My list of saved places in Hanoi had Văn Miếu, Train Street, vintage stores and a spa, but not a single museum. So I added the opera house, two museums and the Craft Link shop, all recommended by 34travel's Hanoi guide. That guide is from 2017, so I checked every place on Google: still open, rated 4.2 or higher. Later I added two places every guidebook lists: Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and Hỏa Lò prison. I have no notes of my own on these, so the descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews.
Prices are Google's average spend per person; prices of single dishes and tickets come from reviews. Valid as of 7 October 2026. Rate: 100,000 ₫ ≈ $3.85.
In short
- Quiet in the middle of the city: Văn Miếu, the Temple of Confucius and the country's first university, with its stone turtles and stelae.
- A train a metre from your table: Train Street; the southern stretch on Khâm Thiên is calmer.
- Museums: the Vietnamese Women's Museum with its audio guide, and the Museum of Ethnology with full-size traditional houses in its park — closed on Mondays.
- 20th-century history: Hỏa Lò prison and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, which opens only in the morning and is closed on Mondays and Fridays.
- Gifts and vintage: Craft Link by Văn Miếu, The Twenty Seven Klub and FRESH by Mountain.
- Time out: massage and skin care at Sorella Beauty Spa near Cửa Nam.
What to see
Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám (Temple of Literature)
Văn Miếu · Confucian temple and first university · daily 8:00–17:00
Google Maps · website · 58 Quốc Tử Giám
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 25,600+): a Confucian temple and the country's first university, with well-kept courtyards and gardens where noisy Hanoi suddenly goes quiet. What people remember most are the stone turtles carrying steles engraved with the names of scholars who passed the imperial exams centuries ago. Tickets are cheap but cash only, and dress modestly. It gets hot and crowded in the middle of the day; several reviewers suggest coming around 15:00. There are sometimes evening programmes with a light show, sold in advance.
Hanoi Train Street
Phố Cổ and around · a railway through residential streets
Google Maps · Ngõ 224 Lê Duẩn
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 5,400+): the street where the train passes half a metre from cafés set up right along the tracks. You usually get to the tracks through one of the cafés: sit down, order a coffee or a smoothie and wait for the train. It's very touristy, with plenty of touts and vendors, but almost everyone agrees it's one of the most unusual things they did on the trip. Hold on to children when the train comes.
Hanoi Train Street (South)
Khâm Thiên · the quiet end of Train Street · open 24 hours
Google Maps · P. Khâm Thiên
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 50+): the southern stretch of the same railway. There are plenty of cafés along the tracks here too, but far fewer people than at the northern end, and getting a table is easy. The train times are chalked up on boards outside the cafés and are more reliable than the ones online. Most people stay just until the train goes by, then leave.
Hanoi Opera House
French Quarter · opera house from 1911 · daily 7:00–17:00
Google Maps · 1 Tràng Tiền
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 22,400+): a smaller, tropical take on the Paris Opéra from the French colonial era, with columns, symmetry and scooters buzzing around it. Most visitors only see it from outside, and it looks best lit up at night. You can go in on a tour or for a performance; some note the hall itself is due for renovation.
Vietnamese Women's Museum
Cửa Nam · museum · daily 8:00–17:00
Google Maps · website · 36 Lý Thường Kiệt
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 6,700+): a modern museum about the lives of Vietnamese women: family, traditional work, mother goddess worship, women's roles in the wars of independence and a huge collection of regional costumes. The audio guide gets good marks; allow about two hours. Admission is cash only. It's close to Hoàn Kiếm.
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Nghĩa Đô · ethnographic museum · Tue–Sun 8:30–17:30, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Đ. Nguyễn Văn Huyên
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 15,600+): a large museum about the peoples of Vietnam: two buildings of clothing, household objects and models, a hall on Southeast Asia and, best of all, an open-air park with full-size traditional houses. Entry is 40,000 ₫ (≈$1.50). It's a long way from the centre and takes three to four hours, so plan half a day.
Hoa Lo Prison Relic
Cửa Nam · prison museum · daily 8:00–17:00
Google Maps · website · 1 P. Hoả Lò
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 23,600+): part of the French Maison Centrale prison survives as a museum covering two eras: the struggle against colonial rule, and the American war, when captured US pilots (John McCain among them) were held here and nicknamed it the Hanoi Hilton. Labels are in Vietnamese, English and French, the audio guide is 100,000 ₫ (≈$4), and a visit takes about an hour and a half. Tickets are cheap and children go free. Some miss original artefacts: it's heavy on photos and posters.
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum
Ba Đình · mausoleum · Tue–Thu, Sat–Sun 7:30–10:30, closed Mon and Fri
Google Maps · website · 1 Hùng Vương
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 21,300+): the granite mausoleum, built in 1973–1975, where Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body lies. Entry is free but through a security check; the same grounds hold a museum, the house he lived in, his cars and a pond. The dress code is strict: shoulders and knees covered, no shorts; no photos or talking inside. The queue forms before opening, especially at weekends and when school groups come, but it moves fast, and the whole visit takes about an hour. Hours change with the seasons, so check before you go.
Shopping and spa
The Twenty Seven Klub
Phố Cổ · vintage · daily 10:00–22:00
Google Maps · Instagram · 34 P. Đào Duy Từ
According to Google Maps reviews (4.9 from 900+): a well-curated vintage store: jeans, cargos, piles of caps, branded pieces from Carhartt, Levi's and Tommy Hilfiger, and upcycled patchwork by a local artist on the second floor. Prices are above market level (a Carhartt jacket is about 1,000,000 ₫, ≈$39), and some items show visible wear.
FRESH by Mountain
Tây Hồ · vintage · daily 10:00–21:00
Google Maps · Facebook · 168 P. Yên Phụ
According to Google Maps reviews (5.0 from 310+): a small vintage store full of Americana (caps, sunglasses, berets, grunge leather jackets) at reasonable prices. Friendly staff, and cards are accepted with no surcharge. The map pin may be off: look for it near the burger place.
Craft Link
Văn Miếu · ethnic crafts · daily 9:00–18:00
Google Maps · website · 51 P. Văn Miếu
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 160+): a non-profit store selling crafts by ethnic minority and village artisans, with lacquerware on the ground floor and textiles, scarves and silk upstairs. Pricier than the Sapa-style souvenir stalls, but the quality is good, you know where things come from and nobody pressures you. It's next to Văn Miếu, so easy to combine.
Sorella Beauty Spa
Cửa Nam · spa and skin care · daily 9:00–20:00
Google Maps · website · 4 P. Huế, 3rd floor
According to Google Maps reviews (4.9 from 1,300+): a spa and skin clinic praised both by travellers and by expats who have lived in Hanoi for years. Herbal foot massage, back, head and shoulder massage, and facials with a proper skin scan; the staff speak English and don't upsell. Not a luxury spa, but clean, cosy and inexpensive.
One last thing
Carry cash: museums, temples and many small places don't take cards. And the Museum of Ethnology is a long way from Phố Cổ, in Nghĩa Đô — give it half a day and a taxi.
More on Hanoi: where to eat, coffee, bars