Hanoi City Private Tour Half Day (explore hidden corners)

1. A good chance to admire Hanoi Old Quarter of long history of 2000 years history.
2. Pass by French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and traditional pagodas and temples that date back hundreds of years.
3. Private Hanoi city sightseeing tour, led by an experienced tour guide
4. Flexible to choose a morning or afternoon itinerary (If you choose afternoon tour, you must skip Ho Chi Minh Complex, One Pillar Pagoda. However, we will add Dong Xuan market instead).
5. With your limited time, you can explore all hidden things; all hidden corners of beautiful Hanoi.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

8:00 Tour guide and car from Paradise Indochina Travel pick you up at your hotels around Hanoi Old Quarter then start discovering Hanoi.

Stop At: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, 2 Hung Vuong Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square is one of the most visited attractions in Hanoi. It is the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh, the most iconic and popular leader of Vietnam, known to his people as ‘Uncle Ho’. His body is preserved here in a glass case at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in central Hanoi (albeit against his wishes).
For visitors, a trip to Uncle Ho’s final resting place can be an extraordinary experience as it is not just an average attraction; it’s a part of a unique history.
Started in 1973, the construction of the mausoleum was modeled on Lenin's mausoleum in Russia and was first open to the public in 1975. The granite building meant a great deal for many locals as it ensures that their beloved leader ‘lives on forever’.
Security is tight and visitors should dress with respect (no shorts, sleeveless shirts and miniskirts) and everyone has to deposit their bags and cameras before getting in. Visitors are not allowed to stop and hold the constant queue up as the place is constantly busy. Uncle Ho’s remains are sent yearly to Russia for maintenance therefore the mausoleum is closed usually from October onwards.


Duration: 30 minutes

Pass By: Presidential Palace Historical Site, 1 Bach Thao Ba Dinh, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

Presidential Palace Hanoi, constructed in 1900 by French architect Auguste Henri Vildieu, was intended to be Ho Chi Minh’s official residence but the Vietnamese leader had opted for a traditional Vietnamese stilt-house instead. The three-storey, mustard yellow building features 30 rooms built in colonial French architectural style, an orchard, carp pond, and a 91-metre long boulevard surrounded by lush gardens.

As political gatherings are still held at Presidential Palace Hanoi, visitors are only allowed to explore the gardens and Ho Chi Minh’s stilt home with an entrance fee of VND 25,000. The peaceful grounds surrounding the palace are home to well-kept botanical gardens and lush fruit groves, making it an ideal place for those looking to escape the bustling Old Quarter during their holiday.

Located in Ba Ding District, Presidential Palace Hanoi is about 15 minutes from Hanoi Old Quarter via taxi. We highly recommended paying a visit to the One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Museum and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum while you’re in this district as these landmarks are easily accessible on foot.

Stop At: Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House, 1 Bach Thao Alley, Ngoc Ha Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

This humble, traditional stilt house where Ho lived intermittently from 1958 to 1969 is set in a well-tended garden adjacent to a carp-filled pond and has been preserved just as Ho left it. The clear views through the open doorways and windows permit insights more fascinating than many museum displays. The stilt house is now used for official receptions and isn’t open to the public, but visitors may wander the grounds if sticking to the paths.
From here, you look out on to the opulent beaux-arts Presidential Palace. There is a combined entrance gate to the stilt house and palace grounds on P Ong Ich Kiem inside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: One Pillar Pagoda, Ong Ich Khiem St, Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

Legend claims that The One Pillar Pagoda was built following a dream by the fatherless emperor in which the enlightened being Avalokiteshvara gave him a baby son resting on a lotus flower. Emperor Ly Thai Tong commissioned the pagoda to be created in resemblance of this lotus flower which is also the Buddhist symbol of enlightenment. The Emperor remained in gratitude to the bodhisattva and subsequently to to Quan Am, the Goddess of Mercy following the birth of his son. Inside the temple a richly gilded statue of Quan Am takes centre place at the main altar.
After the temple was completed loyal followers flocked daily to give thanks and support to the emperor, praying to Quan Am for a long and successful sovereignty. Today, the concrete pillar that supports the tiny wooden pagoda is a replacement for the original one which was blown up by the departing French, it remains unclear how much of the wooden temple is the original one.
Another point of interest is a bo tree that grows behind the pagoda which legend state is an offshoot of the one under which Buddha became enlightened - the tree was given as a gift from India in 1958. Before you leave the pagoda also take time to visit the Dien Huu Pagoda which is located close by in a courtyard full of exquisite bonsai trees.


Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Temple of Literature & National University, Quoc Tu Giam Street Dong Da District, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

The Temple of Literature is often cited as one of Hanoi’s most picturesque tourist attractions. Originally built as a university in 1070 dedicated to Confucius, scholars and sages, the building is extremely well preserved and is a superb example of traditional-style Vietnamese architecture.
This ancient site offers a lake of literature, the Well of Heavenly Clarity, turtle steles, pavilions, courtyards and passageways that were once used by royalty. Visiting the Temple of Literature you will discover historic buildings from the Ly and Tran dynasties in a revered place that has seen thousands of doctors’ graduate in what has now become a memorial to education and literature.
Originally the university only accepted aristocrats, the elite and royal family members as students before eventually opening its doors to brighter ‘commoners’. Successful graduates had their names engraved on a stone stele which can be found on top of the stone turtles.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

Packed with charming colonial architecture, Buddhist temples and pagodas, the Old Quarter, located near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hoan Kiem District, is Hanoi’s major commercial district. Its heart and soul is exposed in the ancient commercial streets which are named after their original businesses dating back about 1,000 years. Though most of the specialties (cotton, jewellery, herbs, and silk) have changed over time and have been replaced with a variety of modern-day commodities and services, visitors can still appreciate some of the original goods as well as get a feel of rich old Vietnamese customs.
The preserved shop-houses that lie along these roads were built a little over a century ago and were constructed in their long and narrow style to avoid being hit by high taxes. Each has a street-facing façade and multiple courtyards inside. The front part of the buildings is where trading takes place while the family occupies the rest. Though one shop-house was meant to be for one family (with many generations in it), nowadays it is more common to see quite a few families jammed in under one roof. Expect to find plenty of hip café, bars, a variety of restaurants, bakeries, boutique shops and art galleries in this historical area.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: St. Joseph's Cathedral, 40 Nha Chung Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

Next stop for your trip is Saint Joseph Cathedral. It is located at 40 Nha Chung street and is a Roman Catholic cathedral with neo- gothic style which was built about 120 years ago.
In 1882, after the French army conquered Hanoi, the cathedral was constructed and completed in 1886. The cathedral and Nha Chung area were built on the land formerly belonging to Bao Thien pagoda, which was built under Ly dynasty.
The architecture with domes of the cathedral follows the Gothic style and design of Paris Cathedral. It is 64.5m in length, 20.5m in width with two bell towers of 31.5m-height. Though the appearance of the cathedral, from the doors, the colorful window glass, to the religious paintings for decoration follows Western style, the main interior part is decorated in Vietnamese way with two typical colors yellow and red. Outside, in front of the cathedral is the statue of Mother Maria.
Today the area surrounding the cathedral is always packed with hundreds of local people and tourists hanging out with friends for drinking, talking, and watching the street.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Train Street, Alley 224 Le Duan Kham Thien, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

Visiting Hanoi Train Street in Hanoi is one of the Best Things To Do to learn and explore Hanoi local life
Rather than being a normal road with car or motorbike traffic, it has actual real railway lines running through it. Homes and businesses literally open out onto the railway lines.
For the most part, the locals who live and move through there go about their day as with any other Hanoi street. Motorbikes zoom up and down the side of the railway lines.
Local ladies cook delicious smelling foods, crouched over their seasoned cooking pots and surrounded by bundles of herbs and other fresh ingredients. Kids run around, crossing the tracks to each other’s houses. Animals snooze peacefully in the daytime sun.

Duration: 30 minutes

Pass By: Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

Our car and driver will drop you off same place morning pickup. Say goodbye to tour guide and driver. End of the trip!