Full day (8hrs) Hanoi city tour with Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh House, Sword Lake, Old Quarter, Temple of Literature and Water Puppet Show. 

Your day begins as you meet your local guide and driver at your hotel, setting out for a comprehensive full-day sightseeing tour of Hanoi, featuring the city’s most significant attractions.

The tour begins at Ba Dinh Square, a site of profound historical importance where Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam’s independence after centuries of monarchy. The area surrounding Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, located at the rear of the square, provides excellent photo opportunities. Following this, take a leisurely stroll through the adjacent Presidential Palace gardens, where you’ll encounter picturesque scenes, including a large fish pond, the wooden house-on-stilts where Ho Chi Minh spent his final years, and the concrete house where he passed away.

As you exit the palace grounds, be sure to visit the iconic One-Pillar Pagoda, which is modeled after Guanyin, the Chinese goddess of mercy and compassion.

Next, a short drive brings you to Quan Thanh Temple, a traditional Taoist temple dedicated to Hanoi’s divine protector, Huyen Thien Tran Vu. The temple houses an imposing 4-meter-tall bronze statue of Huyen Thien Tran Vu, weighing an impressive 4 tons. This statue, renowned for its intricate craftsmanship dating back to the 17th century, is officially recognized as a national treasure.

As you continue along the lakeside, you will pass the John McCain Memorial, which honors the former U.S. Senator and Navy pilot who was famously shot down in Hanoi during the Vietnam War in 1967.

After lunch, the tour continues with a visit to the Temple of Literature, home to the Noble Academy. This site showcases beautifully restored architecture that preserves the history of Vietnam’s imperial education system. A highlight of the complex is the collection of stone stelae, which bear the names of successful mandarin scholars from centuries past.

The tour proceeds to the renowned Sword Lake, where you’ll visit Ngoc Son Temple, located on a small island within the lake. The temple, accessible by the striking red The Huc Bridge, was built to honor the military leader Tran Hung Dao.

Next, explore the bustling Old Quarter nearby, where you can immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of shophouses, food stalls, and lively pubs.

The day concludes with a visit to a water puppet theater in the late afternoon, where you’ll enjoy a captivating performance of this ancient and uniquely Vietnamese art form, which has been performed since the 11th century.