Wellcome To Ha Noi

Hanoi is the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the center of culture, politics, economy and trade of the whole country.

Hanoi hosts more cultural sites than any city in Vietnam, including the Old Quarter and over 600 pagodas and temples....Historians liken the life-giving Red River with its banks crowded with green rice paddies and farms to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; a cradle of civilization. The city boasts more than 1,000 years of history, and that of the past few hundred years has been well preserved.

Under French rule, as an administrative centre for the French colony of Indochina, the French colonial architecture style became donminant, many examples remain today: the tree-lined boulevards (e.g Phan Dinh Phung street), The Grand Opera House, The State Bank of Vietnam (formerly The Bank of Indochina), The Presidential Palace (formerly Place of The Governor-General of French Indochina), The cathédrale St-Joseph, Hanoi University (formerly University of Indochina), historic hotel Sofitel Metropole...

Hanoi also characteristically contains 18 beautiful lakes such as Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, and Truc Bach Lake..., which are the lungs of the city, with their surrounding gardens and trees providing a vital source of energy.

Many traditional handicrafts are also practiced in Hanoi including bronze molding, silver carving, lacquer, and embroidery. Hanoi has many famous traditional professional handicraft villages such as Bat Trang pottery village, Ngu Xa bronze casting village, Yen Thai glossy silk...

Some others prominent places are: The Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu), site of the oldest university in Vietnam; One Pillar Pagoda (Chùa Một Cột); Flag Tower of Hanoi (Cột cờ Hà Nội); The Old Quarter and Hoàn Kiếm lake.

The Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem lake, has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. At the beginning of the 20th century the city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now part of the old quarter. Each street then comprised of merchants and households specialized in a particular trade, such as silk traders, jewelery, etc. The street names nowadays still reflect these specializations, although few of them remain exclusively in their original commerce. The area is famous for its small artisans and merchants, including many silk shops. Local cuisine specialties as well as several clubs and bars can be found here also. A night market (near Đồng Xuân market) in the heart of the district opens for business every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening with a variety of clothing, souvenirs and food.

Hanoi is also home to a number of museums; including The Vietnamese National History Museum, The National Museum of Ethnology, The National Museum of Fine Arts and The Revolution Museum.

Highlights of Hanoi:

• Ho Chi Minh Complex: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, The Presidential Palace, One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Museum, House on stilt, fish pond..
• Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
• West Lake, Truc Bach Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda
• Grand Opera House
• Old Quarter and Dong Xuan Market
• The Temple of Literature
• Army Museum and Flag Tower of Hanoi
• Bat Trang pottery village
• The Vietnamese National History Museum
• The National Museum of Ethnology
• The National Museum of Fine Arts
• The Revolution Museum.
• Hoa Lo Prison
• Water Puppet Show

GO TO HOME