Explore the city of Hanoi, through its historic sites such as the Museum of Ethnology, the french colonized architectural area of the Old Quarter and end the tour with an alluring water puppet show.
In the morning, meet our representative and hop on an electric cart to explore the charming Hanoi capital. The cart will take you through the bustling streets and stop at some iconic sites such as: Hoan Kiem Lake or “Lake of Return Sword,” named after a magical sword once used by a legendary Vietnamese emperor to defeat the Chinese Ming Dynasty.
We will also visit Ngoc Son Temple, situated on the Jade lake, a tiny islet in the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake and is the most visited temple. Next, we will explore the Old Quarter, which was known for its 36 streets of 36 wares named after the original 36 artisan guilds that date as far back as the 13th century.
Later, bid farewell to your driver and continue to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university built in the late 11th century and one of Hanoi’s best-preserved buildings. This is the most important of the so-called Temples of Literature to be found throughout Vietnam. Later, we will drive to Tran Quoc Pagoda, which is the oldest pagoda in Vietnam and is situated on a small island in West Lake and founded 1,400 years ago by King Ly Nam De.
In the afternoon, we depart to the Ethnology Museum (Closed on Monday) which will give you a comprehensive overview of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities through its colorful, interactive displays. Afterwards, we drive back to Hanoi center to watch the traditional water puppet show, a uniquely northern Vietnamese art which originated in the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta with villagers entertaining themselves by manipulating puppets over the water.
