18 of the best · Hanoi, Vietnam
The national museums of fine arts, ethnology and history, the Women’s Museum, the water puppets by the lake, ca trù and the craft villages of Bát Tràng and Vạn Phúc.
Our 18 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
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Three Hanoi moments we keep going back to: the Temple of Literature at eight in the morning, a bowl of phở on Bát Đàn, and a drink in the Metropole’s Bamboo Bar at dusk.
Lacquer and silk
The national collection of Vietnamese art, from early sculpture to the lacquer and silk paintings of the 20th century, opposite the Temple of Literature.
Houses in the garden
The peoples of Vietnam, their dress, crafts and beliefs, with full-size traditional houses in the garden.
Nguyễn Văn Huyên, Nghĩa Đô, HanoiExplore View on map
An art born in the paddy fields
Water puppetry, the art of the Red River delta’s villages, with live traditional music, by the lake.
Lacquer, silk, water puppets and the craft villages.
The back story
The national collections of fine art and ethnology, the Women’s Museum, the lacquer and silk paintings of the 20th century, the water puppets, ca trù and the craft villages beyond the city.
Visual arts
The national collections, from lacquer painting to the peoples of Vietnam.
From the Bronze Age
Vietnam’s history from prehistory and the Đông Sơn bronze drums onwards, in a French-era building.
Houses in the garden
The peoples of Vietnam, their dress, crafts and beliefs, with full-size traditional houses in the garden.
Nguyễn Văn Huyên, Nghĩa Đô, HanoiExplore View on map
Lacquer and silk
The national collection of Vietnamese art, from early sculpture to the lacquer and silk paintings of the 20th century, opposite the Temple of Literature.
Lives and crafts
Women’s lives in Vietnam, from marriage and family to dress and trade, on Lý Thường Kiệt.
36 Lý Thường Kiệt, Cửa Nam Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
The city’s artist-run scene.
A thousand years of building: the citadel, the Temple of Literature, the cathedral and the Opera House.
Neo-Gothic towers
Twin grey neo-Gothic towers over a small square, with cafés all round.
Closed for restoration
The cream-and-white opera house at the end of Tràng Tiền, closed for a long restoration since January 2026: admire it from the square.
1 Tràng Tiền, Cửa Nam Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
UNESCO, 2010
Thirteen centuries of the city’s seat of power: the Đoan Môn gate, the dragon steps of the Kính Thiên palace and the excavated layers on Hoàng Diệu.
19C Hoàng Diệu, Ba Đình, HanoiExplore View on map
Hanoi’s first university
Five courtyards of lawns, ponds and gateways, the Khuê Văn Các pavilion and the stone stelae of the doctors, carried on the backs of tortoises.
58 Quốc Tử Giám, Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám Ward, HanoiExplore View on map
Performing arts
Ca trù, the old sung poetry of the north, and live jazz on Tràng Tiền.
Live jazz nightly
Live jazz beside the Opera House,.
1A Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, HanoiExplore View on map
UNESCO, 2009
The sung poetry of northern Vietnam, a woman’s voice with lute and clappers, on UNESCO’s urgent-safeguarding list.
An art of the Red River delta’s villages, on a pool stage by the lake.
An art born in the paddy fields
Water puppetry, the art of the Red River delta’s villages, with live traditional music, by the lake.
Folk & cultural traditions
Ceramics, silk and embroidery, from the villages and the Old Quarter.
Ceramics and silk
Ceramics at Bát Tràng across the Red River, and silk at Vạn Phúc in Hà Đông.
Ceramics from the kilns
The ceramics market of Bát Tràng village, across the Red River, for bowls, vases and tea sets.
A house of curios
A shop of Vietnamese design, crafts and curios on Nhà Chung, by the cathedral.
12 Nhà Chung, Hoàn Kiếm, HanoiExplore View on map
Hand embroidery
Hand-embroidered linens, clothes and gifts on Hàng Gai, from a family of embroiderers.
61 Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, HanoiExplore View on map
Tết and the Mid-Autumn lanterns of Hàng Mã.
Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn
Peach blossom and kumquat trees for Tết, and the lantern stalls of Hàng Mã for the Mid-Autumn festival.
