Hoàn Kiếm Lake is one of the National Special Relics of Hoàn Kiếm District, which is considered a must-visit area for tourists in Hà Nội. VNS Photo Đoàn Tùng

Thanh Hà

HÀ NỘI — Lying in the heart of the nation's capital, Hoàn Kiếm District is a hub of tourism that preserves the country's cultural and historical values. The district also has unique and interesting features for visitors, while local authorities believe that it still has potential to explore.

"The district is considered a 'museum' showing the ancient urban lifestyle of Việt Nam, an attractive destination for those who want to learn about Thăng Long - Đông Đô - Hà Nội," said Trần Trung Hiếu, deputy director of the municipal Department of Tourism.

"The area of ​​36 ancient and modern streets has a lot of bustling activity day and night, and is a diverse economic and cultural centre. In particular, the Old Quarter is a heritage treasure of the capital's tourism, with a strong attraction for tourists, especially international visitors."

Attractive destinations

Formally established in 1961, Hoàn Kiếm is home to nearly 200 relics and landmarks in an area of over 5.3sq.km, according to the local People's Committee.

The district stands as the administrative, political, economic and cultural nucleus of Hà Nội, embodying the rich historical and cultural traditions of Thăng Long-Hà Nội, a city with over a millennium of civilisation.

Destinations include highlights such as the National Special Relic of Scenic Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Ngọc Sơn Temple, and Bạch Mã Temple; National Relic of the Old Quarter, Heritage House at 87 Mã Mây, the Kim Ngân, Đồng Lạc and Nam Hương communal houses and Ô Quan Chưởng Gate. 

A guide introduces tourists to the architecture and function of the typical 'tube' house and the lifestyle of ancient Hà Nội people at the Heritage House at 87 Mã Mây Street. VNS Photo Thanh Hà

Other places that have earned people's attention include the iconic 'Hàng' streets, such as Hàng Bạc Street with its crafting and trading of jewellery, and Hàng Mã with its votive offerings; other special streets with specific products like Lãn Ông Street with its traditional medicine, Hàng Thiếc with its tin casting and household goods and Hàng Bồ with haberdashery shops selling threads, zips, buttons and fabric.

In particular, the areas of Tạ Hiện, Lương Ngọc Quyến, Cầu Gỗ and Tống Duy Tân streets are home to many restaurants and street food stalls selling typical Hà Nội cuisine.

Hoàn Kiếm's strong attraction for tourists is partly from its nightly music and dance performances at the Cultural and Art Centre and the Old Quarter Exchange Centre, where visitors can also witness traditional festivals and the making of classic handicrafts from the old quarter and Hà Nội's craft villages. 

"Tourism products in Hoàn Kiếm District, and especially in the Old Quarter, are increasingly rich and diverse. In addition to traditional sightseeing tours, there are notable walking street activities on weekends, cultural performances in the evening and food streets and more," said Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền, head of the district Department of Culture, Science and Information.

An artisan from the Chuôn Ngọ Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Village works on a piece at the Hà Nội Old Quarter Cultural Exchange Centre. VNS Photo Thanh Hà

She said that Hoàn Kiếm visitors could also amuse themselves on book street, check out the cultural space on Phùng Hưng Street and the area under Long Biên Bridge, and learn about culture at the Hoàn Kiếm Lake Cultural Information Centre and Hà Nội Cultural Space, along with perusing typical shopping spots.

Catching the digital trend, authorities have also built tourism-related apps like Ẩm thực Hoàn Kiếm, Du Lịch Hoàn Kiếm and an electronic version of the Hoàn Kiếm District tourist guide to provide timely tourist information for visitors.

“Currently, Hoàn Kiếm's Old Quarter is an indispensable destination on tourists' journeys to explore the capital when they are in the northern region. On average, every weekend, our walking streets welcome about 20,000 visitors. In 2024 alone, the number of international tourists staying overnight in our area was about 2.2 million, with tourism revenue set to increase by 48.5 per cent.”

Shortcomings and potential

Although the district, especially the Old Quarter area, has undeniable strengths, experts say that these strong points have not yet been exploited to their full potential.

An artisan shows off his toys to visitors at the Culture and Arts Centre at 22 Hàng Buồm Street. VNS Photo Thanh Hà

Some of these points of view were shared at a conference on Upgrading Service Quality and Connecting Tourist Destinations in Hoàn Kiếm District with Travel Agencies in Hà Nội.

The most pressing issue is that currently, tours around the Old Quarter are monotonous, failing to introduce the area's quintessential cultural features to tourists. This is due to the lack of cooperation between travel companies and destination managers.

Director of Travelogy Vietnam Vũ Văn Tuyên said that while visiting the Old Quarter, tourists all want to discover delicious cuisine and shop for local products.

However, there is no reputable shopping mall or shopping area that can meet this need. In reality, shopping spots in the Old Quarter are mostly spontaneous businesses, so it is difficult to manage prices and quality, and could lead to visitors purchasing fake and counterfeit goods.

“We want to have key tours that are surveyed, selected, standardised, inspected and tested by state agencies. These tours will not only be highly reliable for tourists, but also promote the best of the Old Quarter culture,” Tuyên said.

Nhữ Thị Ngần, general director of Hà Nội Tourism Investment JSC, presented an idea on how to organise experiential activities.

"We need to build programmes to welcome guests by theme, exploring historical sites for example. To get guests to come back a second time, we have to organise weekly and themed tours to craft villages, performance and art spaces, and farm tours. The diverse themes make our tourism lively and even help it become a living culture," she said.

A music show is performed regularly in the Old Quarter area. VNS Photo Thanh Hà

Meanwhile, Đặng Duy Trung Hiếu, chairman of Vietnam Express Tour and vice chairman of Hà Nội Tourism Association, emphasised the role of tourist maps and technology apps.

"The tourist map is very important, it needs to be distributed everywhere for tourists. We need to develop a tourism application that can tell stories about our heritage and provide information about pharmacies, hospitals, toilets and other necessities," said Hiếu.

"At these sites, we should create QR codes for tourists to scan and understand more about the destinations. We can organise treasure hunt games, or a tourist passport. After completing 5-10 tasks or checking in at enough places, they will receive gifts, creating an interesting experience for them."

Director of the Việt Nam Institute for Tourism Development Research Nguyễn Anh Tuấn said to push tourism further, Hoàn Kiếm needs to have a communication strategy to promote its advantages and products, build strong ties between relevant units and a plan to connect destinations, creating impressive tours for visitors. VNS