View the granite mausoleum and ceremonial Ba Dinh Square from the outside while your guide explains its history and protocols. Interior visits are subject to limited opening hours and security screening; routing may change during state events.

Enter the courtyard to see the 11th-century pagoda rising from a single stone pillar. Hear the legend of the lotus and take photos around the small shrine.

Walk through the five courtyards of Vietnam’s first national university. Your guide highlights Confucian traditions and the stelae of doctors carved on stone turtles.

Explore exhibitions on Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups in modern galleries, then step outside to see traditional stilt houses and communal structures. (Closed Mondays—see alternative below.)

Visit Hanoi’s oldest pagoda on a small island in West Lake. See the red stupa, Bodhi tree and lakeside views; please dress respectfully for temple grounds.

Visit the museum at the former French-era prison known as Maison Centrale. Your guide explains the site’s history and context while you view reconstructed cells, artifacts, and exhibits—including stories of revolutionary prisoners and later POW displays.