One-Week Itinerary: Things to do in Hanoi With Kids

Vietnam is generally not on top of many people’s travel list for SE Asia destinations compared to Japan, Singapore and Thailand. The capital city of Hanoi and the surrounding areas was such a great trip despite some plans not working out. We loved the food, friendly locals and enjoyed some amazing scenic landscapes with unique experiences. These were some of our favorite things to do in Hanoi with kids especially our teens.

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Do a Hop On Hop Off Tour

We start many of our trips with an orientation of a city whether it’s on a river cruise or a Hop On Hop Off tour. There are a couple of double decker tour buses operating in Hanoi. Our family really enjoyed it and was a great way to get to to know and see Hanoi.

We did the one-hour loop first and did not get off  to see all the sights and stops. We started our trip at around 10:30 AM. Get the 24-hour pass so you can still use it for the following day.

See Temples and Pagodas

There are many temples and pagodas around Hanoi. The best way to see them is through a guided tour or via the Hop On Hop Off buses. Our two favorites were:

The Tran Quoc Pagoda is located on a peninsula in the West Lake area. It is one of Vietnam’s oldest pagodas built around the 6^th century. It was a beautiful sight along the waterfront with fantastic lake views made up of a complex of buildings of worship.

The pagoda’s high stupa had 11 levels and stood at 50 ft. (15 m) tall. A nine-story lotus and gemstone topped it. Each of the floors contained a vaulted window with a Buddha statue made from a gemstone.

There was a Buddhist shrine here popular with groups and a small museum of antiques dating thousands of years. This pagoda was free to visit. Look out for vendors outside selling food and drinks in addition to birds and turtles. We later learned that the animals were used for releasing as part of Buddhist rituals.

The Ngoc Son Temple (translated as Temple of the Jade Mountain) is Hanoi’s most visited temple. It is located on Jade Island on Hoan Kiem Lake in the city center.  A beautiful red wooden bridge, Huc Bridge or Rising Sun Bridge, connects it to the main land. The temple was built in the 18^th century to commemorate a military leader.

There were some structures and altars in the temple complex. There were also displays of some ancient artifacts. We thought the most interesting was the giant turtle specimen in the lake. The small platform area looking out into the lake was well worth the small admission price which was less than $1.

Please keep clothing choices in mind when visiting these sacred places of worship. Cover your shoulders and knees and dress conservatively.  Ngoc Son loaned cover-ups by the entrance.

Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake

Known as the “Lake of the Returned Sword”, Hoan Kiem Lake  is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city. It is an ideal place to get some peace and quiet and away from the Hanoi’s busy streets. There were many trees around the lake and plenty of shaded spots and benches to rest and admire the views.

If you’re here early in the morning or around dusk, you may encounter or even join in the locals doing tai chi, yoga or ballroom dancing. It was hard to miss the Turtle Tower that seemed to be floating in the lake.

It was built in honor of the legend where the emperor defeated the Chinese Ming Dynasty using a magical sword. This caused the return of the Golden Turtle God to the Lake. There are supposed to be endangered soft-shell Turtles on the lake. Unfortunately, we never saw them.

Explore the Old Quarter

Hanoi’s Old Quarter area or Hoan Kiem District is its business hub and definitely a can’t miss area. It is where Hanoi’s past meets its present. There are many remnants of the city’s history among the many storefront and restaurants.

The district sprouted during the 11^th century when the artisans followed and gathered around the royal palace after the King moved the capital city to Hanoi. These craftsmen were grouped into guilds who built and sold the same products.

They settled into the Old Quarter’s “36 main streets” starting with the word Hang over the years. These streets reflected their specialties (e.g. Hang Gai for silk, Hang Dau for shoes, Hang Bac for silver etc.)

The Old Quarter is where tourists and locals meet with the countless shops, restaurants, hotels and travel agents. The buildings retain their old architectural style of being long and narrow since the shop owners were taxed based on the property’s width. Some buildings were still in French colonial architecture from when the French ruled Vietnam.

We spent most of our time shopping and walking around in the Old Quarter. It was enjoyable to get lost in the small narrow streets and even sometimes sharing it with several scooters.

The Old Quarter was one of the best places to observe the locals’ daily lives. Start your walk from Hoan Kiem lake and the water puppet theater. Cross the street and you can’t miss the many shops that instantly greet you.

Experience the Weekend Night Market

We enjoy visiting local markets during our travels. Hanoi puts on a big street market (at least a mile long) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday around 7 PM until late into the night. There were so many vendor stalls selling souvenirs, shoes and clothing for bargain prices compared to what we would pay here in the USA. The aroma of all the street food will leave you salivating.

Walk all the way to the red bridge area and Ngoc Son Temple and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Many of the locals were in this area enjoying the night with their families.

Kids were playing and adults were enjoying performances on a small stage. One can spend hours wandering and inspecting the stalls around here.

Eat local Food!

One of the things we’ll remember most about Vietnam is eating delicious food. We pretty much ate pho (noodle soup), fresh fruits and egg rolls everyday. But, our family’s favorite dish turned out to be Bun Cha which was a unique dish from the Hanoi area. This was white vermicelli noodles served with grilled pork and meatballs and herbs in a sweet and sour broth.

These were some of the restaurants we can recommend.

Bun cha Huong Lien aka Bun Cha Obama – If you’re a fan of Anthony Bourdain’s show and that special episode with President Obama, this is the place. We all had the Bun cha and it was delicious and cheap.

My husband got the Obama special which included a Hanoi beer and a seafood eggroll for less than $6 US. They actually enclosed the tables, chairs and utensils in a glass case here.

Lake View Side Restaurant & Café – Located across from Hoan Kiem Lake, we enjoyed the food here and the reasonable prices. The spring rolls and prawns were delicious. We loved their fruit juices too.

Nha Hang Ngon – This was our go to restaurant and we ate here several times because they had delicious food, cheap prices and it was around the corner from our hotel. My husband and daughter liked the Bun Cha here more. Every food we ordered from the stir fried dishes to the egg rolls were great. It’s located in what looked like an old colonial house with a large courtyard below.

Many companies offer street food tours as well as cooking classes that include a market visit. There were many street food stalls all over Hanoi frequented by locals where vendors cooked in front of you and visitors sat in plastic chairs. If we were in Hanoi for a longer period of time, without kids and felt more confident with not getting upset stomachs, we would have been more adventurous with trying out more street food.

Hang Out at Coffee Shops

The café culture is big in Hanoi with many coffee shops around the city. If you are here on hot days, it is a great way to reset and cool down.

Some shops have pastries and some also have non-caffeinated drinks. My kids enjoyed anything with cold chocolate and mixed fruit drinks. You must try the egg coffee also known as “liquid tiramisu”. Our favorite was the cold coconut coffee.

We enjoyed sitting outside the shops sipping our drinks and watching the locals pass. It was interesting to see them with their loads of produce precariously balanced on their shoulders, the variety of goods they were transporting on scooters and seeing how many people are riding on a scooter.

Attend the Water Puppet Show

It was hard to pass up a cultural show with water puppets here especially with kids along. The family-friendly Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre was an interesting hour long show. It had traditional music and was all in Vietnamese but kept many kids captivated including my teens.

The colorful puppets appeared to be floating over the pool water, used as a stage, throughout their performance. Several puppeteers behind a screen controlled the puppets. Most of the short sketches were about the Vietnamese traditional folk stories.

Book your tickets in advance by going to the theater near Hoan Kiem Lake and the Ngoc Son Temple. You can choose your seats there and prices vary by location. Try to get the middle seats towards the front. Ticket prices start at and there are several shows throughout the day starting at 3:30 PM.

Wander the Temple of Literature

This was a beautiful complex and definitely worth some time to explore. The Temple of Literature was built in 1070 to honor Confucius.

It became Vietnam’s first university a few years later but at first only accepted royalty and the elites. It is now a popular attraction to commemorate education, Vietnam’s scholars and literature.

The architecture was well preserved. Despite the visitors walking around, there was a sense of tranquility here. Most of the historic buildings were made of tile and wood. The university was operational until 1779 and became a district school until 1906.

We enjoyed wandering around its five courtyards that included pagodas, altars, lotus ponds, landscaped gardens and stone statues. It was an interesting place to explore and imagine how the students studied under those huge trees. Look for the turtle statues that have the names and birthplaces of the graduates.

Go Shopping

Hanoi is one of the best places to shop for variety and affordability. If you’re traveling with tween and teen girls who enjoy shopping, they will certainly enjoy walking around here. My 16-year old daughter loved stopping at the many shops around the Old Quarter.

There were many Made in Vietnam shops here selling mainly North Face and Under Armour items. Compare the quality with the authentic stuff you may already have. My husband and son wear a lot of the Under Armour shirts and it looked comparable for a fraction of the price. Be sure to inspect things carefully.

Look for silk, handicrafts, artwork, embroidery, rice paper items, lacquer products, wooden carvings and clothes. I love how many of the shops were so colorful with the variety of stocked items.

It was shopping heaven and wished I could have brought home so many things. Remember to haggle and bargain reasonably in the shops.

If shopping malls are more your style, Hanoi has a few to enjoy. They were also a welcome relief from the heat. The major ones are Lotte Mart (20 minutes from the city center), Trang Tien Plaza (more high-end stores about 5 minutes from the Old Quarter), Hang Da Galleria Shopping Mall, Savico Megamall (has ice rink and theaters) and Vincom Mega Mall Royal City (has an ice rink and waterpark located about 45 minutes from the city).

Tour on a Cyclo

For a different perspective of touring Hanoi, try one of the many cyclos you will see especially around the Old Quarter. These are the bicycle taxis powered by locals who are more than willing to take tourists on a tour. It can offer a great orientation of an area especially around the lake.

The cyclos can also be a welcome relief from the all the walking especially with kids in tow. It’s also easier to take pictures when someone is transporting you around. Negotiate with the driver for the fare before hopping on or reserve a tour with   www.hanoicyclotours.com

Get a Massage

After a long flight and walking around the city, a body and/or foot massage was the best remedy. There were many massage places around Hanoi.

Some looked better than other shops. Based on many positive online reviews, we chose Mido Spa which had several locations and two across from each other in the Old Quarter.

Their service was impeccable and the facilities were comfortable and clean. They also offered pick up and drop off service at hotels within a specific radius. With their very cheap rates (e.g. $17 for a one-hour massage or $6 for 30-minute foot massage), the whole family can enjoy massages and relax at the spa. We went twice.

Go on Day Trips

The hustle and bustle of Hanoi can be too much for some people for an extended time. Luckily, there are several great day trips within a couple of hours. There are also plenty of tour operators around the city who can book them for you including any last minute plans.

Bai Dinh Pagoda/Trang An

Our favorite day trip from Hanoi was to the Ninh Binh Province to explore the Bai Dinh Pagoda and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Trang An.

The first part of our day trip was to the Bai Dinh Pagoda which was huge. This is Southeast Asia’s largest Buddhist complex. We only covered a small portion of it and included getting around via an electric car.

The complex has several temples, a bell tower and over 500 carved Buddha statues. The wooden buildings were beautiful. There was such tranquility walking around here. A couple of buildings housed two of the biggest golden Buddha statues we have ever seen. They were incredible!

Our Trang An boat tour was one of our best memories in Vietnam. This almost two-hour boat tour took us down a river surrounded by limestone mountains and lush scenery. It was a peaceful ride through this stunning landscape also known as “Halong Bay on Land”.

All women rowed the boats here. Seeing all of them maneuver the river was quite impressive. We passed by a few pagodas including one with a small band and a singer.

My kids’ favorite part was going through the four natural limestone caves. A couple of them were quite long and we had to bend down in some areas. The stalactites were amazing. Overall, it was quite an adventure.

We were dropped off at a small island which also happened to be a filming location for the movie “Kong: Skull Island”. There were some props there including an out of place plane.

We also found a small makeshift village of bamboo huts and locals dressed in costumes. Unfortunately, we didn’t watch the movie so we couldn’t associate any of the props on the film set.

This limestone rock formation (on left) that looked eerily like King Kong was near the film set. Can you see the resemblance?

The Perfume Pagoda

Known to the locals as Chua Huong or Inner Temple, this day trip was as much about our journey as well as the destination. This area is very popular from February to April especially with Vietnamese pilgrims and tourists. But, it was quiet with only us among a handful of foreign tourists during our visit.

This was a large complex but the main attraction was the Perfume Temple or Perfume Pagoda located inside a cave high in the mountains. Our guide told us that if you look closely, the opening of the cave looks like a dragon’s mouth opening wide. Visitors go inside the cave to pray for prosperity and/or fertility.

We traveled about two hours from Hanoi by car to My Duc traveling through small villages and rice fields. A local woman then rowed us for an hour on the river. Limestone cliffs and lotus fields surrounded us. It was another breathtaking scenery.

The cable cars ease the trek to the top of the mountain and the cave. It was actually a pleasant walk down and seeing all the stalls lined up with colorful banners. There was a complex with beautiful pagodas and temples at the base area too.

For Next Time…

We were supposed to go on a 3-day/2-night Halong Bay cruise. Unfortunately, it was canceled due to a storm. We were diverted to the Perfume Pagoda day trip and two days/1night in the Mai Chau Valley. This was a pleasant surprise in a lush valley with stilt houses and rice fields among some of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities.

We really do plan to return to Hanoi sometime in the near future since we missed Halong Bay. These are a few of the things and other day trips that we hope to do next time.

Visit Museums

While Hanoi had several interesting museums that focused on the war, military, prisons or their beloved leader, Ho Chi Minh, these two were a bit more kid-friendly and one we would have enjoyed visiting if we had more time.

Vietnam Fine Arts Museum

Located inside a French colonial building, this museum has a vast collection of about 3,000 objects featuring traditional and modern Vietnamese art. There are various exhibits and art mediums including paintings, sculptures and ceramics. With an entry fee of less than $2 US, it is worth some time to explore. Guided tours are available.

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

There is no better place to learn about Vietnam’s 54 different ethnic groups than this museum. The various exhibits show their history, heritage, lifestyle, religion and ceremonies of each group. The outdoor area shows the different full-scale replica homes of the groups.

Tam Coc

Its name means “Three Caves” in Vietnamese and that is what this day trip is mostly about.  Located near Trang An, visitors also go on boat rides, amidst ride paddies and limestone cliffs, to explore the three caves.

Most tours also stop at Hoa Lu, the ancient capital, for its ruins and temples. There is also an opportunity to bike along the rice fields and villages.

Tho Ha Traditional Village

Located about an hour from Hanoi, this would make a great half-day trip. It requires a short ferry ride across the river and into the Tho Ha village.

Visitors can explore the local market and traditional houses from the 1800s. Some tours also offer an opportunity to interact with a local family and learn how to make rice paper.

Bat Trang Ceramics Village

We may need to bring extra luggage for this trip. This 14^th century porcelain and pottery village located about 13 km from Hanoi makes for another great half-day trip.

It’s a wonderful place to watch local artisans create great products right before you and buy them at a discount. Pottery-making workshops are available to make your own products.

Halong Bay Cruise

Though, it is highly recommended that Halong Bay should be experienced as a trip with at least a minimum of a 2 day/1 night cruise, many tour operators offer full day trips from Hanoi. We would have been happy with even just one day here after our cruise cancellation. It is about a three-hour scenic drive from Hanoi.

Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with thousands of limestone cliffs and karsts. The scenery looks spectacular and I’m sure sailing aboard one of those boats would have been an amazing experience. Many of the day tours provide lunch, kayaking trips and exploring water caves with a guide.

Our One-Week Itinerary

This was our actual revised itinerary after the Halong Bay cruise cancellation. If you’re doing the 3 day/2 night cruise, substitute the days of The Perfume Pagoda and Mai Chau. Cruise passengers generally get picked up around 9 AM and dropped off around 2 PM on the third day. Take some time to relax and even naps. If you’re here during the hot summer months, pick hotels with pools.

Day 1 – Go on a Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus tour. We stopped at Hoan Kiem Lake, Temple of Literature and Tran Quoc Pagoda

Day 2 – Continue with the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus tour stopping at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Tours start at 9 AM.

Walked around Hoan Kiem Lake, visited St. Joseph’s Cathedral and the Old Quarter. Explored the Weekend Market

Day 3 – Day trip to Trang An/Bau Dinh Temple (read all about it)

Day 4 – Explore and shopping around the Old Quarter. Got a full body massage. Watch water puppet theater show at 5:15 PM

Day 5 – Day trip to The Perfume Pagoda (read all about it)

Day 6/7 – 2 days/1 night Mai Chau Valley (read all about it)

*Have you visited Hanoi?

Where to stay in Hanoi

• Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi – We stayed at this hotel for six nights and really enjoyed it. We had adjoining rooms with the kids. The rooms were spacious. The location was in the French Quarter area surrounded by cafes and restaurants. Their buffet breakfast was delicious with so many varieties. The hotel staff were all so friendly and treated us so well. Bonus to have a free washing machine and dryer. The price is great for everything it offers.

*See other hotels to stay in Hanoi.

*Read our tips for visiting Hanoi.

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