3 days in Hanoi – Where to go

Hanoi is a city with shady streets, hundreds of small alleys next to the ancient temples with many historical stories. Modern life mixed with ancient features is an attraction of the capital city. And if you have 3 days staying in Hanoi, we highly recommend you this itinerary.

Just-in: Vietnam visa application

Through 11 years of service, we have found that a lot of travelers are not aware that they need a visa for Vietnam until they do check-in at the airport departure, due to various reasons, of which may travelers who hold powerful passports are not even aware that they need a visa for traveling abroad. As such, they may be charged much for last-minutes Vietnam visa application. As such, Vietnam-visa.com highly recommend you – as well as other travelers to Vietnam check Vietnam visa information by selecting your nationality at least 1 week before departure to know whether you need a visa to Vietnam or not and then apply for Vietnam visa at the most economical way if it is required.

Day 1: Hanoi city tour

In case you reach Hanoi in the morning, after landing and complete the immigration procedure at the airport, you should move to the city center by bus or taxi.

You come and check in hotel. After that, you leave the hotel and go to visit Trang Tien Street. Located to the east of the Opera House and to the west of Hoan Kiem Lake, Trang Tien Street features Parisian-style buildings, bookstores, galleries, and cafes. The most famous specialty here is Trang Tien ice cream.

Trang Tien Street – A highlight of Hanoi

After that, you should move to Ngoc Son Temple which was built in the middle of Hoan Kiem lake, where many visitors come to visit and take photos. The red The Huc bridge across the lake to the Turtle Tower is the highlight of this iconic image of the capital.

Ngoc Son temple in Hanoi

You then can come to visit Hanoi Cathedral, which is located at 40 Nha Chung Street, Hoan Kiem District. At the front door of the Cathedral are the cafeteria and lemon tea shop which is very crowded, in addition to a lot of restaurants and bars for you to choose from. You are highly recommended to go around the church to look for a noodle shop to enjoy the most famous specialty of the capital. Going to the capital without eating Pho is a big mistake.

Next, Hoa Lo Prison – which is ranked in the top 5 most thrilling places in Southeast Asia – is a place you should not miss when traveling to Hanoi. Built in 1886, this was the place where French colonialists hold political prisoners and patriots.

Hoa Lo prison

Take a rest for a while and then head to the heart of the city – the old quarter which was recognized by UNESCO. This is a “labyrinth” dating back to the 13th century, used to be a busy marketplace with all kinds of goods such as herbal medicines, flowers, jewelry, cotton, silk, bamboo, hats, and leather bronze.

The Old Quarter is bustle and vibrant in the evening with many food shops. You can look up City View Cafe at 1 Dinh Tien Hoang Street to watch the whole scene of the Old Town or walk to any street to enjoy a glass of beer with many kinds of street food.

Day 2: Further 1 day in Hanoi to complete your Hanoi trip

You can skip breakfast in the hotel and instead, go out to buy Vietnamese bread and then go to a street cafe, sip a cup of coffee while watching the streets.

From Trang Tien street to the west,  you visit the Museum of Fine Arts at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc street- where folk art is preserved with the theme of communism, patriotism, and struggles of Vietnamese people.

Museum of Fine Arts – Hanoi

Crossing Lenin Park, the visitor will go to the Museum of Military History at 28A Dien Bien Phu street. In addition to the museum grounds, there are exhibits of tanks that have participated in the battles of Vietnamese people, B-52 bombs, and Russian jets. Inside, there are three large rooms for recreations of the battle over a period of more than a thousand years against the Chinese, the French colonialists and American imperialists of the Vietnamese people.

Move on to Ba Dinh Square, which is one of the largest green space in Hanoi. In 1945, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence to establish the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In 1969, the Vietnamese built the Ba Dinh Tomb to save the body of Uncle Ho.

Then, in Ho Chi Minh Museum, you can see the old red bicycle that Uncle Ho used to go 1,782 km from Hanoi to Saigon at the age of 60.

Ho Chi Minh Museum – Hanoi

From Ba Dinh Square, after 20 minutes you will go to West Lake – the biggest lake in Hanoi. Around the lake are the gardens, restaurants, amusements and the million-dollar villas.

Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Vietnam, was built in the sixth century in the East of West Lake. To the south, the 800-year-old Quan Thanh Temple, which houses a four-ton Buddhist statue, is one of the most representative works of bronze casting.

Tran Quoc Pagoda – A religious highlight of Hanoi

Enjoy the most famous fish dish in Hanoi. There is only one dish on the menu, but the aromatic fried fish dish together with the rice noodles, herbs, shrimp sauce will certainly make you satisfied.

At the end of the day, you can buy some gifts such as dried fruits on Hang Duong street, lotus tea on West Lake, and green sticky rice in Vong village.

Day 3: Ninh Binh – for a perfect extension for  your Hanoi trip

On the third day, you can continue to visit Ninh Binh.

Ninh Binh – a perfect escape from Hanoi

Ninh Binh with many beautiful natural landscapes is not too far away from Hanoi. It is an ideal destination for families or groups of young people on the weekend.

If you want to explore Ninh Binh for a day, you can refer to the schedule below: Temple of King Dinh Le – Thung Nham – Thien Ha Cave – Dong Chuong Lake.

Hoa Lu ancient capital is a popular destination for many visitors to Ninh Binh. According to this schedule, the ancient capital of Hoa Lu will be the first destination. You can visit the Temple of King Dinh – Le, then depart to Thung Nham bird garden (Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district). Normally, to go to Thung Nham, you can go along Tam Coc – Binh Dong, through Thung Nang. Therefore, if you do not ride a motorbike, you can take a boat trip to Thung Nham to discover the fascinating caves of Tam Coc – Bich Dong.

Coming to Thung Nham, you can go along the streams of evergreen forest, explore Tien Ca cave, visit the garden, and watch the rare birds. This is the camping site which is ideal for a picnic, having lunch with local specialties.

Thung Nham is a place where you can see many kinds of birds. After lunch, you go to Thien Ha Cave – the wall of the fort protecting the ancient capital of Hoa Lu in the 10th century. Then you can move forward to Dong Chuong Lake. This is a wildlife destination and is in the process of exploitation, so it is very quiet, suitable for you to rest and relax after walking to discover the Thien Ha cave. You can choose to sail around the lake, go fishing or take part in some indoor games before separating Ninh Binh to Hanoi.

At 5 p.m, you will come back to Hanoi.

This itinerary is just an option. You may have many more for an interesting experience in Hanoi. In case you need any support for this, please feel free to chat with us or call us at +84.946.583.583.