Top 7 Best Things to Do in Hanoi in 2024

Visit Ho Chi Minh Complex

In order to commemorate the sacrifice of President Ho Chi Minh’s whole life to the liberation of the Vietnamese people, Vietnam government had the Ho Chi Minh Complex established inside Hanoi capital city. Situated right in Ba Dinh street where the great father Uncle Ho read the Independence Declaration on September 2nd, 1945, Ho Chi Minh Complex consists of a variety of building structures that go along with their own purposes, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, President Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s Residence, One Pillar Pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Museum.

A tour around Old Quarter

As the city develop, yet Hanoi Old Quarter still remains its ancient beauty throughout the years. Tourist will find themselves amazed by the old streets with thousands of local shops that match their own streets name and the small roads connected like a spider web. For example, Hang Ma, where selling things that made from paper, hangs hundreds of red lantern along the street, or Hang Bac is the street you can find many jewelry stores which mainly sell silver bracelets and necklaces.

 You can either choose to walk around to have more chances to take pictures of or purchase an electric car ticket for a ride around all 36 old streets. All the electric cars’ drivers can speak Vietnamese and will give tourists a brief introduction of the Old Quarter.

Hanoi street food

Street food in Hanoi is easy to spot on the go. Eating in Hanoi will get you the beaten track which you will find far more interesting and delicious than just “pho” or “bun cha”. The best thing is the food is exceptionally cheap.

Beer night on Ta Hien Street

For international visitors, especially young ones, you might find yourself end up the Ta Hien old street in the evening to catch some good drinking. Ta Hien is a small street in the Old Quarter area and it is easy to find as it is amazingly crowded at night. What can be more exciting than sitting on tiny stools while drinking beer and singing along all of your favorite hit songs both Vietnamese and English with live performance?

Weekend walk at Hoan Kiem Lake

The weekend walk is the perfect match for those who love the family atmosphere. Vietnamese families spend their weekend at Hoan Kiem Lake area as many activities for children and even adults are hold there. Foreign tourists will definitely love the traditional games for children like “o an quan”, “nhay day” (jumping rope), “keo co”,… Another great thing about the place is there are no motorbikes or any other vehicles that allowed to enter Hoan Kiem Lake are during the weekends.

Cycle away

For those who are cycle-loves, although there is no separate lane for bicycles on the streets of Vietnam, you’ll love to ride the bike around the city, especially around the West Lake where have amazingly fresh breezes or on old bridges like Long Bien Bridge. In fact, after a ride on Long Bien bridge, if you take a closer look, you will notice that there is a small stair leading down to the land in the middle of Red River where famous for fresh corn and peanuts.  

Day trips around Hanoi's suburb

Travel a little further away from Hanoi, around the suburb area, there are a few traditional craft and ancient villages which might take half a day trip like Duong Lam Village or Bat Trang village. In Duong Lam village, you can explore the real rural of Hanoi to trace back to the origin of Vietnam’s culture and Vietnamese tradition. For more real experience, you can take a trip to Bat Trang village to learn how to make pottery yourself.