Meals: No
Accommodation: No
Duration: From 14.00 – 18.00

14.00: Stay at your hotel lobby, then our tour guide will pick you up for Hanoi half-day afternoon tour.

The tour starts visiting the Temple of Literature in which Confucius and Confucianism are honored. Being built in the 1070s, this place is believed to be the first university in Vietnam which was opened to royal children. Moreover, this stop could easily alter to Hoa Lo Prison or Military museum where you can learn about the war history in Vietnam. Hoa Lo Prison was built by the French to capture Vietnamese patriots, then it was used to keep American pilots during the Vietnam War.

After that, you will be driven to the West Lake, the biggest lake in Hanoi. Located in the middle of the lake, Tran Quoc pagoda where you pay a visit later is well-known as a very popular place to pray. Therefore, you can see many local people who put their hands together, tell their wishes to Buddha. Moreover, you also have a chance to see religious activities such as burning votive paper, praying ceremony, releasing alive animals (birds, tortoises).

Next, the tour continues visiting the French Quarter and Hanoi Opera House in particular. Hanoi Opera House is one of the most famous French remaining constructions in the city, which is well-known for its Gothic architecture. After more than 100 years of construction and the wars, Hanoi Opera House has well-preserved its original values.

Moving to Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of Hanoi, you will go over The Huc Bridge to sightsee Ngoc Son temple located on a small island in the middle of the lake. After that, you will be driven around the Old Quarter on a cyclo which is a high-end vehicle in the 2 last centuries. Strolling around on a cyclo enables you to admire how local life is going on. The cyclo driver will take you through narrow streets selling local products such as clothes, coffee, bamboo; showing routine activities taking place on multi-purpose sidewalks, and so on.

The cyclo tour will stop at a traditional cafe where you can have the opportunity to taste Vietnamese coffee and some other local drinks. It’s highly recommended for you to try egg coffee which was invented in the 1940s due to the limitation of fresh milk. Since then, egg coffee has become the unique coffee in Hanoi that you shouldn’t miss. In fact, Vietnam is the second biggest coffee exporter in the world, so coffee is more than a drink, it is culture indeed.

Afterward, you will be dropped at your hotel lobby or anywhere in the Old Quarter if you wish. You should keep in your mind that there are Walking street and night market after Friday afternoon until the weekend in the Old Quarter.

18.00: The tour ends. Enjoy your own time at the hotel.

Notes: During the tour, you will visit several sacred places that require visitors to dress to cover the shoulder and knee. Therefore, to experience completely, you should follow this regulation.