Hanoi is not only the centre of economy, politics but also culture and tourism. Hanoi is the city of lakes. Among its lakes, the most famous are Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, Halais Lake (often misspelled in Western sources as Halair Lake, Hồ Thiền Quang in Vietnamese), and Bay mau Lake. The Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu), site of the oldest university in Vietnam; One Pillar Pagoda (Chùa Một Cột); Flag Tower of Hanoi (Cột cờ Hà Nội); The Old Quarter and Hoàn Kiếm lake. Hanoi is also home to a number of museums; including The Vietnamese National History Museum, The National Museum of Ethnology, The National Museum of Fine Arts and The Revolution Museum.

The Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem lake, has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. At the beginning of the 20th century the city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now part of the old quarter. Each street then comprised of merchants and households specialized in a particular trade, such as silk traders, jewelry, etc. The street names nowadays still reflect these specializations, although few of them remain exclusively in their original commerce. Local cuisine specialties as well as several clubs and bars can be found here also. A night market (near Đồng Xuân market) in the heart of the district opens for business every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening with a variety of clothing, souvenirs and food.

West Lake (Hồ Tây) is a popular place for people to spend time. It is the largest lake in Hanoi and there are many temples in the area. There are small boats for hire and a floating restaurant. The spectacular Ban Gioc Waterfall is 272 km north of Hanoi and is popular for tourists.
In 2004, a massive part of the 900 year old citadel was discovered in central Hanoi, near the site of Ba Dinh square.

Water puppet is a unique art which has it origin in the delta of the Red river in the tenth century. The farmers in this region devised a form of entertainment using what natural medium they can find in their environment. In ancient times, the ponds and the rice paddies after harvest were the stage for these impromptu shows. This art form is unique to North Vietnam and only finds its way to the world stage in recent years as a result of the normalized relation with the West. Today the Thang Long puppet troupe is the most well known in Ha Noi. By watching water puppet, visitors can imagine Vietnamese’s life in the ancient time, therefore, water puppet is considered be a “must see” once visitors come to Hanoi.