(TITC) - Travel site Iwandered shared an itinerary to discover the diverse beauty of Ha Noi, with excellent food, fascinating historical destinations, vibrant energy, rich identity and always leaves visitors with new finds after every visit.
Thereby, Iwandered planned a detailed trip of 2 days in Ha Noi and the following days to take 1-2 day tours to explore Ha Long Bay, Tam Coc or Perfume Pagoda, depending on the preferences of the visitors.
Two days of interesting experiences in Ha Noi
Iwandered recommended visitors to start the trip in Ha Noi from Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword) - the centre of all activities to discover the capital. In the morning, visitors will encounter locals practising tai chi at the park around the lake. Visitors can explore Ngoc Son Temple - a symbol of Ha Noi when crossing The Huc red bridge.
Turtle tower in the central of Hoan Kiem Lake
After that, visitors can walk east to the neighbourhood with many French architecture constructions. It has charming hotels of the last century, along with several French buildings such as the city post office and the Opera House.
By early afternoon, the small streets of the Old Quarter gradually become bustling and it is a great time to explore the local pace of life. The streets are named after items that were sold in the past such as jewellery in Hang Bac Street, shoes in Hang Giay, etc… Visitors can spend the afternoon here and come to explore Bach Ma Temple - the temple is said to be the oldest in Ha Noi located in this area. Before that, visitors can stop by Cha Ca La Vong restaurant for lunch. To buy cheap souvenirs, go to Dong Xuan Market - where there are a variety of items, clothes, souvenirs, postcards.... For those who don't like to shop, taking classes on making conical hats, calligraphy, pottery, etc. are also interesting ideas. For foodies, a 3-hour food tour in the Old Quarter will help visitors discover many street delicacies.
Day 2 will be the time for monuments all over Ha Noi. The first destination is the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO and open to the public. Visiting this place will help visitors understand many traditional historical values of Vietnam and visitors can also easily combine visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum because the two locations are located quite close to each other.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
From Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, visitors take a short walk to the Presidential Palace, House on Stilts and One Pillar Pagoda. It can be said that these are the destinations that all tourists come to when visiting Ha Noi. According to Iwandered, to avoid crowds, visitors should try to avoid weekends and holidays.
One Pillar Pagoda
After exploring these above destinations in the morning, visitors can head to Quan An Ngon for lunch. This place has a lot of diverse dishes from regions across Vietnam. Before ordering from the menu, have a look at a number of stalls to peruse regional specialties.
From Quan An Ngon, it takes about 10 minutes to walk to the Temple of Literature. The studious spirit of the Vietnamese people is clearly shown here.
Visitors can spend the rest of the afternoon exploring Tay Ho district - one of Ha Noi's burgeoning areas filled with local designer boutiques, several international restaurants as well as stylishly designed cafes. In addition to being a gathering place for many foreigners, many dining establishments also choose to open here to have a view of West Lake. Tran Quoc Pagoda is also located in this area. For great views of both West Lake and Truc Bach Lake, visitors can head to the rooftop bar of Pan Pacific Hanoi Hotel to enjoy a drink and enjoy the view.
For dinner, visitors can go to Tam Vi - a traditional restaurant serving family-style meals hidden in an alley near Nguyen Thai Hoc. Popular dishes here include crab soup with spinach, meat jelly, sautéed snails with coconut, and braised meat with eggs. Visitors are advised to book in advance to secure a table. Additionally, Vietnam, including Ha Noi is now having a-star Michelin restaurants to serve guests all around the world, so check out for the Michelin book list of Vietnam for more to explore.
Various options for day 3 and 4
Most tourists who visit Ha Noi want to spend more time in Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh Province), stated Iwandered. Visitors can book 1-2 day tours from Ha Noi to explore this wonderful natural heritage. If you choose to explore in 1 day, you can spend a few hours sailing along the bay, a seafood lunch, some time kayaking and explore Thien Cung Cave.
Ha Long Bay
If you choose a 2 day 1 night cruise, you can enjoy the scenery of Ha Long Bay at sunrise and sunset, explore some more caves and can take a cooking class or do tai chi in the morning.
Another option for a day trip from Ha Noi is to explore Tam Coc/Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh Province. It has a lush landscape and the experience is quite interesting when riding a small bamboo boat down the river and overlooking the limestone mountains on either side. In addition to boating, visitors can also climb up to Mua Cave for panoramic views of the river, rice fields and surrounding mountains.
Mua Cave
A third option for excursions from Ha Noi is to visit the Perfume Pagoda. Located about 60 km from Ha Noi, Perfume Pagoda is one of the important religious sites of Vietnam. After travelling about 70 minutes from Ha Noi, visitors will arrive at the boat dock and sit for about 45 minutes down the Yen stream. After docking, visitors can take the cable car or walk up to the Perfume Pagoda located deep in the cool cave.
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