How to well spend 4 days in Hanoi (Xin Chao)

We had a long weekend to spend, and decided to go for Vietnam visit. 

Vietnam is a big country and not possible to cover in 4 to 5 days. So, we decided to go to Hanoi only with 4 nights and 5 days plan. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. Hanoi is known for its centuries-old architecture and a rich culture with mixture of Southeast Asian, Chinese and French. 

We decided to catch a morning flight from Singapore so that, we have the 2nd half of the first day available for sightseeing. And Old Quarter is the area we narrowed down to book our hotel. From Old Quarter area one can have ample of eating places and tourist attractions which can be covered by walk. It has narrow streets and everything is nearby. 

Day 1: Things we covered by walking.  

This is the route we took (all by walk). Started from the Hotel, kept walking to Flag Tower, followed by Temple of Literature, Train Street, Cathedral Church, Horn Kiem Lake. 

Map with key destinations in Old quarter area. 

This was a good late afternoon walk enjoying local road side markets and traffic. Is is advisable to wear a mask to protect from dust and vehicle emits. 

Flag Tower

Temple of Literature

The temple (learning place) was built in 1070 and exists now for nearly two centuries. They are preserved  despite wars and disasters and showcase the ancient architectural styles of many dynasties.

There are five courtyards built for different learning purposes, the background details mentioned in the walls and posters in each of the courtyards. 

St Joseph's Cathedral Church

The oldest church in Hanoi, built in 19th Century with an architectural style resembling the Norte Dame de Paris.The is the first structures built by the French colonial government in Vietnam.

The interior of the church is as impressive as the exterior. 

Train Street

This is one of the unique street where train goes so close to the surrounding houses (converted to commercial establishments like restaurants and coffee shops). Basically, the restaurants operating on the train track has to move away when the train comes on the track. 

The access to train street has been blocked by local authority due to safety reasons.  

Hoan Kiem Lake

This is also known as Sword Lake, is a fresh water lake is historical center of Hanoi. There is a temple on the lake and the entire place get lighted in the evening.

Water Puppet Show

This theatre is just next to the lake and is absolutely amazing musical show. Through puppet show, Vietnam history is being told, about common man, about their culture. One stuck to our mind was, how an emperor was once given a magical sword which helped him defeat the Chinese Ming Dynasty return the sword to the Golden Turtle God so that peace could prevails. 

Night Market

Lively areas, shops come onto the middle of road, that attract both locals and foreign visitors to come and enjoy Vietnamese street food and get some bargain items. This is 100 meters walk from the Hoan Kiem Lake. 

Day 2: Full Day Excursion 

It was time to travel on road and joined with day long excursion with a group. 2 hrs road drive towards south of Hanoi to cover these three. Bai Dinh Pagoda, Mua Cave and Trang Ann.  

Bai Dinh Pagoda

This is on eo the largest pagoda in the world. It houses the largest gilded bronze Buddha of Asia, the largest bronze Maitreya Buddha statue in Southeast Asia and the largest bronze bell in Vietnam. and the tallest stupa in Asia.

Trang Ann

The Trang Ann landscape is very complex and spectacular landscape.Limestone  mountain peaks permeated with valleys, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs. Archaeological traces of human activity are discovered from caves illustrating how human being had interacted with nature. These beautiful landscapes were uses in King Kong movies also.

Mua Caves

Mua Caves is the name for the two famous viewpoints in Ninh Binh, the dragon, and the pagoda. This is 88 meters high viewpoint and provides one of the best 360 panoramic view of Ninh Binh area.

Day 3 and 4: Cruise on Halong Bay

Ha Long Bay is east of Hanoi, 3 hrs by read. Best way to book a cruise (1 night) to cover the space. It is known for its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands topped by rainforests. The region is popular for scuba diving, rock climbing and hiking. We had booked a 1N-2D cruise which boards at 12 Noon and bring you back to the shore next day 10 AM.

Cultured Pear Farm

Visited a peal cultured center to understand the farming process. Cultured pearls are produced by performing a surgical procedure called "grafting", implanting an artificial nucleus (shell bead) into the tissue of a pearl oyster. The oyster then secretes nacre around the nucleus. This process takes several years (3 to 6 hrs).

Sung Sot Cave

Sung Sot Cave is one of the biggest and most beautiful caves in Halong Bay. We didn't miss to visit that as well.

And it was a well spent long weekend in Hanoi. 

Thank You (Cam On).