The main tourist district of Hanoi is the Old Quarter. This area has some wonderful colonial French architecture and is jam-packed with cafe’s, restaurants, shopping and a beautiful lake. This is the perfect place for a self-guided walking tour; just arm yourself with a Hanoi Old Quarter Map and go exploring!
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The Best Hanoi Old Quarter Map
When it comes to the best Hanoi activities, self-guided walking tours are at the very top of our list. They are free, healthy, kid-friendly, and all done at your own pace. Stop wherever you want, for as long as you want. No tour guide is going to push you around. All you need is a map and 2 feet.
Hanoi Old Quarter Walking Tour #1
Vietnam Online has a terrific Hanoi walking tour map. This starts and ends at the famous Avalon Coffee Lounge at the northern end of Lake Hoan Kiem. Avalon Coffee Lounge is our favourite place to dine and chill out.
There are lots of other great dining options on multiple levels and amazing options on the rooftop with perfect views over Lake Hoan Kiem.
Hanoi Old Quarter Walking Tour #2
Frommers is one of the most trusted travel guides available and has been in publishing guides since 1957. They have over 100 travel guides for purchase and are a trusted name for online travel guides.
Frommers also have a fantastic Hanoi walking tour of the Old Quarter available online. You can download an interactive map of Old Quarter Hanoi using this Google Maps route, showing all the stops on the Frommers tour.
This Hanoi Self Guided Walking Tour takes a leisurely 3 hours to complete and takes in many of the Hanoi top attractions.
Best Hanoi Walking Street – Walking Tour #3
The Best Hanoi Walking Street is found on the northern end of Lake Hoan Kiem. Actually, it’s all the way around the lake, from Friday night through to Sunday night when they close the lake off to traffic.
Barricades are placed on the roadway, stages are erected, and the lake scene becomes a bustling tourist scene. The walk around Lake Hoan Kiem is definitely on the Hanoi must-do activities list.
Here’s a short video of the best Hanoi Walking Street, outside the Avalon Coffee Lounge, along the northern edge of Lake Hoan Kiem.
Lake Hoan Kiem – Walking Tour #4
Lake Hoan Kiem is in the heart of the Old Quarter district and is the historical centre of Hanoi. It is also one of the major scenic attractions of the city and is at the top of the list of Hanoi walking tours.
Here’s a wonderful interactive map of Lake Hoan Kiem, and some information on the major attractions.
History of Lake Hoan Kiem
Apparently, in 1428, the Emperor was boating on Lake Hoan Kiem when a Golden Turtle God came up and asked him for his Magic Sword. The sword was given to him earlier by the Dragon King God.
So they call this “The lake of the Restored Sword” (Hoan Kiem Lake in Vietnamese).
At one end is a 300-year-old island temple, “The Temple of the Jade Mountain”. At the other end of the lake is “Turtle Island”, which has an ancient TURTLE TOWER built on it. That’s because the lake was inhabited by giant turtles.
Sadly the very last turtle died in 2016. Our first tour of the lake was a day trip to the temple on Jade Island. To get to the Temple, you walk across a fantastic red footbridge where you are greeted by a toll booth charging 30,000 dong for adults (about $2). Free entry for children, yay!
We did not find the temple especially exciting, however, it is a great opportunity to hone your photography skills on the many bonsai and flower exhibitions. There is also one of the giant turtles on display (dead of course) in a giant glass display, about 1.5m in length.
Road Closure Around the Lake
Each Friday morning they erect barricades on all streets around the lake to stop the maddening road traffic. And they also erect a large stage in the middle of the main road. They do this every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
It attracts hordes of people, both local and tourist to come and enjoy the lake for the entire weekend. We were advised by our hotel staff to do our walk around the lake during the week because the weekends get rather busy.
The lake is completely surrounded by shopping outlets and eateries so it is a food, shopping and entertainment extravaganza.
The western side of Lake Hoan Kiem
To circumnavigate the lake by foot takes about 40 minutes if you walk fast, or 2-3 hours at a leisurely pace. We started at the northern end of the lake, and the first stop was at the COFFEE CLUB overlooking the northern roundabout.
It fronts onto the stage where we were treated to a stringed orchestra on the stage reciting some Russian symphony orchestra hits. Very entertaining, with ample photo opportunities from the fourth floor of the Coffee Club.
As you set off on your walk you will see sidewalks lined with vendors selling ice creams and hordes of local kids devouring them by the truckload. This truly is a family affair.
Stroll down the western side and you will find there are not many people and some medium-priced cafes dotted along the way. Very few shops but some large government looking buildings.
Southern Side of Lake Hoan Kiem
At the southern end of the lake, you will find a whole different scene. Branded cosmetic outlets, expensive handbag shops, boutique hotels and designer shopping malls.
This is undoubtedly the luxury end of the lake catering for the upper-class tourist. Whilst the northern end of the lake is dominated by ridiculously cheap market style shopping, the southern end of the lake is dominated by branded handbags and high-end outlets.
Western Side of Lake Hoan Kiem
Next, we set off along the western side of the lake. As it turns out there is a large park area on this side of the lake and the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra was in full swing performing a concert. Symphony orchestras are very popular in Vietnam.
There were literally tens of thousands jamming in to see the large screens and the magnificent sound systems which were set up. It was a pick-pockets heaven so we got through this area as quickly as we could hold on tightly to wallets and phones.
Apparently, this is the artistic side of the lake. As well as the orchestral performance there were areas of ballroom dancing and street portrait artists everywhere.
Back to the Start
Northern side means Nike factory outlet stores. Actually, all the big name sports shoes were on sale for a measly 300,000 dong per pair ($17). You can probably bargain these down to about $13 per pair and fill your suitcases!.
Of course, there are all sorts of different product with factory outlets, as well as a variety of Vietnamese souvenir shops. Awesome shopping with variety and good prices. But they need to be because big night markets are less than ten minutes work away with a mind-boggling variety.
The Best of the Hanoi Old Quarter Walks
We loved the walk around Lake Hoan Kiem the best. The lake walk on the weekend is a wonderful activity, and very cheap. Kids will love it because there is an explosion of activity to keep their senses aroused and remain thoroughly entertained. It is safe from road traffic thanks to the traffic barricades.
But you do need to hold your wallet tightly in the busy areas due to pickpocketers. You will find unlimited food and drink options, a variety of street entertainment and a huge variety of shopping options for all budgets.
You will also find sensational photo opportunities along the lake, especially at night. Definitely give the lake walk a go if you are in the Old Quarter of Hanoi!
Plan Ahead For Your Hanoi Trip
Going to Hanoi? If you would like to do some more research here are some great resources available.
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