Hanoi capital has been characterized by its typical gorgeous color and ancient beauty, what do you do when travelling Vietnam capital? In this article, we highly suggest 5 initial things you should do when travelling this ancient city.

1. Wander around Hoan Kiem Lake – the pride of Hanoians

Inside a modern and dynamic life, there appears an antique lake- Hoan Kiem Lake.

Hoan Kiem lake

Hoan Kiem Lake lies in the very central of Hanoi. For the past hundred years, the Lake has served as a place of worship and a cradle for legends. Once you wander around Hoan Kiem Lake, you will find Hanoi at its most charming, and get a peaceful paranormal view about daily life of the locals.

2. Hotfoot to Old Quarter sight

Hanoi’s Old Quarter is the oldest continuously developed area of Vietnam; this place has history spanning over 2000 years and represents the soul of the city. If you are religious heritage lover, this place is definitely for you. Old Quarter is rich in pagodas, temples and communal houses

Old Quarter

The Old Quarter is formed from more than 36 different street, each street represents a typical concept, for example, Hang Gai street offers silk clothing handmade and tailored, embroidery, and silver product; Hang Quat sells silk and feather fans; Hang Ma glimmers with shiny paper products, such as gift wrappings, wedding decorations and miniature paper objects to burn for the dead. Lan Ong Street is a sensual delight of textures and smells emanating from the sacks of herbal.

3.  Catch a Water Puppet Show

Water Puppet Shown is a traditional and unique art of Vietnamese, originated in nearly 1000 years ago. If you want to learn more about historical culture of Vietnam, Water Puppet Show is worth a try. Most shows feature a famous Legend of Vietnam, for example, the Legend of Restored Sword of King Le which tells the tale of Hoan Kiem Lake and the giant tortoise.

Water Puppet Show

Vietnamese Water Puppet is available on showing in Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. This place is located in North east of Hoan Kiem Lake, at 57b Dinh Tien Hoang Street.

4. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

If you have chance to travel around Hanoi capital, make sure that you do not miss the last resting place of President Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a symbol of gratitude and respect of Vietnamese people for the former president Ho Chi Minh. This place is located in the centre of Ba Dinh Squater.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

The embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh is preserved in the cooled, central hole of the mausoleum, which is protected by a military honor guard. The body lies in a glass case with dim lights. Come here, you can have the good chance of express your respect to President Ho Chi Minh.

5. Try local foods

Hanoi is greatly admired for its plentiful street foods, which is considered the crucial part forming the typical image of this capital.

People did not overstate when said that Hanoi is the paradise of street food with more than hundreds of vendors. You cannot visiting Hanoi without this exploring paradise, which make your travel becomes nonsense! The top list foods you should try are:

Phở Bò (Beef Noodle)

Pho bo

Address: Mai Anh Street, Ly Quoc Su Street, Đinh Liệt Street

 Cơm Tấm (Broken Rice)

Broken Rice

 Address: 304 Kim Nguu Street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi

 Xôi Yến (Sticky Rice)

Sticky Rice

Address: 35b Nguyen Huu Huan Street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi

Bun Cha

Bun cha

Address: 23 Nguyen Bieu Street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi

Banh Xeo

Banh xeo

Address: 32 Tran Dang Ninh Street, Cau Giay district, Hanoi