Wat Chaiyo or Wat Ket Chaiyo was built during the Ayutthaya Period. It became important during the reign of King Rama IV. The venerable Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phromrangsi) of Wat Rakhang Khositaram built the large Buddha image in a subduing Mara gesture and placed it outdoors. However, the image collapsed soon after construction. He re-built it in the same pose but smaller, covered it in plaster and without gold leaf. As the image could be seen from far, the villagers called it Luangpho To (meaning huge image). Further temple restoration during the reign of King Rama V the Buddha image collapsed again. The King ordered the renovation of the image with steel bars inside. The new image was covered in gold leaf and monks’ robes and was given the new name by King Rama V the Great “Phra Maha Phutthaphim”. A new main chapel was constructed to house the image. Upon completion, King Rama V the Great established the temple as one of the royal temples.
To pay respect to Luangpho ...
Ô Quan Chưởng, also known as the Old East Gate or Đông Hà Môn, stands as the last remaining outer city gate of historic Thăng Long, the forerunner of modern Hanoi.
Constructed in 1749 during the tenth year of the Cảnh Hưng era under King Lê Hiển Tông, it formed part of the network of outer fortifications that once enclosed the capital.
The gate controlled access on the eastern side of the city walls, standing roughly eighty meters from the old Red River landing and serving the commercial ward of Đông Hà.
It was rebuilt in 1817 under Emperor Gia Long of the Nguyễn dynasty, retaining the form largely visible today: a brick and stone structure with three arched openings and an upper pavilion once used by guards for observation.
Above the central arch the characters for Đông Hà Môn remain, while a stone stele placed in 1881 by Governor Hoàng Diệu records an order forbidding gate keepers from harassing residents. The popular name Quan Chưởng is traditionally linked to stories...
Long Bien Market, known locally as Chợ Long Biên, sits near the northern edge of Hanoi’s Old Quarter beside the historic Long Bien Bridge. For generations it has served as one of the city’s main wholesale hubs for fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs and other produce.
Goods arrive overnight by truck from farms across northern Vietnam and beyond, feeding the network of smaller morning markets and restaurants that keep Hanoi supplied each day.
The market’s rhythm is dictated by the night: activity builds after midnight, reaches its height in the early hours, and gradually winds down toward dawn as traders pack up and move on for the day to repeat it again the following morning.
What visitors encounter is a working wholesale space rather than a polished tourist market. Narrow lanes fill with crates of greens, mountains of seasonal fruit, sacks of herbs and the constant movement of porters, vendors and buyers.
Bargaining is direct and practical. The air carries the scent of fresh earth, ...
Hỏa Lò Prison, known to American prisoners of war as the “Hanoi Hilton,” is one of Hanoi’s most powerful historical sites, linking the eras of French colonial rule and the Vietnam War.
Built by the French between 1896 and 1901 as Maison Centrale, it was designed to hold Vietnamese political prisoners and revolutionaries.
Overcrowding, shackles, solitary cells, and a guillotine defined life inside its thick stone walls. After 1954 the prison came under North Vietnamese control, and from 1964 to 1973 it held captured American pilots, including John McCain. Most of the complex was demolished in the early 1990s, leaving only the gatehouse and a portion of the original structures, which now serve as a museum.
Located at 1 Hỏa Lò Street in Hoàn Kiếm District, a short distance from Hoàn Kiếm Lake, the museum is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Adult tickets cost 50,000 VND, with discounts for students and seniors and free entry for children under 16. An audio guide is available for an...
