Vietnam’s storied capital — a frenetic Old Quarter, lakeside temples, French boulevards, sublime street food and Ha Long Bay
✈ International🛂 Visa — Vietnam e-Visa💱 ₫
₫25,159,704
Est. total budget · 2 adults
4
Days
13
Attractions
10
Meals planned
💡 Recommended trip length for Hanoi: 4 days — the Old Quarter & Hoan Kiem, the Ho Chi Minh complex & Temple of Literature, a water-puppet night, and a Ha Long Bay day cruise.
🗓 Prices & visa rules verified: August 2026
1
Arrival Day
Unlock to see details
🔒
2
Day 2 — a free sample of your itinerary
Your unlocked preview day
🍜
08:00
🍜Breakfast
A steaming bowl of phở and a Vietnamese iced coffee.
₫82,350 /person (est.)
🏮
09:05
🏮Hoan Kiem Lake & Old Quarter· Old Quarter, Hanoi
🕒 Open all day · Free. The lakeside roads go car-free at weekends. Best early morning (tai chi) or in the evening buzz.
Free⏱ 2.5 hours
Hoan Kiem Lake → Hoa Lo Prison
🚶~10 min on foot
⛓
11:50
⛓Hoa Lo Prison· Old Quarter, Hanoi
Part of your Day 2 — unlock to see the full description, how long to allow, opening hours and the ticket price.
🔒 Locked
🥖
13:20
🥖Lunch
Bún chả, bánh mì, or a street-side noodle bowl.
₫178,424 /person (est.)
Hoa Lo Prison → Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
🚕~10 min by taxi / Grab
🏯
14:30
🏯Imperial Citadel of Thang Long· Ba Dinh, Hanoi
🕒 08:00–17:00 · Last entry 16:00 · Closed Mon · A UNESCO World Heritage citadel with 1,000 years of Vietnamese history. Closed Mondays.
₫30000.00⏱ 1.5 hoursculture
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long → Temple of Literature
🚶~15 min on foot
🏯
16:15
🏯Temple of Literature· Dong Da, Hanoi
🕒 08:00–17:00 · Last entry 16:30 · A short hop from the Ho Chi Minh complex for a Ba Dinh morning. Lovely traditional architecture.
₫70000.00⏱ 1.5 hoursculture
Temple of Literature → Hanoi Train Street
🚶~15 min on foot
🚂
18:00
🚂Hanoi Train Street· Old Quarter, Hanoi
Part of your Day 2 — unlock to see the full description, how long to allow, opening hours and the ticket price.
🔒 Locked
Hanoi Train Street → Hanoi Opera House
🚕~15 min by taxi / Grab
🎭
19:15
🎭Hanoi Opera House· Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Part of your Day 2 — unlock to see the full description, how long to allow, opening hours and the ticket price.
🔒 Locked
🍲
20:10
🍲Dinner
Dinner out — a street-food crawl, hot pot, or a Old Quarter rooftop.
₫301,949 /person (est.)
3
Day 3
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4
Departure Day
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🔒 You're viewing 1 of 4 days. Unlock to open the other 3 fully-planned days.
✈️Flights₫16,469,942
Per person · return from India₫8,234,971
Total · 2 adults₫16,469,942
🏨Accommodation₫2,058,743
3-Star hotel · per night (per room)₫686,248
3 nights × 1 room₫2,058,743
🎭Attractions & Activities₫780,000
Temple of Literature₫140,000
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long₫60,000
Water Puppet Theatre₫400,000
Hoa Lo Prison₫100,000
Museum of Ethnology₫80,000
Total (all pax)₫780,000
🍽️Food & Dining₫3,733,187
🌅 Breakfast × 3d × 2 pax₫494,098
☀ Lunch × 4d × 2 pax₫1,427,395
🌙 Dinner × 3d × 2 pax₫1,811,694
Total food & dining₫3,733,187
🚇Airport Transfer₫180,000
Bus 86 · per person, one way (cheaper than a cab at ₫630,000 for this group)₫45,000
Airport ⇄ hotel · 2 legs × 2 pax₫180,000
🚇Local Transport₫640,000
Per person · per day (public transit)₫80,000
4 days × 2 pax₫640,000
🛂Visa — Vietnam e-Visa₫1,297,831
Entry typee-Visa (apply online before travel)
FeeUS$25 single entry
ProcessApply at evisa.gov.vn; approval in ~3 working days
StayUp to 90 days (single or multiple entry)
PassportValid for at least 6 months
TipUse only the official government portal; print your approved e-Visa to show on arrival.
Estimated Grand Total
Hanoi · 4 days · 2 adults
₫25,159,704
Your dates, group & final plan set inside the full itinerary.
In your Itinerary
13 attractions
✓ All 13 attractions with descriptions, opening hours & ticket prices. Your personalised day-by-day plan unlocks with the full itinerary.
✓ Day 2
01 / 13
🏮 Hoan Kiem Lake & Old Quarter
Old Quarter, Hanoi
leisure
2.5 hours
The soul of Hanoi — the legend-soaked lake with its red Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son Temple, ringed by the chaotic, captivating 36 streets of the Old Quarter. Wander the trade lanes, sip egg coffee and watch the city swirl.
✓ Day 2
02 / 13
🏯 Temple of Literature
Dong Da, Hanoi
culture
1.5 hours
🕒 08:00–17:00
Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070 — serene courtyards, lotus ponds, the stelae of doctors carried on stone turtles, and a temple to Confucius. A peaceful, beautiful escape from the traffic.
✓ Day 2
03 / 13
🏯 Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
Ba Dinh, Hanoi
culture
1.5 hours
🕒 08:00–17:00
A UNESCO World Heritage site at the heart of Hanoi — gates, pavilions and excavated foundations spanning a thousand years of Vietnamese imperial power, plus a wartime command bunker. Closed Mondays.
✓ Day 2
04 / 13
🚂 Hanoi Train Street
Old Quarter, Hanoi
leisure
1 hour
🕒 16:00–22:00
A narrow residential lane where a working railway runs inches from the front doors — cafés set out tiny stools and, when the train thunders through, everyone scrambles back. A quirky, only-in-Hanoi photo-and-coffee stop.
✓ Day 2
05 / 13
⛓ Hoa Lo Prison
Old Quarter, Hanoi
culture
1.5 hours
🕒 08:00–17:00
The 'Hanoi Hilton' — a French colonial prison later holding American POWs, now a sobering museum of guillotines, cells and resistance history. Moving and thought-provoking; the evening 'Sacred Night' tour is excellent.
✓ Day 2
06 / 13
🎭 Hanoi Opera House
Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
culture
0.75 hours
A beautiful 1911 French colonial opera house modelled on the Palais Garnier — admire the floodlit facade from the square, or book a performance or tour to see the gilded interior.
07 / 13
🏛 Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & Complex
Ba Dinh, Hanoi
culture
2 hours
🕒 07:30–10:30
The solemn granite mausoleum of 'Uncle Ho', plus the stilt house, the Presidential Palace gardens and the lovely One Pillar Pagoda nearby. A window into modern Vietnam. Open mornings only; closed Mon & Fri.
08 / 13
⛪ St Joseph's Cathedral
Old Quarter, Hanoi
culture
0.75 hours
🕒 08:00–18:00
Hanoi's neo-Gothic cathedral of 1886, a weathered echo of Notre-Dame de Paris, surrounded by buzzing lemon-tea stalls and cafés — a favourite spot to people-watch.
09 / 13
🎭 Water Puppet Theatre
Old Quarter, Hanoi
leisure
1 hour
🕒 15:00–21:00
A uniquely Vietnamese art born in the rice paddies — wooden puppets dance on water to live traditional music at the Thang Long Theatre by Hoan Kiem Lake. Charming, short and a perfect early-evening show.
10 / 13
🏘 Museum of Ethnology
Cau Giay, Hanoi
culture
2 hours
🕒 08:30–17:30
Vietnam's best museum — the cultures of its 54 ethnic groups, with superb indoor galleries and a wonderful outdoor park of full-scale traditional houses you can walk through. Brilliant for understanding the country. Closed Mondays.
11 / 13
🛕 West Lake & Tran Quoc Pagoda
Tay Ho, Hanoi
culture
1.5 hours
🕒 06:00–21:00
Hanoi's largest lake, ringed by cafés and the lovely 6th-century Tran Quoc Pagoda on its own islet — the city's oldest Buddhist temple. A relaxed spot for a sunset stroll, a coffee and lakeside dinner in trendy Tay Ho.
12 / 13
🛶 Ninh Binh (Trang An)
Ninh Binh (day trip)
nature
6 hours
🕒 07:00–17:00
'Ha Long Bay on land' ~2 hrs south — a sampan row through the karst-walled rivers and caves of Trang An or Tam Coc, the Bich Dong pagoda, and the Mua Cave viewpoint over the rice fields. A magical, less-crowded day.
13 / 13
⛵ Ha Long Bay Cruise
Ha Long (day trip)
nature
12 hours
🕒 07:00–19:00
Nearly two thousand limestone karsts rising out of jade-green water — a UNESCO site and the headline trip from Hanoi. A day cruise takes in Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave, Titop Island and a kayak or bamboo-boat paddle, with lunch on board.
✓ All 6 stops on your Day 2 route. Unlock to see all 13 attractions mapped across your full itinerary.
✓ All 11 tips — visa, airport transfer & ways to spend less.
🛬
Airport → your hotel
Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) is about 27 km from the city centre. The air-conditioned Bus 86 runs direct to the Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem) for 45,000 VND (~50–80 min). Grab is the safest door-to-door option at ~200,000–300,000 VND; metered taxis are similar. Ignore drivers who approach you inside the terminal — use the official taxi queue or Grab pickup zone. Add your hotel on the Day-by-Day tab for an exact distance and fare. Verified Jul 2026.
🆘
Emergencies
113 Police · 115 Ambulance · 114 Fire. 112 works on most mobiles.
📱
SIM & data
Carriers: Viettel, Vinaphone, Mobifone — cheap SIMs at the airport; or an eSIM (Airalo).
🌦
Best time to visit
October–April is cooler and drier — the best time. Spring (Mar–Apr) is pleasant; summer (May–Sep) is hot, humid and wet. Ha Long Bay cruises are best in clear, calm autumn weather.
🛵
Crossing the road
Hanoi's traffic is a river of scooters — to cross, walk slowly and steadily and let them flow around you (don't stop suddenly). Use Grab for taxis and bikes to avoid haggling. The Old Quarter is best on foot. Beyond walking, there are cheap public buses and the new Cat Linh–Ha Dong metro line, but most visitors use <strong>Grab</strong> (car or motorbike) — fares are low and fixed in-app, so no haggling.
🚌
Hop-on-hop-off buses
For a calmer overview, the <strong>Hanoi City Tour</strong> double-decker hop-on-hop-off loops the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and the Temple of Literature (~VND 300,000+ for a day) — a welcome break from the city's relentless traffic.
💵
Cash & bargaining
Vietnam is cash-first (Vietnamese đồng) — carry small notes for street food and markets, where light bargaining is normal. Tipping isn't expected but is appreciated. Watch the many zeros on banknotes.
🛂
Visa for Indians
Indian passport holders need a Vietnam e-Visa — apply online at the official portal (evisa.gov.vn) a few days before travel. Fee ~US$25; valid up to 90 days. Print your approval letter.
🛕
Ho Chi Minh complex
The Mausoleum is open mornings only and closed Mondays and Fridays (and for annual maintenance). Dress respectfully — covered shoulders and knees — and expect security and a strict, quiet queue.
🍜
Food to try
Phở, bún chả (Obama's lunch), bánh mì, fresh spring rolls, egg coffee and bia hơi (fresh draft beer) on a plastic stool. Hanoi is one of the world's great street-food cities — eat where it's busy.
⛵
Ha Long & Ninh Binh
Ha Long Bay's limestone karsts are the headline day (or overnight) trip; Ninh Binh's "Ha Long on land" (Trang An, Tam Coc) is a stunning quieter alternative. Both are long days — book a good operator.