Private tour · 1–4 guests · tailored to you
Hanoi Full-Day Private Tour: Scholars, Temples and Streets
A thousand years of Hanoi in one day, told by a licensed local guide who speaks fluent English: the Ho Chi Minh complex, Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, the Temple of Literature with a calligraphy session, lunch, Hoa Lo Prison, the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake on foot, and a water puppet show to finish.
Your sample day, stop by stop
What the private price actually buys
A car for your group, all day
Air conditioned, with pickup at your hotel and drop-off wherever you ask.
One guide, one story
A licensed local who ties the day together: scholars, emperors, the colonial era, the war, and the city people live in now.
Timed to the city
The mausoleum while it opens, the temple before the crowds, the Old Quarter as the light softens.
A calligraphy session
Your first characters written with a scholar-calligrapher at the Temple of Literature.
Lunch and the puppet show
A sit-down lunch of Hanoi dishes and seats at the Thang Long water puppets.
Every fee included, no shop stops
Tickets, the show and lunch are already paid, and the day never detours to a shop.
Duration
About 9 hours
Departure
08:00
Pickup
Any hotel in Hanoi
from · $84 · / personChoose group size ›
Price is the total for the whole group, not per person
Solo traveller$195 BOOK →2 guests$240 BOOK →3 guests$285 BOOK →4 guests$335 BOOK →Price is for your whole group · free to cancel until 3 days before · the route bends to you
The day, hour by hour
This is a sample day: skip a stop, stay longer at the temple, or swap the prison for a museum. The order follows opening hours and the light.
Pickup · 08:00 · your hotel in Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh complex and One Pillar Pagoda
08:20 · about 75 minutes · on foot
Grounds ticket included
2 photos · tap to enlarge
Ba Dinh Square, the mausoleum, the Presidential Palace gardens and the stilt house, and the small One Pillar Pagoda. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum opens only in the morning, is closed on Mondays and Fridays, and closes for several weeks each year for maintenance. On those days we visit the Presidential Palace grounds, the stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda instead.
Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake
09:45 · about 30 minutes
No entry fee
Hanoi’s oldest pagoda, on a spit of land in the city’s largest lake, with its tall red tower of stacked shrines.
The Temple of Literature, with calligraphy
10:30 · about 105 minutes · on foot
Ticket and calligraphy session included
3 photos · tap to enlarge
The heart of the day: the five courtyards of Vietnam’s first university, the doctors’ steles read aloud, and a calligraphy session in which you write a word of your own to take home.
Lunch · 12:15 · about an hour · Hanoi dishes at a local restaurant
Hoa Lo Prison
13:30 · about 60 minutes
Ticket included
Built by the French to hold Vietnamese prisoners and later known to American airmen as the “Hanoi Hilton”. A hard hour, and an important one.
The Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake on foot
14:45 · about 75 minutes · on foot
Ngoc Son Temple ticket included
2 photos · tap to enlarge
The trade streets of the Old Quarter, the lake at the centre of the city’s legend, and Ngoc Son Temple across the red Huc Bridge.
Water puppets
16:10 · about 50 minutes
Show seats included
Village stories performed on water with a live traditional orchestra — a gentle, joyful end to a long day.
Drop-off · around 17:15 · your hotel or anywhere you ask in Hanoi
One city, nine hours, your group only
Pick your group size. The total already covers the car, the licensed guide, every ticket, the calligraphy session, lunch and the puppet show — and the route can still change before you travel.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$195 BOOK →2 guests$240 BOOK →3 guests$285 BOOK →4 guests$335 BOOK →Total for your group · free to cancel until 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081A different start time, a slower pace or five of you? Message us for a plan and a single price. ›What is in the price
The car, the guide, six stops, lunch and the show, in one group price.
Included
- Licensed local guide who speaks fluent English, for the whole day
- Private air-conditioned car, pickup and drop-off at your hotel or anywhere you ask in Hanoi
- Ho Chi Minh complex and One Pillar Pagoda, then Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake
- The Temple of Literature in depth, with a calligraphy session
- Hoa Lo Prison, the Old Quarter on foot, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
- A water puppet show, lunch of Hanoi dishes, every entrance fee and bottled water
Not included
− Drinks beyond the water we bring and what comes with lunch
− Anything you buy for yourself
− A tip for your guide and driver — never expected, always welcome
− Travel insurance, which we recommend you carry
Is this the right tour for you?
A good fit if
You have one full day for Hanoi and want it to make sense, not just be seen.
You like history told as stories about people.
You are a couple, a family or a small group and want the day to bend to your pace.
You would rather not organise tickets, taxis and lunch yourself.
Look elsewhere if
Price is the deciding factor. Group city tours cost far less per person.
You dislike long days. Nine hours with a lot of walking is tiring, especially in summer.
You only care about the Temple of Literature. The half day covers it in more depth.
Seeing the inside of the mausoleum matters most and your dates fall on a Monday, a Friday or during its annual closure.
If a whole day is too much, the half-day tour gives the Temple of Literature more time and has you free by lunch. See the Temple of Literature half-day tour. Or tell us what matters most and we will build the day around it.
Questions before you book
About the day
Why this order?
It follows the city: the mausoleum opens only in the morning, the Temple of Literature is calmer before midday, the Old Quarter is best as the light softens, and the puppet show makes an easy end.
Can we see inside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum?
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum opens only in the morning, is closed on Mondays and Fridays, and closes for several weeks each year for maintenance. On those days we visit the Presidential Palace grounds, the stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda instead.
How much walking is there?
About five kilometres across the day, broken into short stretches, with the car meeting you between stops.
Will our guide speak good English?
Yes. Your guide is licensed, speaks fluent English and carries one thread through the day, from the scholars to the war to the streets of today.
What happens if it rains?
Rain does not stop this tour: the halls, the prison museum and the puppet theatre are under roof. In heavy rain we shorten the outdoor walks and tell you the evening before if the order changes.
Can we change the route?
Yes. Drop a stop, add a museum, or spend longer at the temple. Let us know when booking and we confirm the plan and a single price in writing.
Before you book
Is that price per person?
No. The price covers your whole party of one to four. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest. Five or more are quoted on WhatsApp.
How do we pay?
You can pay the full amount online by card or PayPal when you book, or pay a 30% deposit online and give the remaining 70% to your guide in cash on the day, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. With the cash option we send the deposit invoice by WhatsApp or email, and your place is confirmed once it is paid.
What if we need to cancel?
Cancelling at least 3 days (72 hours) before the tour is free: the whole payment is returned, and changing the date costs nothing if there is space. Within 3 days, no-shows included, we keep 30% of the tour price, because the guide, the car, your show seats and the calligraphy session are already reserved for you.
Where and when is pickup and drop-off?
Pickup at your hotel in Hanoi at 08:00; drop-off around 17:15 at your hotel or anywhere else you ask in the city. Your guide will be in the lobby at the time we agree and waits 20 minutes.
What should we wear?
Shoulders and knees should be covered at the Temple of Literature, pagodas and especially the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where guards turn away shorts and sleeveless tops.
Book the full day
Tell us the date and how many of you there are. We reply on WhatsApp, normally within minutes, and confirm your pickup time and your licensed guide’s name that same day.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$195 BOOK →2 guests$240 BOOK →3 guests$285 BOOK →4 guests$335 BOOK →Total for your group · free to cancel until 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081A different start time, a slower pace or five of you? Message us for a plan and a single price. ›