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Hanoi Culture & history

Our most recommended Hanoi Culture & history

From Hanoi: Tam Coc, Hoa Lu & Mua Caves Full-Day Trip

1. From Hanoi: Tam Coc, Hoa Lu & Mua Caves Full-Day Trip

Travel by air-conditioned bus from Hanoi to Tam Coc and ride a Sampan boat to impressive caves. Experience local life as you cycle through picturesque villages, explore ancient temples, and enjoy a Vietnamese lunch. Start your tour early with pickup at your hotel in Ha Noi Old Quarter. Hop into the luxury van to visit Hoa Lu, an ancient capital of Vietnam. Visit Dinh king Temple and Le king Temple from the 10th century, and hear about the heroic histories of the two Kings during the Chinese Wars. At midday, sit down for lunch with Vietnamese cuisine at a local restaurant. Continue to Tam Coc and take the sampan go (traditional river boat) along the Ngo Dong river to visit Tam Coc's three caves. Head back to Tam Coc wharf, take your bicycle, and cycle around traditional villages and Tam Coc town. Visit Mua cave, which attracts visitors with its many interesting stories. Climb 500 stone steps to see all the way to Tam Coc, and enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the countryside and Ngo Dong river. In the evening, return Ha Noi.

From Hanoi: Ninh Binh, Trang An, Bai Dinh, and Mua Cave Trip

2. From Hanoi: Ninh Binh, Trang An, Bai Dinh, and Mua Cave Trip

Uncover the cultural and natural heritage of the Ninh Binh province on a guided day trip from Hanoi. Pay a visit to the Bai Dinh Temple Complex, float through the tranquil rivers of Trang An, and climb to the top of Mua Caves for striking panoramic views of rocky hills. Get picked up from your hotel in Hanoi and depart toward Ninh Binh. Stop at Bai Dinh, the biggest complex of Buddhist temples in Vietnam, to gaze at the imposing pagoda. See 500 Arhat Statues made out of blue stones, a 36-ton bronze bell, and a 100-ton Buddha statue, rising up to 10 meters. Take a lunch break in a local restaurant, with a Vietnamese buffet of goat meat, fish, chicken, and fried rice, as well as vegetarian food options. Continue to the Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featured in the 2017 movie Kong: Skull Island. Hop on a wooden boat to navigate through its quiet rivers, discover mysterious caves, and admire towering limestone karsts covered with tropical plants. Finally, climb up 500 steps to the viewpoint of Mua Caves to marvel at panoramic views of Tam Coc before returning to Hanoi.

Full-Day Perfume Pagoda Private or Small-Group Tour

3. Full-Day Perfume Pagoda Private or Small-Group Tour

Embark on a full-day tour to visit Perfume Pagoda – a vast complex of Buddhist temples and shrines built into the limestone Huong Tich mountains. Glide along scenic waterways and walk up steep mountain paths as you encounter the area's centuries-old pagodas and temples. Around 8:30 AM, the guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter. After pickup, enjoy a scenic 2-hour drive to Perfume Pagoda. Upon arrival, hop aboard your 1-hour row boat trip on the Yen stream to Thien Tru harbor. Once you have arrived in Thien Tru, you will enjoy time for some trekking, visit the main cave where you’ll arrive at Huong Tich Cave on the top of the mountain. Then enjoy a 1-hour trekking back down or take optional cable car instead of trekking (optional). Next, enjoy lunch at the local restaurant at the bottom of the mountain. After lunchtime, you will see the Heaven Kitchen pagoda and learn about Buddhism ancient architectural at Le Dynasty. Re-board your boat and sit back and relax as you head back to the pier, enjoy 2-hour road trip back to Hanoi. Your tour ends with a drop-off at your hotel around 6:00 PM.

Hanoi: Hoa Lu, Trang An Caves, & Mua Cave Day Trip and Lunch

4. Hanoi: Hoa Lu, Trang An Caves, & Mua Cave Day Trip and Lunch

Travel in an air-conditioned van from Hanoi to Hoa Lu on this day trip to uncover the ancient temples of Dinh King and Le King. Savor local flavors with a buffet lunch and travel by boat on the Trang An river admire stunning natural scenery and visit the Trang An cave complex. Start your tour with hotel pickup in the early morning and depart for Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam. Visit the Dinh King Temple and Le King Temple from the 10th century, and hear about the heroic histories of these two Kings during the Chinese Wars. At around midday, sit down for a buffet lunch at a local restaurant, before you head to Trang An Wharf to take a boat trip along Trang An Stream. Visit Trang An cave complex, including Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, Nau Ruou, and marvel at the scenery of mountains and rivers.  Then, head back to Trang An wharf to board the luxury limousine, and visit Mua Cave. Climb 500 stone steps to see all the way to Tam Coc, and enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the countryside and Ngo Dong river. Finally, hop back onto the bus to return to Hanoi, arriving back in the early evening.

Hanoi: Culture and Sightseeing Tour in Vintage GAZ-69 Jeep

5. Hanoi: Culture and Sightseeing Tour in Vintage GAZ-69 Jeep

Tour Hanoi in a vintage GAZ-69, the classic Army jeep from the 50s and 60s during the Soviet Era. Go on a journey through the city’s many neighborhoods and get to know the Hanoi of the past and of today with a private or shared guide. Start off with pickup at your hotel or at a meeting point in Hanoi Old Quarter. Get a safety briefing from your guide before driving off on an adventure. Begin by diving straight into the labyrinth of backstreets and tiny alleyways to find out what everyday life in Hanoi is really like. Get an honest and authentic insight into the good, the bad, and the weird sides of the city. Next, drive past and visit the must-see sights, including Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the centuries-old Buddhist and Taoist temples of Tran Quoc, the Temple of Literature, the historical train-street, the enchanting French Quarter, the Old Quarter, the romantic West Lake and Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi Opera House and the famous Long Bien Bridge. On the final part of your Hanoi Jeep tour, escape the bustling city to the peaceful and alluring villages around West Lake and Truc Bach Lake. Experience first-hand how such contrasting lifestyles can co-exist between the city center and the outskirts. Find hidden tranquil spots beyond the thousands of skyscrapers. Along the way, stop at local restaurants, eateries and food stalls to savor the tastiest dishes Hanoi has to offer. Sample authentic dishes with secret recipes that have been passed down through generations.

Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Mua Cave, Tam Coc & Bich Dong Pagoda Tour

6. Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Mua Cave, Tam Coc & Bich Dong Pagoda Tour

You will be picked up from your hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Drive to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu and then continue on to visit the King Dinh Temple. Next up, discover Mua Cave Cave and enjoy a mountainous overview from the top. Savor a set lunch with Vietnamese cuisine at a bungalow beside Tam Coc river. After lunch, enjoy a Sampan boat trip through the three emerald water caves on the beautiful river and admire the countryside landscape. Cycle through the peaceful country roads to Bich Dong Pagoda and spend some time here before you return to Hanoi.

Hanoi: Morning or Afternoon City Highlights Tour

7. Hanoi: Morning or Afternoon City Highlights Tour

Explore Hanoi and see its highlights on a morning or afternoon city tour by van. See the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Complex, Tran Quoc Pagoda, and more. Begin your tour at the Hanoi Opera House in the French Quarter and wonder at one of the city's main architectural landmarks. Then head to the Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam built in the 10th century under the Ly Dynasty and greatly influenced by Confucianism. Make your way to the Ho Chi Minh Complex, an important place for the Vietnamese. The complex is a traffic-free area full of botanical gardens, monuments, memorials and pagodas. Stop outside Ba Dinh Square and take a look outside the mausoleum, then continue to explore the One Pillar Pagoda. Go to Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in Hanoi, before concluding your tour at St. Joseph's Cathedral to learn about religion in Vietnam. The church was one of the first structures built by the French colonial government in Indochina when it opened in December 1886.

Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Mua Cave, and Trang An Tour and Boat Ride

8. Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Mua Cave, and Trang An Tour and Boat Ride

Begin the tour with pickup from your hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Embark on a two-hour drive. Discover the Hoa Lu ancient capital and then visit King Dinh Temple and Le King temple. Then set off to Mua cave for hiking 500 steps. Climb to the top of the mountain and enjoy the mountain, river, and city views. Spend one hour there to enjoy the views and take photos. After that enjoy a buffet lunch at a local restaurant. The tour ends with a boat trip to Trang An for nearly 3 hours. Cruise through emerald water and beautiful caves. The tour concludes back in Hanoi.

Hanoi Food Tour with Train Street Visit

9. Hanoi Food Tour with Train Street Visit

Start your tour at the meeting point on No.47 Hàng Bông street, and head to a traditional restaurant specializing in entrees such as pillow cake, shrimp cake, Pho rolls, and spring rolls. Have a taste of some popular and classic Vietnamese dishes. Then head over to the nearby St. Joseph’s and stop for some pictures of the late colonial French architecture. Along the way make sure to stop at a local restaurant to try banh cuon (filled rice noodles) and watch as skilled chefs demonstrate how this tasty dish is created. Next, enjoy pho (noodle soup), which is Vietnam’s most famous dish. Try both the beef and chicken versions. Definitely don't miss out on a Vietnamese traditional dessert called chè. There are both hot and cold versions for each season. After several dishes, you will be full and satisfied. Catch a taxi and go straight to the train street. Although train schedules show them to come daily, sometimes they do and sometimes not, so if you're lucky, you may catch one and experience the huge train passing right in front of your face. While here, enjoy egg coffees at a nice shop trackside and experience the unique ambiance. When you’re done with the drinks, hop in a taxi again to go back to the meeting point where the tour ends. For the disabled and those who simply have sore feet, select the cyclo option where you can sit back and enjoy the tour in quiet comfort.

From Hanoi: Bai Dinh, Trang An, and Mua Cave Full-Day Tour

10. From Hanoi: Bai Dinh, Trang An, and Mua Cave Full-Day Tour

You will be picked up from your hotel in Hanoi between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM and drive by bus to Bai Dinh Pagoda, the biggest pagoda in Vietnam. Explore this beautiful Buddhist place of worship, with 500 La Han statues and the largest bronze Buddha statue in Vietnam, 10 meters tall. Enjoy some free time with your guide to visit the pagoda and learn more about Buddhism.   Enjoy a lunch of Vietnamese cuisine after you've seen the pagoda. Then hop back on the bus and continue to Trang An wharf. From here, take a boat trip to visit Trang An cave complex. After the boat trip, you'll take a bike to visit traditional villages around the Trang An area.   The tour continues to Mua Cave. Listen to interesting stories about this place from your guide. After climbing 500 stone steps, you'll be able to see all the way to Tam Coc. Enjoy the stunning panoramic view of the countryside and Ngo Dong river. At the end of the day you'll get back on the bus and drive back to Hanoi, where you'll be dropped off back at your hotel in the Old Quarter.

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Frequently asked questions about Hanoi

What are the best day trips and excursions from Hanoi?

The best day trips and excursions from Hanoi are:

Ha Long Bay

Other Sightseeing Options in Hanoi

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What people are saying about Hanoi

Overall rating

4.4 / 5

based on 2,246 reviews

Petal, our tour guide was very informative and comical regarding Hanoi's snd Vietnams' history. Spoke decent enough English to be understood. The tour is in part very active but you have options to sit out, so don't take if you have mobility issues. Overall, a nice experience

It was a great trip with our tour guide Tommy and driver Mr Chuang who did their best to make our journey unforgettable. Everything was great starting from hike finishing with boat trip

Thong, our guide, was excellent. His English is good and he was very informative. I enjoyed the tour, especially the bike ride and boat tour. I would do this again.

We had a very good experience with this Food Tour. James has been really kind and nice. I recommend this activity, it really worths.

Really great day with beautiful temples and landscapes and, with the boat ride being the highlight.