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Best Things to do in Hanoi (2026)

The best things to do in Hanoi are about street life. The Old Quarter, the old merchant town of 36 guild streets north of Hoan Kiem Lake, rewards slow wandering among shophouses, temples and street food stalls, and Dong Xuan Market, the city's largest covered market, shows the wholesale trade that still drives the area. At weekends, the night market on Dong Xuan Street adds souvenirs, food and traditional music. Evenings are a good time for the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, whose 50-minute shows bring a northern folk art to life on a stage of water.

For a change of pace, head to West Lake, where Tran Quoc Pagoda stands on an islet and is known for its sunset views, or walk out on Long Bien Bridge, the 1903 steel bridge over the Red River that survived wartime bombing and is still crossed by trains, bicycles and pedestrians. Most of these experiences are free or inexpensive. Mornings and late afternoons are the most comfortable times to be outside in summer, and booking ahead is wise for puppet shows. Combine the Old Quarter with Dong Xuan Market and Long Bien Bridge in one walk, and pair West Lake with the Ba Dinh sights.

5 places · Updated November 12, 2026

Our top 3 things to do in Hanoi

  1. Hanoi Old Quarter Historic district walk, Old QuarterThe historic trading district north of Hoan Kiem Lake, known as the 36 streets, where each street was once named after the goods sold there.
  2. Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre Water puppet theatre, Hoan KiemHanoi's best-known water puppet theatre, founded in 1969, staging several 50-minute shows a day of a northern Vietnamese folk art with traditional music.
  3. Dong Xuan Market Covered market and weekend night market, Old QuarterHanoi's largest covered market, a three-storey hall on the northern edge of the Old Quarter, with a weekend night market on Dong Xuan Street outside.

Thing to do

3. Dong Xuan Market

Covered market and weekend night marketOld Quarter

Hanoi's largest covered market, a three-storey hall on the northern edge of the Old Quarter, with a weekend night market on Dong Xuan Street outside.

View details — Dong Xuan Market

Thing to do

4. West Lake

Lake and lakeside districtTay Ho

Hanoi's largest lake, with a 17-kilometre shoreline, the ancient Tran Quoc Pagoda on an islet and the leafy Tay Ho district of cafés, hotels and restaurants.

View details — West Lake

Thing to do

5. Long Bien Bridge

Historic steel bridgeHoan Kiem

A steel cantilever bridge over the Red River opened in 1903, rebuilt after wartime bombing and still crossed by trains, motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians.

View details — Long Bien Bridge