Hanoi Things to Do

If you are not after ticking all the Hanoi attractions like Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum or if you just get tired of sightseeing proper, there's tons to do in Hanoi, from guided walks and cookery classes to cultural performances.

Hoan Kiem Lake

Although fairly small compared to West Lake, you can walk around it in around 30 minutes, you'll find yourself returning to this peaceful haven over and over again. It's easy to see why the locals love it here. They can be found exercising, relaxing and socialising here, especially at evenings or weekends. Why not join in with Tai Chi at around 6am to get your day off to a relaxing start?

Turtle Tower can be seen in the middle of the lake and is at its best when lit up at night. In the day you can wander across the striking red bridge to Den Ngoc Son temple (7am–5pm; VND15,000).

Water puppet shows

Well, you may not find this one the most exciting activity, but we really enjoyed the water puppet theatre. It is different from other puppet theatres you may have visited in your life and it is fun – not to mention that if you travel with kids, it is a must-see. Anyway, it's well worth making time for this North Vietnamese art form. It's over 1,000 years old so they've had plenty of time to perfect it!

Performances depict folk tales, legends and historical events, all set to live music, it's very authentic and unique to the region. The Thang Long troupe are the most famous and give performances daily at the Kim Dong Theatre opposite Hoan Kiem Lake lasting about an hour for VND100,000.

Walking tours

There are a number of tour operators offering a range of walking city tours, Hidden Hanoi tours being one of the most popular with its two-hour USD25 tour. You can follow their itinerary all by yourself – start with the Old Quarter and get lost in its warren-like narrow streets hiding behind the fascinating history of this area or head to the French Quarter to discover its French-inspired architecture and feel the colonial-era flavour in the air.

Bike and scooter tours

If you've had enough walking and dodging motorbikes, it's also possible to do tours of the city by bike or scooter. Hanoi Biking Travel are one of the most prestigious cycling tour operators in the city. Although anyone expecting a leisurely ride through the city's streets should be warned that this experience will be a little more hair-raising than that.

The city tour takes in the Ho Chi Minh complex, West Lake, the Old Quarter and Dong Xuan Market between 7am and 2pm and costs USD35 including lunch and a guide.

Street food tours

Oh, these ones are not to miss if you got your fix on local spring rolls, baguette sandwiches, bun cha and the like. There are a lot of excellent street food tours where you can see the food being prepared and most importantly taste it when it's at its freshest! You can choose between breakfast, lunch or dinner tours, with the day tours including a market trip where you'll be amazed at what's on offer. All the food is included in the ticket price. Shop around to find the best offer.

Hanoi Street Food also organise tours of the best food spots around the city, either by scooter or walking. These tours typically last 3–5 hours from USD20. You’ll be led to hidden restaurants where you may just find your new favourite meal, stopping around 10 times so you're sure to be stuffed by the end of it. It's worth telling your guide what you’ve already tried so they can make sure you sample some new dishes – just in case you've had your fill of pho.

Cooking classes

After sampling some of the best food you've ever tasted, you should have a go at making it as well. Hanoi Street Food also run a three-hour cooking class combined with a market visit for USD35.

You can try making Vietnamese spring rolls, bun cha, papaya salad and egg coffee.

Markets

Colourful bustling markets in Hanoi is where the soul of the city celebrates itself. Dong Xuan market is the largest indoor market open from 6am till 7pm and specialising in all manner of wholesale goods. If you want to brush up on your haggling skills then this is the place to come and watch how the experts do it!

Hanoi’s most popular market is the night market which opens at 7pm over the weekend between Hang Guay and Hang Dao in the centre of the Old Quarter. The market is closed to cars so you'll join the locals in wandering along the stores browsing what's on offer. It's particularly good for souvenirs and snacks!

For something a bit different, try the Quang Ba flower market near West Lake, although starting at 2am it's one for early risers! If you do make it there you'll be rewarded by stunning displays.

Bell shows

The Golden Bell Show is a great alternative to the water puppet theatre, the performances are broken down into around 10 short sections of dance, singing and drama, handily translated into English so you have some idea of what's happening! You can tell the performers are all having fun and at the end the audience get invited on stage for photos at to take part in a final dance.

There's one performance a week at 8pm on Saturday, lasting for around one hour and costs VND120,000.

Massage and spa

After you've rushed around the hectic streets, make sure you save enough time to treat yourself to a traditional Vietnamese massage. Like many Asian cities, there's a huge range in price and quality but here it's often worth forking out a little bit extra. Hanoi Ciel Spa offer one of the best massages in the city, starting at around VND300,000 whilst Omamori Spa offer cheaper massages from VND190,000 per hour employing visually impaired masseuses.