Hanoi: top things to do, hidden gems and key tips

Give Hanoi two full days and stay in or beside the Old Quarter, where Hoan Kiem Lake, the street food and the water puppets are all within walking distance. Book the Mausoleum around its annual maintenance closure, and treat Train Street as a gamble.

How long have you got?

• One day: Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, Temple of Literature, then water puppets in the evening.
• Two days: add Hoa Lo Prison, the Mausoleum area (if it is open) and Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake.
• Three days: add the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and a walk on Long Bien Bridge.

When are you going?

• December to February: cold snaps are real. Hanoi fell to about 9°C in January 2026.1Dan Tri, January 2026 (opens in a new tab)dtinews.dantri.com.vn Pack a warm layer.
• Early February (Tet): the 2027 public-sector break runs 4 to 10 February, with Tet on 6 February.2VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net Expect closures and a pedestrian-street shutdown; Hanoi has closed the pedestrian streets over Tet before.3QDND (opens in a new tab)en.qdnd.vn
• Late May to September: lotus season at West Lake, with June the peak.4VietnamPlus (opens in a new tab)happyvietnam.vnanet.vn
• Early September to early November: the Mausoleum closes every year for maintenance. In 2026 it closed from 4 September to 2 November and reopens on 3 November.5Tuoi Tre (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn

Top things to do

• Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake: the streets around the lake become a walking street every weekend, from 19:00 on Friday to midnight on Sunday.Tip Holidays can change the hours, so check before you plan around it.6VnExpress, August 2023 (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• Temple of Literature: 70,000 VND, 08:00 to 17:00 daily, and 18:30 to 22:00 on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for the night programme (priced separately). Children under 16 are free.Tip Go at 08:00 for the quietest courtyards.7Temple of Literature (opens in a new tab)vanmieu.gov.vn
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: free. After reopening on 3 November 2026 it is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, from 08:00 to 11:00 (to 11:30 on Saturdays) until 31 March, then 07:30 to 10:30 from 1 April.Tip It is closed Monday and Friday, apart from special openings on 19 May, 2 September and the first day of Tet.8Tuoi Tre (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn
• Hoa Lo Prison: a French-built prison dating to 1896. 50,000 VND, 08:00 to 17:00 daily.Tip Children under 16 are free, and students with ID pay half.9Vietjet (opens in a new tab)vietjetair.com
• Vietnam Museum of Ethnology: 40,000 VND for adults, 08:30 to 17:30, closed Monday and over Tet.Tip Students pay 20,000 VND.10Museum of Ethnology (opens in a new tab)vme-en.vass.gov.vn
• Water puppets, Thang Long theatre: 57b Dinh Tien Hoang, 300 seats, shows of about 50 minutes in Vietnamese.Tip The 7-language audio guide is not included in the ticket price; book on the theatre’s site (opens in a new tab).
• Long Bien Bridge: built 1899 to 1902 and opened in 1903; trains, mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians use it.Tip Walk it rather than ride, as motor traffic is diverted to other bridges.11Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)en.wikipedia.org
• West Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda: a pagoda of the sixth century on a small islet, joined to the shore by a causeway.Tip Worshippers visit at any time, and it is busiest in the first lunar month.12Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)en.wikipedia.org

Hidden gems

• Night at the Temple of Literature: the evening programme on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday runs until 22:00.13Temple of Literature (opens in a new tab)vanmieu.gov.vn
• Long Bien Bridge on foot: a 1903 bridge still carrying trains, with bicycles and pedestrians.14Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)en.wikipedia.org

Getting there and around

• Around the centre: the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the theatre and the Temple of Literature are all reachable on foot or by short Grab rides from the lake. Hoa Lo Prison and Long Bien Bridge are the other close ones.
• Train Street (Kham Thien and Phung Hung): police cleared the cafes in November 2025 and they reopened within two days.15Tuoi Tre, November 2025 (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn In March 2026 the Ministry of Construction agreed to end freight trains through the city centre and cut passenger trains, with the work due by July 2026; once complete, no passenger trains pass the street.16VnExpress, March 2026 (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net Go only if you can accept being turned away.

If it doesn’t go to plan

• Mausoleum shut? It is closed Monday and Friday, and until 2 November 2026. Spend the morning at the Temple of Literature instead.
• Train Street cleared? Walk Long Bien Bridge, which carries trains and is open to pedestrians.
• Museum of Ethnology closed? It shuts on Mondays; Hoa Lo Prison is open every day.
• Water puppets sold out? The theatre shows several times a day, every day of the year.17Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (opens in a new tab)nhahatmuaroithanglong.vn