Hanoi City Tour: The Best Hanoi Tours to do in 2024

Hanoi City Tour is a programme you should not miss when exploring Vietnam. Discover the wealth of landmarks and fascinating history of Hanoi during this flexible-length city tour. Visit the final resting place of 20th century Vietnam’s iconic leader at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

You’ll also check out other notable Hanoi attractions including One Pillar Pagoda, Hoan Kiem Lake and the city’s Museum of Ethnology. This Hanoi city visit includes round-trip hotel transport, a guide, lunch and site entrance fees.

• Explore the many landmarks of Hanoi during a full-day city visit
• Visit the final resting place of Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum
• Discover Hanoi landmarks including Hoan Kiem Lake and One Pillar Pagoda
• Learn about the diverse ethnic groups that populate Vietnam at the Museum of Ethnology
• Experience Vietnam’s famed water puppet theater
• Includes lunch and round-trip hotel transport What’s Include.

About Hanoi City

Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội) is the capital and second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name “Hanoi” translates to “inside the river,” – Hanoi borders the Red and Black Rivers. As a municipality, Hanoi consists of 12 urban districts, 17 rural districts, and one district-level town. The city encompasses an area of 3,359.84 km2 (1,297.24 sq mi) and as of 2022, a population of 8,435,700. Hanoi had the second-highest gross regional domestic product of all Vietnamese provinces and municipalities at 51.4 billion USD in 2022, behind Ho Chi Minh City.

In the third century BCE, the Cổ Loa Capital Citadel of Âu Lạc was constructed in what is now Hanoi. Âu Lạc then fell under China rule for around a thousand years. In 1010, Vietnamese emperor Lý Thái Tổ established the capital of the imperial Vietnamese nation Đại Việt in modern-day central Hanoi, naming the city Thăng Long (literally ‘Ascending Dragon’). In 1428, king Lê Lợi renamed the city to Đông Kinh (東京), and remained being so until 1789. The Nguyễn dynasty in 1802 moved the national capital to Huế and the city was renamed Hanoi in 1831. It served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1945. After the August Revolution, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam designated Hanoi as the capital of the newly independent country. In 2008, Hà Tây Province and two other rural districts were annexed into Hanoi, almost tripling Hanoi’s area.

Hanoi is the cultural, economic and education center of Northern Vietnam. As the country’s capital, it hosts 78 foreign embassies, the headquarter of People’s Army of Vietnam, its own Vietnam National University system, and many other governmental organisations. Hanoi is also a major tourist destination, with 18.7 million domestic and international visitors in 2022. The city hosts the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hoàn Kiếm Lake, West Lake, and Ba Vì National Park near the outskirts of the municipality. Hanoi’s urban area has a wide range of architectural styles, including French colonial architecture, brutalist apartments typical of socialist nations and disorganized alleys–tube houses stemming from the city’s rapid growth in the 20th century.

How about Hanoi City Tour of Vietnam Story?

At Vietnam Story we have Hanoi City Tours including:

• Half day Hanoi City tour
• Day Tours
• Off the beaten path
• Tours around Ha Noi
• …

Let us now delve into the details of the Hanoi City tours:

Half day Hanoi City tour

If you do not have much time to spare, then these half day tours are perfect to squeeze in. Whether you just come back from Halong Bay, or you have a couple of hours to spend between flight arrival and train departure, we have something for you.

Old Quarter Walking Tour

Enjoy a 4 hour walking tour that takes you among the busy streets of Hanoi Old Quarter.

Hanoi Old Quarter is definitely the best place to start your adventure. Start from your hotel (or our office if you do not stay inside the Old Quarter), we will commence our walk through the crisscrossing streets and see Hanoi life at its purest: the busy trading scenes, the colorful wet markets, the quiet corner where people sit all day for good coffee and good talk. Our walk will cover the following:

• Stop at a few pagodas along the way
• Pass by an old house where most of Hanoi’s traditional lifestyle is still presented
• Visit Dong Xuan market
• Stroll along Lan Ong street to learn about Eastern medicinal practice
• Try Hanoi street food and/or coffee

Our tour can last between 3 and 4 hours, and run between 8-12 or 1 to 5 – It is totally up to you to fit in your schedule.

Hanoi Street Food Tour

If you are a food fanatic, this tour is a must-do. We will introduce you to 5 of the best Hanoi’s specialties.

Hanoi is famed for its exquisite cuisines and it can take you days to explore all the options that the city has to offer. This tour will be a good starting point, and a perfect choice if you have little time in Hanoi.

Our tour will cover the following cuisines: Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), Bun Cha (Noodle with BBQed pork), Nem (Spring rolls), Banh Cuon (Rice crepes), and Che (Sweet pudding).

We run this tours at the following hour: 08:30am – 11:00am, 11:30am – 02:00pm; 04:30pm – 07:00pm. As all of our tours are private, please contact us in advance to secure your spot.

How much to budget for this tour:

• Unless you prefer otherwise, this tour involves walking from a vendor to another so the cost is primarily with food.
• Expect to spend a maximum of 10-15$/person on food and please prepare cash as street vendors won’t have POS card machine!

Ha Noi Night Life Walking Tours

There are night markets at weekend,street food, night activities around Hoan Kiem lake or nightclubs in Ha Noi and you can find an lively city spreading out across streets. You never feel bored staying here.

• 06:00pm: Tour guide will see you at 27 Hang Quat street to start discovering the bustling nightlife in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and enjoy Vietnamese foods, including pho and nem chua ran, before continuing to clubs and bars to drink Vietnamese beer and choose how you want to spend your night
• 07:00pm: After having a great dinner, you will have a walk around the narrow and crowded streets of Old Quarter, discovering some main streets in old quarter such as Hang Bac, Hang Quat, Hang Ma….. Try a bowl of pho, famous Vietnamese beef noodle soup or Choose to taste a Vietnamese specialty— Bún bò Nam Bộ.
• 07:40pm: Stop to get beers on the street to enjoy the night atmosphere. Sit down and drink Bia Hoi, a special type of Vietnamese draft beer best enjoyed in a big glass. Taste a delicious nem chua ran—a type of pork sausage, and peanuts.
• 08:30pm: Afterward, take a short walk to nearby bars in the Old Quarter’s busiest corners. Choose from dynamic clubs where you can drink and dance to loud music, or retreat to a quieter pub where you can have a quiet chat with your guide about local life, or make friends with other expats.
• 09:30pm: Tour ends and you return to your hotel to relax.

Hanoi cooking class

You will get the family handed- down recipes and tips which cannot be found in books or else where. More over, you will be inspired to cooking by the enthusiastic and energetic people here. Our chef will guide you cook the most popular and favoured Vietnamese dishes and alternatives that will adjust to all your desires.

Daily class: Daily classes open every day at 9h00AM to 12h00 – 11h30 to 14h30 – 16h00 to 19h00 and 18h30 to 21h30

Cooking Option Included:

1. Phở (Beef noodle)
2. Nem (Spring roll)
3. Bun Cha (Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and noodle )
4. Nộm đu đủ (papaya salad)
5. Cà phê trứng (egg coffee)

Join in group tour: 45 usd/pax

Know Before you book:

• Please confirm if you can not eat some kinds of food or vegeterian.
• Our pick up in old quarter of Ha Noi
• Please be ready and waiting in the lobby of Hotel 15 minutes before your schefuled pick up time.
• Learn to cook Hanoi cuisine, enjoy what-you-have-made

Farm tour & home cooking with local family in Hanoi

You will leave Hanoi center and drive to the west of city to visit a local market since Le King Dynasty 1428. Then you will go the farm and join working as our farmers doing year after year and try to cook food and have meal with local family.

• 08:00 – 08:30: Our car ( no guide) pick you up at your hotel to start our tour to the west of city. It is about 17km = 35 minutes.
• 09:00: upon arrival, local guide drives you to visit a local market since Le King Dynasty 1428. It is the most famous market in the region where there are many traditional items for sales. If on Market Day (two or three times per week), people from all the surrounding villages would come to trade. People bring dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, ducks, and bamboo baskets to sell.
• 10:00: You go around and visit vegetable fields growing a variety of produce including: bitter melon, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, green peas, Chinese peas and corn, as well as fruit gardens with oranges, pomelos, papaya and more., and you may have chance to join a farmer working in his field on the way and ask experienced for local farmers about cultivation techniques and lifestyle.
• 11:00: You go to a local house to cook delicious and traditional dishes. The family will teach you how to cook some special Vietnamese dishes with simple and traditional recipes. Enjoy local fresh vegetable, fruit, make traditional cake and talk about Vietnamese family’s custom together and drink tea or coffee together.
• 12:00 – 12:30: Tour end, driver and guide will take you back to old quarter and drop you back to your hotel.

Menu:

Depend on the seasonal; I often cook the best and most fresh ingredient we have on the farm.

1. Spring roll (fry) OR Fresh Noodle roll with beef/chicken
2. Crab soup OR fish soup OR clam soup OR pork ball soup with taro stem and herbs OR stir chicken with lemongrass OR fry fish with tomato sauce.
3. Green papaya salad OR banana flower salad OR cucumber and jicama salad OR green mango salad
4. Fry Pork with betel leave OR Fry egg with betel leave
5. Tea OR local beer OR soft drink OR mineral water
6. Traditional cake and local fruit for dessert

If you order one of above soup – I will serve food with rice noodle. If no soup, i will serve food with steamed rice.

Vegetarian Menu (No Meat and no Sea Food)

1. Spring roll (fry) OR Fresh Noodle roll with fruit & herbs
2. Cucumber and jicama salad OR Green papaya salad OR banana flower salad OR green mango salad
3. Fry egg with betel leave OR stir local vegetable with garlic
4. Eggplant and turmeric soup OR tofu and tomato sauce OR vegetarian soup
5. Tea OR local beer OR soft drink OR mineral water
6. Traditional cake and local fruit for dessert

If you order soup- I will serve food with rice noodle. If no soup, i will serve food with steamed rice.

Hanoi Day Tour

Our day tours are organised daily and offer you a quick glance of Hanoi City. You can decide which one is best suited to your interests. Or if there is something that you really want to visit in your guided tour, let us know and we will make one just unique for you.

Hanoi City Tour

Hanoi has so many ancient and modern works, with unique sidewalk cultural experiences such as 36 bustling streets, temple of literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

• 07h45 – 08h15: Free pick up at your hotel. Then visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to explore the architectural and historical aspects of Uncle Ho’s final resting-place. Just next door is Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts and lying to one side of the Mausoleum is the One Pillar Pagoda, which was founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049 – the structure has become an important symbol for the people of Hanoi. Then continue on to the Buddhist Tran Quoc Pagoda at West lake (One of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam).Then visit Bat Trang pottery village (applied on Mon, Wed & Fri). Lunch at local restaurant.
• 13h00: After lunch proceed to visit the Ethnology Museum (apply on Sun, Tue, Thu & Sat), the Literature Temple and Quoc Tu Giam, see Vietnam’s first university, constructed in 1070 – it’s gardens and well-preserved architecture will offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past. Take you past Hoan Kiem Lake to see the peaceful waters, and the beauty of Ngoc Son temple. At the end, journey through Hanoi’s Old Quarter, where you’ll then have a chance for some shopping and exploration.
• Tour ends around 15h30 – 16h00.

Hanoi Museum Tour

Do you know that Hanoi is a museum city? Boasting a large collection of museum varying in themes from history to fine arts, Hanoi is an ideal place for Museum lovers. And even if you are not so interested in artifacts and boring exhibitions, worry not as the Women Museum and Museum of Ethnology are two outstanding places – one to reflect on gender differences and the other to have fun with your kids.

Below is our most popular museum tour but please feel free to let us know if you wish to turn to other options:

• 09.00am: Our local guide come and pick you up from your hotel to the first spot of the tour – Fine Arts Museu, at which you will see artworks in various kinds and period of Vietnam’s Fine Art History, like painting from revolutionary art in 20th century, or modern silk paintings.
• 10.00am: Visit Ho Chi Minh Museum. The museum was built in the 1990s, which was devoted to the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s Revolution against the French and American colonists. You will find not only documents about legendary life of President Ho Chi Minh, but also artifacts showing daily and combating lives of Vietnamese people during the two wars.
• 11.00am: Army Museum is the next destination in our museum tour today. The museum displays the development by different periods of Vietnam’s People Army from its first date to present, and also, the trophy of it during the Indochina and Vietnam Wars. Moreover, many famous weapons of Vietnam’s People Army are also exposed here, like the MIG-21 aircraft or T-54 Tank. Introduction in Vietnamese, English and French is available under the items and documents in this museum.
• 12.00pm: Lunch is served at a local restaurant.
• 01.30pm: Next stop of our tour is the National Museum of Vietnamese History, at which you learn more about the history of Vietnam from the time Hung King created this country to 1945. After the visit to this place, continue the tour at Museum of Vietnamese Revolution (which is only 5 minutes walking). You will know about the miserable lives of Vietnamese people before the revolution, and how Vietnamese people regained their independence and developed this nation from 1945 to present.
• 03.00pm: Visit the last museum of the trip, which is Museum of Ethnology. The museum consists of documents, antiques and photos of culture and rite of several ethnic communities from the North to the South of Vietnam. It is also well-known for its outdoor exhibition area, at which you could see real house or tombs of some minor groups in Vietnam.
• 04.30pm: Return to your hotel. End of tour.

Off the beaten path

Our off the beaten path tours will take you one step further from the standard classic tour of museums and parks. You will join us in a trip to the less visited part of the cities, on a city bus or on a motorbike, to the charming countryside or the dirt road along Red River.

Cycling to Bat Trang Pottery Village

Bat Trang pottery village has formed and existed for hundreds of years. The village is located on the left bank of Red River and accessible by a beautiful dike road which makes a perfect biking trip. Join us and learn about an essential part of Northern Vietnam’s culture.

Your tour itinerary:

• 8:00AM: We will pick you up from your hotel and take a taxi our bike store. Our guide will brief you on how the bike works and provide some information on the biking trip
  • Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee from the local street vendor.
  • Ride along the dike and enjoy the cool breeze from green plantations and from the Red river that has nurtured the living and culture of Hanoians. The ride will take about 2 hours and you will arrive at Bat Trang.
• 11:45 AM: Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
• 13:00: Park your bicycle and enjoy a stroll around the village’s highlights: Bat Trang temple, the production house, the communal house.
• 14:00: Stop at the workshop where you can learn about pottery making and create your own masterpiece.
• 15:00: Start riding back
• 16:30: Arrive at the bike shop and taken back to your hotel by taxi. Trip Ends.

Cycling to Co Loa Citadel

Co Loa is the best place where you can learn about ancient history of Vietnamese. The town is a quiet charming village where people grow rice for a living and full of historical relics: pagodas and temples.

Your trip itinerary:

• 08:00 AM: We will pick you up from your hotel and travel to Bac Bien – the east bank of Red River.
• 08:20 AM: Arrive at the local guide’s house – enjoy welcome tea and snacks.
• 08:50 AM: Pedal through Bac Bien village to Duong river and take a local ferry across the river. Begin the real bike trip through local villages, pagodas, local markets.
• 09:50 AM: Stop off at a local “bar” in a village for a rest and drink, & hear the interesting history of the An Duong Vuong Dynasty (over 2,000 years ago).
  • Visit An Duong Vuong King Temple, Trong Thuy Prince’s Well, Community’s house. Then, cycle around the remains of the ancient citadel and its beautiful gardens, and through more rice fields and villages. • Enjoy an authentic Vietnamese lunch at a local restaurant.
  • Pedal through quiet villages to the dike of the Red River. We reach a local house in the traditional style, and chat with the villagers to learn about their lives and work. Cycling on top of the dike along the Red River, we will see where two great rivers meet. We stop under an old tree by the river for drinks, snacks, and photos before heading back to the ferry and crossing the river again.
  • Stop by a local temple on the bank of the Red River. If we’re lucky, we may see a unique ceremony of Vietnamese people, “Len Dong” (going into a trance). Foreigners are fascinated by this unique ceremony!
  • Have a drink with a family in the village to know more about their life, and how the village and area are changing.
• Around 16:00 PM, return to the hotel by taxi or car.

Tours around Ha Noi City

There are some most recommended places to visit if you would like get out of Hanoi for a few days

• Ha Long 1 day tour: The guide and driver will pick you up in the morning and transfer you to Halong habour to catch the boat discovering Halong bay about 4 hours. Then you visit some beautiful caves, enjoy lunch and go kayaking or boat.
• Hoa Lu – Tam Coc (Full day): Hoalu – Tam Coc is perfect combination for a day trip to learn about a dark period when Vietnam was conquested by Northern Invader. You will know why its named Halong Bay on Land
• Chua Huong pagoda 1 day: To visit Chua Huong Pagoda one day you will not only learn about the beauty of religious beliefs, but also enjoy the beauty of the landscape can not be more beautiful than in Huong Son.
• Bai Dinh-Trang An 1 day tour: Our tourguide and driver will pick you up at your hotel in the early morning to start discover the beauty of Trang An-Bai Dinh which is cited as one of the must seen place in the north of Vietnam
• Mai Chau 1 day tour: Our tour guide will pick you up in old quarter and start to discover Mai Chau Valley 1 day. You will enjoy lunch at the local family, ride bicycle and visit the peaceful village.
• Mai Chau valley 2 days 1 night: Visiting Mai Chau 2 days 1 night, you will have time to enjoy lunch with local family and take photo, ride bycicle and have set menu or bbq for dinner and stay overnight at a family to experience life in Mai Chau.
• Sapa trekking tour 1 day: On this trip you will trek along Muong Hoa River sneaking through the valley nearby Sapa town and learn more about how is the rice cultivating, from when the seed sowed to harvested, until being served as cooked rice on your dinner table.
• Sapa trekking tour 2 days 1 night stay at homestay: On this trip you will trek along Muong Hoa River sneaking through the valley nearby Sapa town, which is surrounded by huge rice paddy terraces. On the way you will learn more about how is the rice cultivating, from when the seed sowed to harvested, until being served as cooked rice on your dinner table.
• Sapa tour 2 days 1 night stay at hotel: On this trip you will trek along Ta Van and Giang Ta Chai , Cat Cat village . And you will stay in hotel in Sapa town.
• Duong Lam ancient village: Our tour guide will pick you up in the morning in old quarter of Hanoi to start discovering Duong Lam ancient village and Tay Phuon pagoda. You will have time to explore Vietnam culture through many centuries. We also provide you lunch with great food from local village.
• Hanoi Ba Be lake 2 days 1 night: On this two-day tour, you will experience local hospitality from an ethnic minority family, take a tranquil river trip, explore caves and see the landscape change from rice cultivation to forests to towering mountains.

Anyone having visited Hanoi will say it is the most different capitals in the whole of Asia. Unlike the shopping-filled city of Bangkok, high-rise towers in Singapore, old citadels in Beijing or metro-frenzy Tokyo, Hanoi is in the early stage of development yet retaining many of its tradition trait.

Learning more about Hanoi before you leave will help you with a more perfect trip, as you already learn what to expect before coming. Here below we write some basics of Hanoi that we think you should know: the food, the bia hoi, the people, the weather and the art of haggling. If you feel something is missing please let us know by contacting us and we will respond to your promptly by email.

FAQs

How much does it really cost for my trip?

As your tour cost is now limited to personal expense, we have listed how much it would cost for each tour in the tour details part. In general, please expect to budget for your trip below:

• Entrance fee: $1-2/attraction. Some attraction may have free entrance.
• Food: lunch costs between $2-5, depending on where you want to eat.
• Water: water costs 20 cents per bottle.
• Transfer: transfer by taxi is 75 cents per kilometers. Some places such as Museum of ethnology is a bit out of the way so it may cost more. Others within or near the old quarter will cost less. In general, expect to pay about 10$ for taxi fare for the tour.
• Other personal expense

Please bring cash as credit cards are not accepted for these payments.

I am a vegetarian. Can I request for vegetarian meals on tour?

We can surely cater to your request of being vegetarian, as well as any other type of food allergy. Please inform us at time of booking if you need any special meal plan so our guide will know to bring you to the right restaurant.

What if I want to cancel my booking?

When you decide that you need to cancel your booking, please notify us immediately by email. We do not accept cancellation notice by phone or any other means for verification reason.

Above is some information about Hanoi City Tour that Vietnam Story has provided for you. Hopefully through the above content you will find the necessary information for yourself.

If you have any questions or needs, please contact Vietnam Story immediately!