Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple

Hồ Hoàn Kiếm / Đền Ngọc Sơn

A red bridge to an island temple: Hanoi's ground zero

Hours

Lake shore always open. Ngoc Son roughly 7am–6pm, later at weekends (reports say 9–10pm). Pedestrian zone Fri 7pm to Sun midnight

Tickets

Lake free. Ngoc Son Temple 50,000 VND adults, free under 16 (pay at the gate)

Address

Dinh Tien Hoang Street on the east shore; Ngoc Son Temple sits off the northeast bank, reached by the red The Huc Bridge

Open a map of Hanoi and this lake is the dot in the middle. At 6am the shoreline belongs to women doing fan dances; by midday wedding couples have claimed every bench. Cross the red wooden The Huc Bridge on the northeast side to reach Ngoc Son Temple, where a preserved giant turtle from the lake lies in a glass case. The temple takes 30–40 minutes; after that, walk the roughly 1.7 km loop and look for Turtle Tower on its islet. From Friday evening to Sunday night the lakeside roads close to traffic and fill with families and street performers.