48 hours in Hanoi – Weekend Edition
Hanoi In Less Than 48 Words
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, and is one of Southeast Asia’s most popular tourist hotspots. Perched on the right bank of the Red River, it is a city that blends exotic charms with a dynamic face. It is known mainly for its cultural sights and bustling atmosphere.
Floating houses at Cat Ba Island (Photo from Google images)
First 24 Hours
You can fly to the culture-rich capital of Vietnam via the Noi Bai International Airport, which is located 45 kilometers from the Hanoi city center. From there, you can catch a Hanoi city bus, which connects the airport to the heart of the city. Alternatively, you can opt to hire an airport taxi to take you to your hotel, a journey that lasts anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.
Hanoi is a fairly large metropolis, and is known for its tangled web of streets, especially at the Old Quarter, where most of the city’s main attractions and tourists converge. Thus, it is advisable to pay a visit to its tourist information center (18 Ly Thuong Kiet St., Hoan Kiem District, 04/826-1627), where you can get valuable tourist information, as well as a street map.
CHECK IN: Get your bearings back at Hanoi’s hotels
You can arrange for a nice place to stay in during your 48 hour visit in Hanoi at one of its excellent hotels. One of the best in the city is the Hanoi Elegance 4 (3 Yen Thai street, Old Quarter of Hanoi | Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi 10000, +84 439380963, website). It has a convenient location right at the heart of the Old Quarter, excellent service, delicious breakfast, and modern rooms with flat-screen TVs and free internet.
Hanoi Elegance 4 (Photo from Google images)
A nice alternative is the Golden Sun Hotel 4 (10 Chan Cam street, Hanoi 1000, (0)4 3939 1411), which is at a convenient location near main attractions, and offers modern amenities, free internet, and a professional staff, all at reasonable prices. You can also try out the Hong Ngoc 5 Hotel (99 Ma May Street East Hanoi (Hoan Kiem / Hai Ba Trung), Hanoi, (0)4 3716 4143). It is a well-equipped hotel with spacious rooms, superb breakfast, and a welcoming staff.
TEMPLE OF LITERATURE: Visit a temple of education
Perhaps one of the most recognizable landmarks in Hanoi is the Temple of Literature (Pho Van Mieu, Hanoi, Vietnam, +84 4 824 3011), which is a Confucian temple dating back to 1070. It is better known as the building found at the back of the Vietnamese đồng banknote. The site also functioned as Vietnam’s first-ever university, and is noted for its stone steles perched atop stone tortoises where names of university laureates had been carved.
Temple of Literature (Photo by Anders Alexander)
You’ll also see 72 statues of Confucian scholars there, as well as a gift shop and a small museum containing pens, books, ink wells, and other artifacts once owned by the students who had studied at the site. The temple is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
ONE PILLAR PAGODA: Head to a Vietnamese icon
One of Vietnam’s most iconic sights is the One Pillar Pagoda (Pho Ong Ich Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam, +84 4 942 1061). It is a Buddhist temple built in 1028 by the then-childless Emperor Lý Thái Tông after he had a dream wherein the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara gave him a baby son seated on a lotus flower. Indeed, the temple is designed to appear as a lotus blossom, a symbol of Buddhist purity. It is made mostly out of wood, and is perched atop a single stone pillar with a diameter of 1.25 meters. The site is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
One Pillar Pagoda (Photo by thalling55)
HOA LO PRISON: Head to the “Hanoi Hilton”
Another noteworthy attraction for tourists in Hanoi is the Hoa Lo Prison (cnr Pho Hoa Lo &Pho Hi Ba Trung, French Quarter, 04/824-6358). It was a former prison used by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War, and was sarcastically dubbed as the “Hanoi Hilton”. However, it was first used by the French to detain Vietnamese dissidents during their rule over the country. Inside, you can see various exhibits about the inmates, with their stories told from the Vietnamese perspective.
The prison cell of Hao Lo Prison (Photo by Jacqui Goodwin)
Some of the most popular displays there are the flight suit and parachute that belonged to a famous prisoner, John McCain. You can also find a guillotine room, as well as the interrogation room where the inmates were questioned and tortured. The site is open during Tuesdays to Sundays from 8 am to 4:30 pm, and admission will cost you around VND5,000.
HOAN KIEM LAKE: Unwind, rewind
You can relax and unwind at the Hoan Kiem Lake (Pho Le Thai To, Hanoi, Vietnam, +84 4 942 1061), which is considered as one of Hanoi’s most scenic spots. It is located between French Quarter and the Old Quarter, and is often called the “Lake of the Restored Sword”. In the middle of the lake, you’ll find a shrine called the Turtle Pagoda with a golden turtle inside. It commemorates a legendary turtle who was believed to have returned a magical sword to the lake after the latter was stolen.
The Turtle Pagoda at Hoan Kiem Lake (Photo by Dennis Jarvis)
The lake is also home to the rare Rafetus swinhoei, a species of large, soft-shelled turtles. The area around the lake is a popular public area, and is a site for picnics, playing chess, tai chi, and socialization. Hoan Kiem Lake is open daily from dawn to dusk.
DINNER TIME: Discover Hanoi’s restaurants
You are guaranteed a delicious dinner at the restaurants available all over the city. One of the best in the city is the Au Lac House (13 Pho Tran Hung Dao, French Quarter, 84 4 933 3533). It is at a nice location in a spacious, colonial-style villa and serves excellent Vietnam dishes. A nice alternative is the Banh Cuon Gia Truyen (14 Pho Hang Ga, Old Quarter, 84 4 280 108), which is known for its tasty banh cuon (rice crepe with minced pork, ground shrimp, and mushrooms).
Have a taste of Italy in Hanoi at Al Fresco’s (23L Pho Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi Vietnam, 04 38267782, website). It offers an authentic Italian cuisine and Tex-Mex recipes, including pub grub food like burgers and wings. You can also try out Brother’s Café (26 Pho Nguyen Thai Hoc, Quân Ba Din, 84 4 733 3866, website), a restaurant set in the courtyard of a beautifully restored 250-year old Buddhist temple, and offers an affordable dinner buffet.
Next 24 Hours
A hill tribe house at Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (Photo by Cameo Kaisler)
You can discover Hanoi’s other tourist attractions during your next 24 hours in the city. One of the must-sees there is the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (Nguyen Van Huyen Road, Cau Giay Street, Hanoi, (+84-4) 37562193, website). It is a popular tourist attraction, and is one of the country’s finest modern museums. The area spans 3.27 acres, and the museum depicts the 57 ethnic groups of Vietnam. The site is open daily from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and admission will cost you VND25,000.
HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM: Pay your respects to the Vietnamese leader
One of the most revered destinations in Hanoi is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (5 Pho Ngoc Ha, Hanoi, +84 4 845 5128, website), which is a memorial to the famous Vietnamese leader. It is located at the site where Ho Chi Minh had read the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, and was built in 1975 in the image of Lenin’s Mausoleum in Moscow. However, it still uses distinct Vietnamese architectural styles.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Photo by Matthias Asal)
Inside, you’ll find the central hall which preserves the remains of the famous leader in a glass case with dim lights. It is flanked by a military honor guard, which enforces a strict rule on dressing and behavior. You can also take a leisurely stroll across the garden surrounding the mausoleum, which features over 250 different species of flora. The site is open during Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends from 8 am to 11 am.
NATIONAL MUSEUM: Learn more about Vietnamese history
Have a historical experience at the National Museum of Vietnamese History (1 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, 04/825-3518), a museum that relives the different periods of Vietnamese history. The building itself is an attraction, built using a fusion of the traditional Vietnamese style and French colonial style of architecture. Inside, you’ll find various prehistoric artifacts and historical relics such as carvings, funerary jars, Dong Son drums, Buddhist statues, and Han tombs, among others. The site is open daily from 8 am to 4:30 pm, and admission will cost you around VND8,000.
CAT BA ISLAND: Unwind at an island
You can have a nature adventure at the Cat Ba Island, which is the largest island at Hanoi’s Ha Long Bay. It covers an area of 140 square kilometers, and contains the Cat Ba World Biosphere Reserve (5, Chieu Hoa, Kien An, Hai Phong, (031)387 7298, website). It is home to unique flora and fauna, particularly the rare Cat Ba Langur. You’ll also see oriental giant squirrels and palm civets there, among others.
NIGHTLIFE: Enjoy Hanoi’s vibrant nightlife scene
Apocalypse Now (Photo by midorisyu)
At night you may proceed to Hanoi’s bars and clubs to have a taste of the city’s exciting nightlife. One of the most popular is Apocalypse Now (Star Bowl Centre, Pham Ngoc Thach, Dong Da, 84 4 971 2783). It is a night club that plays retro American rock and soul from the ’60s and ’70s, and is a nice place to dance the night away.
A nice alternative is Club 51 (51 Pho Ly Thai To, French Quarter, 84 4 936 3069), a live music venue where the country’s best cabaret singers showcase their talent, and is known for its excellent martinis. You can also try out Ho Guom Xanh (32 Pho Le Thai To, Hoan Kiem Lake, 84 4 828 8806). It is a bar offering the expensive Johnny Walker Black, and features go-go dancers for entertainment.
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