One of the most touristy things to do in Hanoi is to visit Train Street. It is lined with cafes and bars and a couple times a day a very large passenger train comes through. It nearly takes up the whole width of the street, so mind your toes!
There is a couple very well known Pagodas in Hanoi so we went to check them out. The first is called One Pillar Pagoda which was built in 1049 and was designed to look like a lotus flower.
The second one we visited was Tran Quoc Pagoda. It is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi and is located on a small island near the shore of Hanoi’s biggest lake, West Lake.
Another very popular place to visit in Hanoi is Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. We went early in the morning as you have to go through security to get into the compound and it gets very busy. Normally you can go inside to see Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body but they’re currently doing refurbishment work so it is closed. Still a good time looking around the grounds.
In the grounds is also a massive museum dedicated to Ho Chi Minh. It contains lots of his personal items and details his life, especially during the Vietnam War.
The largest covered market is only a few minutes walk from where we staying so we went to check it out! It is called Dong Xuan Market and sells everything from spices to clothes. You could spend hours looking around however it was 38 degrees and we were melting!!
Our next stop was the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. It displays information about all 54 officially recognised ethnic groups in Vietnam and how they live and work. It was only 40,000 VND (£1.14) to get in and is absolutely massive with lots to see. It also has a section covering the rest of Asia. Our favourite part being a pop up exhibition on South Korea which was very interesting!
Outside in the grounds they have built a village in real scale to show the different types of houses each ethnic group lives in.
We went to the Vietnam National Museum of Nature. Luckily it was free as it was literally just one room and not the best. However, cool dinosaur!
One of TikTok’s famous cafes in Hanoi is called the Note Cafe. If you buy a drink you can write on a sticky note and stick it anywhere and it is covered from floor to ceiling. Some very entertaining reading indeed!
The Airbnb that we’re staying at has been lovely. It is right in the heart of the Old Quarter but tucked down an alleyway so nice and quiet at night. On the 13th floor is a rooftop bar which is connected to the hotel next door, it has a fantastic view for sunset.
It also has a complete glass floor with a miniature red bridge (replicating The Huc Bridge) connecting the bar to a seating area. It’s definitely an undiscovered gem as it’s always quiet.
We’ve still got another three days in Hanoi until we head off north to Sapa. Next planned for tomorrow is a water puppet show…
LittleSandyBeach 
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