Program details:
Start our visit at historic Ba Dinh complex. Visit Ba Dinh Square, where the former President Ho Chi Minh read Viet Nam’s Declaration of Independence on 2 September 1945. The complex includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (having a look from outside only), as well as One-Pillar Pagoda, a must-see monument in Ha Noi. One-Pillar Pagoda is an ancient Buddhist pagoda built in the early 11th century during the reign of King Ly Thai Tong. The building resembles a lotus blossom and gets its name from its lone support pillar. Continue to the Temple of Literature, the first University for the Sons of mandarins, for an overview about Hanoian culture and appreciation for ancient Vietnamese architecture.
Enjoy a tasty local lunch before paying a visit to the infamous Hoa Lo prison – known as “the Ha Noi Hilton” during the Vietnam War. Those incarcerated at Hoa Lo included Pete Peterson, who later became the first US Ambassador to a unified Viet Nam in 1995 and Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee for the US presidency in 2008.
Conclude our day by exploring Hanoi's historic Old Quarter with a xích lô (pedicab). Stop for Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple before returning to the hotel.
Time: 08:30 – 12:00 /13:00 – 16:30