What the walk covers
Hanoi does not hide its wars. This route takes the two places where that history is most concentrated, and a guide young enough that the wars are family history rather than memory — which is its own kind of perspective.
Highlights
- Hoa Lo Prison, the colonial jail nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton
- The Military History Museum and its courtyard of tanks, guns and aircraft
- On Mondays and Fridays, the French Quarter route instead
- The French, American and Chinese conflicts explained in sequence
- Hanoi from the point of view of someone who grew up here
Itinerary
The walk starts at 9:00 AM or 2:00 PM from your hotel. Which version you get depends on the day of the week.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday — the museum route
The Military History Museum on Dien Bien Phu street covers the French and American wars and the border conflicts with China. Inside there are photographs and objects; outside there are tanks, artillery and aircraft parked on the grass, which is what most visitors remember.
Then Hoa Lo Prison. The French built it for Vietnamese political prisoners; American pilots held there later gave it the sardonic name Hanoi Hilton. Most of the building was demolished in 1996 to make way for the tower block that now stands over it, but the southern corner was kept as a memorial. You can see the original cells with their leg irons, and bilingual displays covering conditions under the colonial administration.
Monday and Friday — the French Quarter route
When the museum is closed the route shifts to the colonial city: St Joseph's Cathedral, Hoan Kiem Lake, then Le Thach street with the State Bank building at the end of it. Turning onto Ngo Quyen you pass the Government Guesthouse, once the residence of the Governor of Tonkin.
Opposite is the small park with the statue of Ly Thai To, where the cyclo drivers wait — hop on if you have had enough walking. Next to it stands the Sofitel Metropole, built in 1901 and one of only three five-star hotels in Asia over a century old. There is the option of a drink there or at the Press Club on Ly Dao Thanh, then the Opera House to finish.
What is included, and what is not
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| An English-speaking student guide for the whole walk | Entrance tickets to museums and sites |
| Route planning and hotel pick-up | Food, drinks and snacks along the way |
| Confirmation by email before the day | Taxis, ride-hailing or any transport |
| Your personal expenses, and your guide's share of tickets and meals |
Changes, cancellation and weather
If you cannot make the walk, tell us at least three hours before the departure time so we can let your guide know and offer the slot to someone else.
If weather or an unexpected closure affects a route after it has started, we may change the itinerary for everyone's safety. Where there is more than one sensible option, your guide will ask you before deciding.
Before you set off
- Tell us the ages of anyone in your group when you book, so the guide can set the right pace.
- Wear shoes you can walk several kilometres in, and cover shoulders and knees if pagodas or the Mausoleum are on the route.
- Photographs taken on the walk may be used in club promotion. If you would rather they were not, say so in the booking and we will not use them.
Book this walk
- Days
- 1
Sending this does not charge you. We hold the space and confirm within 24 hours.