Hue in 1802.
The early citadel had three ring walls, with the king and family living inside, which formed the forbidden temple area. The large area in the city center has been a military area for many years. Today, you cannot see many remains from the original temple and defense buildings. The most interesting thing is the entrance gate from Phan Dinh Phung street.
You can also notice a statue of Vladimir Lenin. It faces Hanoi’s Citadel, where it was erected as a gift from the Soviet Union to Hanoi.
Similar to Hanoi Travel Guide
