Address: hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

Open hours: 08:00 – 17:00

Ticket:  VND 20.000

This temple alongside Lake Hoan Kiem was built in the 19th century, and named after Saint Van Xuong. Confucian scholar Nguyen Van Sieu had a large pen-shaped tower built at the entrance of the temple in 1864, featuring three Chinese characters, Ta Thanh Thien, which literally means "to write on the blue sky is to imply the height of a genuine and righteous person's determination and will."

Address: Nghi Tam, Hanoi

Open hours: 08:00 – 17:30

Ticket:  Free

According to history, the Ly Than Tong King had a daughter called Princess Tu Hoa. He built a place which was named for his daughter Tu Hoa. He let Tu Hoa and her imperial maids stay in this palace in order to give her a lesson of understanding and respect for their social positions.  Kim Lien was designed with three pavilions, each of which has two roof layers. These pavilions were also built in slightly curved shapes. In addition to its nice disposition, the gate of Kim Lien Pagoda is also a symbol of sophisticated and elegant architecture.

Address: Thanh Nien, Hanoi

Open hours: 08:00 – 17:30

Ticket:  VND 10.000

Quan Thanh temple is an important historical and cultural place in Hanoi. According to the legend, Tran Vu is a figure who helped King An Duong Vuong chase away demons during the construction of Co loa Citadel. The temple first existed in the south of the To Lich River (1160) but then was moved to the North-west of the capital (the present site) (1474). It is one of the “Thang Long Tu Tran” which honors the Holly Figures guarding at four main directions (East – West – south – North) of the ancient Thang Long citadel. Quan Thanh temple attracts visitors for its famous special and beautiful structure and religious cultural place.

Address: Van Mieu, Hanoi

Open Hours: Monday – Sunday 8:00 – 17:00

In 1070 King Ly Thanh Tong founded this temple to pay tribute to education and to those of high academic achievement. Six years later, it became home to Hanoi's first university. Even now, more than 200 years after the last national examination, the site's five courtyards still enjoy an atmosphere of higher learning. Today, art students sit on the grass and try to reproduce the traditional Vietnamese architecture on paper. Stone steles record the names of successful doctorates of the past at this quiet retreat into Vietnamese educational history.

Address: Thanh Nien, Hanoi

Open hours: 08:30 – 17:30

Ticket:  Free

Tran Quoc is one of the oldest temples in Vietnam, located near the West Lake, at the end of Thanh Nien road. It was originally constructed in the sixth century during the reign of Emperor Ly Nam De (from 544 until 548), thus giving it an age of more than 1,450 years. When founded the temple was named Khai Quoc (National Founding) and was sited on the shores of the Red River, outside of the Yen Phu Dyke. When confronted with the river's encroachment, the temple was relocated in 1615 to Kim Ngu (Golden Fish) islet of the West Lake where it is now situated. A small causeway links it to the mainland. The last major repair to the temple was undertaken in 1815 when the main sanctuary, reception hall and posterior hall of the dead were renovated.

Address: Dang Thai Mai, Hanoi

Open hours: 08:00 – 17:30

Ticket:  Free

Named after the lake it sits beside, the pagoda occupies a superb position on a tongue of land projecting into the water. It is dedicated to Thanh Mau, the Mother Goddess, who appeared on the lake as a pretty girl, smiling and reciting poetry to a fisherman, then vanished. 
It is one of Hanoi's most popular pagodas, attracting many worshipers on the first and 15th of each lunar month. It’s also a delightful place to visit, particularly as part of a trip around the lake by boat – it has its own landing stage.

Address: 40 Nha Chung, Hanoi

Tel:  +84 4 3828 5967

Mass Hours:

-       From Monday to Friday: 05:30 and 18:15

-       Saturday: 18:00

-       On Sunday: Vietnamese: 05:00, 07:00, 09:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00 and French: 11:00

St. Joseph's Cathedral, which anchors one of Hanoi's most touristy streets, offers a glimpse into a bygone era. Speckles of light still dance through stained glass work, leaving a kaleidoscope of color on the towers, which stretch toward the sky. Its doors first swung open in 1886, during the earliest days of colonial rule, and the cathedral still holds mass twice daily. During other hours, visitors can enter through a door on the side of the cathedral.

Address: 56 Phan Dinh Phung, Hanoi

Tel: +84 4 3733 5450

Mass hours:

-          Tuesday, Thursday: 05:30

-          Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 19:00

-          Saturday: 05:30 and 18:30

-          Sunday: 06:00 (11:00 English) and 18:30

Today, Cua Bac Church is one of the three major churches of Hanoi, together with Ham Long Church and Saint Joseph Cathedral. In November 2006, Cua Bac Church was chosen the venue of a joint congregation of the Vietnamese Catholics and Protestants with participation of the United States President George W. Bush, who was on an official visit to Vietnam.