Optional add-on: Start the day at Quan Thanh Pagoda, one of the ancient guardian temples of the city.

Explore the Imperial City of Thang Long, the political heart of Vietnam for over a millennium. Explore the archaeological remains, ceremonial gates, and courtyards, and include a stop at the Flag Tower of Hanoi, a symbol of Vietnamese resilience and resistance against French colonial rule.

Continue to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university.

In the afternoon, visit the Old House at 87 Ma May Street to gain insight into traditional merchant family life, architecture, and domestic customs, as well as Bach Ma Temple, one of Hanoi’s oldest religious sites, to deepen your understanding of the spiritual practices that anchored neighborhood life in Hanoi.

As the day winds down, enjoy a cyclo ride through the Old Quarter at sunset, when streets come alive with evening commerce and social activity.

Conclude the evening at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, where a traditional performance rooted in Red River Delta village culture brings folklore, history, and agricultural life vividly to the stage.

Optional add-on: Begin with a photo stop at Long Bien Bridge, a French-designed bridge repaired after being damaged by bombs.

Visit the House 48 Hang Ngang, a modest merchant home where Ho Chi Minh drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1945.

Then head to St. Joseph’s Cathedral, a neo-Gothic landmark that reflects French colonial influence and the role of Catholicism in Hanoi. Together, these stops highlight the contrast between colonial authority and the Vietnamese movement toward self-determination

Visit the Vietnam National Museum of History, which traces the country’s development from ancient civilizations through the colonial period and into the modern era.

Head to the French Quarter for dinner, enjoying its wide boulevards, tree-lined streets, and grand colonial buildings during a post-dinner stroll. Make sure to include stop to examine the exterior of the Hanoi Opera House, a prime example of French neoclassical architecture.

Get an early start to the day at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an important national site dedicated to Vietnam’s revolutionary leader.

After the mausoleum visit, continue through the surrounding grounds to see the Ho Chi Minh Stilt House, where Ho Chi Minh lived, followed by Ba Dinh Square, where the Declaration of Independence was read.

Optional add-ons: After Ba Dinh Square, visit the nearby One Pillar Pagoda, a Buddhist structure set above a lotus pond.

Spend some time at the Ho Chi Minh Museum for an in-depth exploration of the revolutionary leader and his role in the struggle for Vietnam's independence.

Then head to the B52 Victory Museum to view the displays the wreckage of a B-52 and other pieces of military hardware.

Head to the Vietnam Military History Museum for a deeper understanding of the nation's struggle for independence where exhibits include tanks, aircraft, and weaponry.

Continue on to Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the “Hanoi Hilton,” which recounts the experiences of Vietnamese revolutionaries and American POWs alike.

Conclude the day with a drink at the Sofitel Legend Metropol Hanoi, which opened in 1901. Guests of the hotel can take the hotel’s Path of History tour that includes an underground air-raid bunker that was used to shelter guests and staff during wartime.