National Historical Museum - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Opera House erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911, it was modeled on the Palais Garnier, the older of Paris's two opera houses. After the departure of the French, the opera house became the scene for several political events as well as the scene of street fighting during the fight for Hanoi.

Hoan Kiem Lake means "Lake of the Returned Sword". According to the legend, after defeating the Ming China in early 1428, Emperor Lê Lợi was boating on the lake when a Golden Turtle God surfaced and asked for his magic sword. Lợi concluded that the turtle god had come to reclaim the sword that its master, a local God, the Dragon King had given to Lợi. The Emperor later gave the sword back to the turtle after he finished fighting off the Chinese.

Materials, photos and objects displayed in the permanent exhibition show the role the Vietnamese women played in history and currently play in arts and in family life. The museum also organizes thematic exhibitions to show changes and development of the contemporary society.

Late 19th-century Neo-Gothic style church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi to nearly 4 million Catholics in the country. Construction of the church began in 1886, with the architectural style described as resembling Notre Dame de Paris. The church was one of the first structures built by the French colonial government in Indochina when it opened in December 1886. It is the oldest church in Hanoi.

Bat Trang, traditional porcelain and pottery village with history of seven centuries, is an interesting attraction in Hanoi that tourists should not ignore. Located in an area rich in clay, the village has advantage of ingredients to create fine ceramics. Moreover, lying besides the Red river, between Thang Long and Pho Hien, two ancient trade centers in the north of Vietnam during 15th-17th century, Bat Trang’s ceramics were favorite products not only in domestic market, but also foreign.

Hỏa Lò Prison was a prison used by the French colonists in French Indochina for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. The prison was demolished during the 1990s, although the gatehouse remains as a museum.