Best Places to Visit in Hanoi
*This is a guest post
Unspoken and unheard of, Vietnam is a beautiful country. Hanoi is the country capital of Vietnam. It covers the second largest area in the country after Saigon. The beautiful city of Hanoi is the receiver of plentiful precipitation every year and sustains a pleasantly warm climate throughout the whole year. Its beguiling landscapes attract tourists from all over the world, hence showering the country’s economy, with a boom in the tourism industry. The artificial structures prove to be not any less in competition against the natural beauty of the place. Hanoi is often surnamed as the “Paris of the East” for its charm. Hanoi is the home to more than a thousand colonial buildings erected by the French, about twenty beautiful lakes, a calendar full of fun festivities and much more. On your next Hanoi tours, here is the list of the places that you need to explore.
Best places to visit in Hanoi
- The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long:
Declared a world heritage site by UNESCO, walking into this place lost in time feels like entering a valley of ancient time. A little has changed ever since it was first established. Erected during the time of Ly dynasty rule, this place only has a few structures left. It once used to be the royal site. Words are not enough to describe the atmosphere of this place.
- Temple of Literature:
What most people in the American States and European states would call a building of education is not what the Vietnamese call theirs. To them, language and literature is a form of worship. So they named the first university in not only Hanoi but in the whole country, the “Temple of Literature”. The first brick of its foundation was laid almost a thousand years back. Amazingly, the building seems to remain intact without much damage to it. The University was built in the Ly dynasty era, the time when Emperor Ly Thanh Tong was on the ruling throne. Initially, this place served as the worshipping place of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher. From here, thousands of doctoral candidates received their imperial education.
- One Pillar Pagoda:
A miracle of architectural genius, this pagoda stands upright on a single pillar. The history behind the erection of this pagoda is mystical. It is said that Emperor Ly Thanh Tong once dreamt that he met a Buddhist, who was yet to attain enlightenment. She gave her a baby son while being seated on a lotus flower. After that dream, he married a peasant girl who bore him a son. He was advised by a monk to erect a pagoda on a pillar in the middle of a lotus pond, the entire structure resembling a lotus blossom. The temple is built of wood and the stone pillar. Lotus is a symbol of purity and peace amongst the Buddhist culture.
- Thang Long Water Puppet Theater:
A major crowd pleaser, the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater has got to do everything related to water. Red and white lighted signboards brighten up the entrance of the theater. Performances of hand operated string puppets accompanied by the folk orchestra is a very dynamic experience to gain. Drums, wooden bells, bamboo flutes, horns, and cymbals form the background music. It upholds a very traditional practice of the Vietnamese. The shows mostly depict folk tales and legends, including a humorous performance of the rice harvest celebration. Chinese dragons, male and female characters holding umbrellas, hand fans, children, and even Gods are depicted through the puppets.
- Vietnam Museum of Ethnology:
In case you are wondering what ethnology means, ethnology is a branch of a higher study of anthropology, which analyses human characteristics, relations, and culture mainly on the basis of social history and development. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is a unit under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. Vietnam being a country of about 92.6 million people of different ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds, the motive of this museum is to preserve the rich diversity of the land. It is both, a research center and a museum as well. The place remains open for the public from Tuesday to Sunday from the hours of 8: am to 5:30 pm.
These are the places that hold the true value and culture of Hanoi. Visiting these places will enable you to explore the beauty of this small town which is not only distinctive than any other place but is a place that gives you an insight of an entirely different dimension.
