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Discover Hanoi’s Morning Highlights Half Day Tour

47 reviews

Discover Hanoi’s Morning Highlights Half Day Tour

from £28.78

Just arrived in Hanoi? Need an introduction to this buzzing city? Leaving soon and haven't seen any of the highlights yet? Never fear, join this Hanoi tour which covers the historic hot spots, must-see monument, and special spaces that you'd kick yourself for missing.

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE: As members of ABTA and ATAS we are 100% financially bonded. You can book your day trip with us in absolute confidence, no matter where in the world you are.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently not taking new bookings for day tours.

In Brief

Location:

Hoàn Kiếm, Vietnam

Country:

Vietnam

Duration:

240 to 270 minutes

Operates:

Daily

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Hanoi Opera House, 01 Trang Tien, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

We will meet our guide there.

Duration: 10 minutes

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

Start the city tour with a visit to the Temple of Literature. Originally built in honour of Confucius by King Ly Thai Thong in 1070, a university was added to the grounds six years later. The university provided education to the royal family and children of the aristocracy or "mandarins". The University remained here until King Gia Long moved the country's administrative capital from Hanoi to Hue at the beginning of the 19th century.

Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Trà đạo Trường Xuân, 13 Phố Ngô Tất Tố, Văn Miếu, Đống Đa, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Drop into a traditional teahouse to taste some of the best Vietnamese flavoured green teas, and listen to thousand-year-oldstories explaining the significance of tea leaves to local cultures. Tea is even better when served with some authentic snacks such as sweetened lotus seeds and green bean cake.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Hoa Lo Prison, 1 Hoa Lo St Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 10000 Vietnam

We'll head to the Hoa Lo Prison museum. Used by French Colonists for political prisoners till 1954 and later by North Vietnam for American POWs, the prison complex was sarcastically nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by American pilots during Vietnam War (1954-1975). Famous ex-prisoners of war include Pete Peterson (the first US ambassador to a unified Vietnam in 1995), and US Senator John McCain.

Duration: 45 minutes

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

Our next stop will be the largest and oldest church in Hanoi. St Joseph's Cathedral was built in 1886 with an architectural style often compared to the Notre Dame de Paris, this Gothic Revival church is not only a religious site, but is also a popular photo shoot backdrop for local teenagers.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Cau The Huc, 603 L_c Long Quan, Hanoi Vietnam

We'll continue to the heart of Hanoi - the Hoan Kiem Lake, with its magnificent The Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son temple. Experience the spiritual harmony of different religions coexisting in the same place.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street, Around Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam

We stop for lunch with Pho which is one of Vietnam must do before ending the tour.

Duration: 15 minutes

Inclusions

1 way transport with minivan
Snacks
Local English speaking guide
Temple of Literature ticket
Hoa Lo prison ticket
Ngoc Son temple entrance fee
Lunch
Entry/Admission - Temple of Literature & National University
Entry/Admission - Trà đạo Trường Xuân
Entry/Admission - Hoa Lo Prison
Entry/Admission - Cau The Huc
Entry/Admission - Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street

Exclusions

Hotel pick up and drop off
Gratuities
Entry/Admission - St. Joseph's Cathedral

Departure Time

8:00 AM

Departure Point

Hanoi Opera House, Số 01 Tràng Tiền, Phan Chu Trinh, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam

Returns To

Returns to original departure point

Additional Information

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Maximum group size is 12
Children below the age of 6 are not permitted on this tour
Not wheelchair accessible
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate

Booking Information

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Cancellation Terms

This trip is fully refundable up to 96 hours prior to the commencement of your trip.

Booking Terms and Conditions

When you book this trip, you need to read and accept the terms and conditions for booking our day trips in excursions.

Scoring an average traveller rating of 4.96 out of 5 based on the last 24 recent reviews

“

Mike was great. Very friendly and knowledgeable. He even accommodated my vegan diet for lunch. Would definitely recommend.”

Kylie A • Submitted 12 Aug 2019

“

Tham was our tour guide again for this tour. As in the previous walking city and food tour, she continued her excellent presentation. There was just myself and another tourist from England. The small group was prefect. She was knowledgeable in the historical facts and the tea presentation was fun!”

Michael T • Submitted 27 Jan 2018

“

Our tour guide, Tham, was fun and knowledgeable she took her time to answer our questions. I would highly recommend this if you want to know more about Hanoi and its history. The tea break and lunch were excellent. Great job!”

dj10187 • Submitted 01 Dec 2017

“

Excellent tour and introduction to Hanoi.”

LizS • Submitted 18 Nov 2017

“

This was an interesting tour! We really like going to the temples and learning about the perspectives of the Vietnamese and what they honor. The lunch at the local establishment was GREAT - beef pho! It was better than any we had the entire time we stayed in Vietnam and we were there for 10 days! The only thing I didn't like is having to travel around for such a long time at the beginning to pick up all of th people on the tour. That took about an hour or a little more. The starting and stopping made me a little car sick. Also, in waiting in the VERY long line to see Ho Chi Minh, that was a bit of a bummer because it was sooooo hot! But , I don't fault the tour company for either of these things. They do a great job so they have lots of return visitors and Ho Chi Minh's mausoluem is a favorite tour spot and well worth the wait, but it was hot! Whew! Make sure you always have a hat, good walking shoes and comfortable clothing and a shaw for the temples. All things I learned while on the tour.”

cristiemac28 • Submitted 20 Sep 2017

“

The guide's personality made the trip! He was knowledgeable and entertaining. The pho lunch included was delicious and the tea house was enjoyable. It was an afternoon well spent.”

Joe L • Submitted 11 Jul 2017

“

Fantastic tour with a simply outstanding guide.....Mr Cuong. WOW. We absolutely loved our morning together, it was a highlight of our Hanoi stay. Collected from our hotel lobby promptly in a comfy 16 seater, there were 5 of us altogether..and Mr Cuong kept us entertained and informed every step of the way with such interesting ongoing information and anecdotes and his fabulous humour. Visited the spectacular Temple of Literature, enjoyed a wonderful Tea Ceremony altogether with rare lotus tea, then a real highlight...a well guided visit to the 'Hanoi Hilton, the prison, just amazing .After a brief stop at the Cathedral, we enjoyed a walk along the gorgeous Hoan Kiem Lake which was followed by lunch, delicious 'beef pho' and then over the beautiful red bridge to a stunning temple and for glorious views. Then before it was time to say goodbye Coung sat with us providing us all with individual information and maps of special Hanoi places to visit Egg Coffee!!! with directions etc. We were sad to say goodbye to him and end the tour! He was wonderful, we are so happy to have met him and he does his company, Urban Adventures proud, he is a fine young man. We highly recommend this tour it covers important spots in Hanoi and with luck one could get Mr Cuong as a guide! Thank you so much Urban Adventures and Mr Cuong.”

Susan A • Submitted 18 Apr 2017

“

great- reccommended”

rose l • Submitted 16 Mar 2017

“

Hong Anh was our guide. Extremely knowledgeable, cordial and eager to show the history of her native Vietnam. Beside the sites, which were simply amazing, we had a delicious lunch at a place where locals eat, followed by tea at a tea house where Anh proceeded to show us the proper way to serve and drink tea. Her English was very good as well.”

Elisabetta V • Submitted 07 May 2016

“

This tour was a brilliant way to see Hanoi and it's main sites as well as learn about the city and talk to a local guide about their beautiful country. You are rushed through a little bit, but you can always revisit any sites yourself and the guide always had a lot of information.”

Alexandra L • Submitted 18 Jan 2016

“

Trip was informative and fun. we enjoyed walking in the city and visiting all temples and museums. The food was so good :”

Alwaleed A • Submitted 15 Dec 2015

“

Mr. Lee was how we addressed our tour guide who was very knowledgeable in topics relating to this tour. At the end, we had a good pho which was unassuming and really delightful. He went out of his way to show us where to buy local fruits despite the tour has ended. Good person.”

ANTHONY DAVID B • Submitted 30 Oct 2015

“

Our guide was very knowledgeable and answered all of the questions we threw his way. The Pho we ate, too, was amazing!”

Doreenda • Submitted 11 Sep 2015

“

This tour was amazing!”

Patrick • Submitted 03 Feb 2015

“

The guide was excellent in his historical and cultural information, conduct, hospitality in taking guests to local Pho bo eatery. Could not recommend him highly enough- thanks Cong. The behaviour conduct and what could be taken in (rules) were quite strict at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and a little confusing but Cong navigated us through. We had a nice and friendly group of Aussies and a Brit lady. Would recommend to others.”

Natalie K • Submitted 03 Mar 2015

“

Excellent tour and well worth taking. Very knowledgeable guide whose English was excellent. Small numbers so easy to get around quickly, and ask lots of questions.”

Valerie d • Submitted 03 Dec 2014

“

Very good, included attractions not walking distance from old quarter, good craft store stop and very good guide”

Nancy O • Submitted 06 Nov 2014

“

My husband and I were the only people on the tour and we had a great day with our fabulous guide Trois. He gave a great mini history lesson of Ho Chi Minh's life and work. Lunch was good but it is a LOCAL restaurant so be prepared - no fancy tables and chairs, no a/c. It was fine and the food was good. Ladies make sure your shoulders are covered and your top is not revealing when visiting the mausoleum, as this will be considered disrespectful. Highly recommend this tour (base company is Intrepid Travel).”

Irene B • Submitted 18 Apr 2014

“

There were just 2 of us on this tour so it felt like a personal tour. Everything was carefully explained to us and we were able to move at our own pace. The guide was very good. Each of the locations we visited were interesting and significant locations in Hanoi. The guide was a delight.”

Christine S • Submitted 12 Mar 2014

“

Excellent overview of Hanoi. Our guide was excellent. He was able to work seamlessly through the logistics and he provided enlightening and highly interesting information throughout. A very memorable day.”

Bill • Submitted 05 Sep 2013

“

In spite of the rain, our guide ensured that we got the maximum out of our tour. The line to enter Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum was miles long and we decided to skip it. But we saw the museum, the houses he lived in, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature. We had a great lunch of Pho at a small restaurant. In the afternoon, we visited the Museum of Ethnography. We had asked to be directed to a water puppet show but in spite of his best efforts, our guide couldn't get us tickets for that day. Fortunately, there was a water puppet show on at the museum and we got a taste. Our guide was knowledgeable and shared some interesting details I had not found in guide books.”

SHASHI KANT M • Submitted 26 Aug 2013

“

There ended up only the two of us, so it became a private tour...even better!!! Very good tour.”

Jason H • Submitted 22 Aug 2011

“

As with all arrangements in Vietnam, the driver was punctual and the guide was very knowledgeable. The small tour was just our party of 2. The guide's English was very good and he was willing to talk about his life in Vietnam.”

Anonymous • Submitted 16 May 2010

“

A young llady tour guide called her as Tham is friendly and informative, visited few historical places. Brought us to taste local foods and have a tea at a local restaurant. Places visited are around city area. Is a lovely and enjoyable tour.”

Shirley_Chong SL • Submitted 04 Aug 2018