VietNamNet Bridge - Most people in Hanoi have never or have only done once in their lives several activities that are common for foreign tourists.

1. Visit museums

Hanoi has 16 museums. For admission, visitors must purchase tickets. Those who visit these museums are mainly tourists from other countries or localities.

2. Visit Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) on weekdays

Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam is on the list of 23 special national monuments. Hanoians are proud of and consider Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam as the city’s symbol. However, they do not visit this site on weekdays but only on the New Year holiday or before the university entrance exams, to pray for luck for their children before exams.

3. Visit Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison was built in 1896 and many political prisoners were detained here during the French  colonial period. After 1954, American pilots were detained here, including Senator John McCain.

Today, a small corner of Hoa Lo is preserved as monument to serve tourists. The remaining area is devoted to the Hanoi Towers. Opening hours are from 8am to 5pm with ticket prices at VND10,000-VND20,000. Most visitors are foreigners.

4. Watch a water puppet show

In Hanoi, the most popular place for water puppet shows is the Thang Long Puppet Theatre, at 57B Dinh Tien Hoang Street. With many shows from 1:45 pm to 9:15 pm every day, this is the destination for many tourists. The fares are from VND60,000 to VND100,000/ticket.

5. Sit on a cyclo

Cyclos were popular vehicles in the last century but now are just part of the culture and tradition of Hanoi. There are several cyclo companies to serve foreign tourists only. In the hustle of modern Hanoi, people mainly use motorcycles and cars.

6. Buy conical hats and lacquer paintings

Walking in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, you can easily see lacquer painting shops with buyers mostly tourists. The same situation exists for conical hats, which are mainly bought by international visitors as souvenirs. Hanoi people now wear fashion hats and helmets.

Pha Le