Hanoi · Things to do

Confucian temple and Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070, with stone stelae recording doctoral graduates from the fifteenth century onward. Open daily 08:00 to 17:00; 70,000 VND for adults, 35,000 for students and over-60s, free under 16. A separate evening tour runs Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 18:30 to 22:00.

The surviving wing of the French colonial prison later used to hold American aircrew, at 1 Hỏa Lò in the centre. Open 08:00 to 17:00 every day including public holidays and Tết; take the audio guide, and read the displays knowing they argue a case.

UNESCO-listed royal citadel at 19C Hoàng Diệu in Ba Đình, open 08:00 to 17:00 daily, taking in excavated palace foundations, the Đoan Môn gate and the D67 command bunker used during the American war. Day tickets can be bought online; night tours are booked separately on 084 845 5222.

The country's main archaeological collection, from Đông Sơn bronze drums to the Nguyễn dynasty, in Ernest Hébrard's 1932 Indochinese-style building at 1 Tràng Tiền. Open 08:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:00 every day except Monday, with a second building across the road covering the revolutionary period.

The lake the city is built around, with Ngọc Sơn temple on an islet reached by the red Thê Húc bridge and a preserved giant softshell turtle inside. Small entry fee for the temple; the lakeside is at its best just after dawn, when the exercise groups have it.