You will be picked up at your hotel by private car with an English speaking guide and taken to visit some prominent museums of Hanoi. Start first with Hoa Lo museum, which is the leftover of the French Central Prison built in 1896 to detain Vietnamese dissidents. The museum offers much interesting information on the French justice system, which resorted to unforgiving punishments to crack down political opposition. During the Vietnam War, Hoa Lo was referred to as Hilton Hanoi by the shot-down American pilots imprisoned here. Move on to the Museum of Vietnamese History, which chronologically presents a clear picture of the country’s civilization since the pre-historic time throughout feudal dynasties via assorted displays and artifacts of cultural and ethological significance.
Next, visit Hoan Kiem Lake “Returned Sword Lake”, the center point of Hanoi and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and the Ngoc Son Temple located on an islet in the lake before touring the city’s Old Quarter by Cyclo.