Heart of Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi: the Lê Thái Tổ memorial, the red Thê Húc Bridge, the Ngọc Sơn Temple with its giant turtle, the Turtle Tower and the Hòa Phong Tower.
Hanoi, Vietnam
Hanoi Audio Guide
Explore Hanoi with 33 audio stops and researched, fact-checked narration. From the lake of the returned sword to the mausoleum on Ba Dinh Square, every place explains how a thousand years of imperial capital, French colony and war overlap on the same streets.
- ~7h of audio
- 7 routes · 33 audio stops
- Offline mode
- English and Spanish
- 7Landmarks
- 33Audios
- ~7hOf narration
Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0
7 audio guides in Hanoi
-
-
Historic quarter
Hanoi Old Quarter
Hanoi Old Quarter: the Ô Quan Chưởng Gate, Đồng Xuân Market, the lanterns of Hàng Mã, the Bạch Mã Temple and the silver street, Hàng Bạc.
-
Vietnam's first university
Temple of Literature
What to see at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi: the Khuê Văn Các pavilion, the 82 steles of doctors on turtles and the altar of Confucius.
-
UNESCO World Heritage
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
What to see at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long: the Đoan Môn Gate, the Kính Thiên dragons, bunker D67, the archaeological site and the North Gate.
-
Mausoleum and independence square
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi: Soviet-inspired granite on the independence platform site, Ba Dinh Square, 79 cycads, the honour guard and the Uncle's glass case.
-
Colonial prison museum
Hoa Lo Prison
What to see at Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi: the Maison Centrale gateway, the French guillotine, the political prisoners' wards and the “Hanoi Hilton” room.
-
Buddhist temple
Tran Quoc Pagoda
What to see at the Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi: the red 11-storey stupa, the Indian bodhi of 1959, the golden Buddha and the steles of the city's oldest pagoda.
Hanoi Audio Guide
What to see in Hanoi with the EarGuide audio guide
Hanoi grew between the citadel of Thăng Long and the Red River, and keeps its layers within a few kilometres. In the centre, Hoan Kiem Lake, the remnant of an old arm of the river, owes its name to the sword that, according to legend, Lê Lợi returned to a golden turtle; to the north spreads the Old Quarter, where every street still bears the name of the trade that settled it, silver on Hàng Bạc and votive paper on Hàng Mã. To the west, the Temple of Literature, raised in 1070, housed Vietnam's first university and keeps 82 steles of doctors on stone turtles; the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long stacks a thousand years of palaces underground beside the bunker from which the war was directed until 1975, and on Ba Dinh Square the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum rises where independence was proclaimed in 1945. Hoa Lo Prison, from 1896, held Vietnamese revolutionaries and American pilots, and on an islet in West Lake the Tran Quoc Pagoda, born in the 6th century, is held to be the oldest in the city.
With the EarGuide Hanoi audio guide, every place reveals its history through narration researched and fact-checked against historical sources. Unlike a free walking tour or a conventional guided visit, you set the pace, the order and the stops. No groups, no timetables, no internet connection.
-
No internet needed
Download the routes before you head out and explore without using data.
-
Smart geolocation
The narration starts by itself when you reach the point of interest.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the Hanoi audio guide
How much does the Hanoi audio guide cost?
The EarGuide app is free. The Hanoi audio guide includes 7 independent routes with almost seven hours of narration spread across 7 sites and 33 audio stops, and it is found inside the app itself.
Do I need an internet connection to use the audio guide?
No. EarGuide works entirely offline. Download the routes over WiFi before you set out and you can use the audio guide with no connection and no data use throughout your visit. The map shows your GPS position in real time even without coverage.
What languages is the Hanoi audio guide available in?
The Hanoi audio guide is available in Spanish and English, with researched, fact-checked narration on the imperial capital of Thăng Long, colonial Hanoi and the Vietnam War.
How long does the full tour take?
The audio guide brings together 7 independent routes with almost seven hours of narration in total, from 30 to 90 minutes per route. They can be spread over two days: one for Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter and Hoa Lo Prison, and another for the Temple of Literature, the Imperial Citadel, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Tran Quoc Pagoda.
Is the audio guide better than a free walking tour or a guided visit?
They are different experiences. The EarGuide audio guide lets you explore Hanoi without timetables or groups, pause and resume whenever you like, and replay any explanation as often as you need. It suits independent travellers, families and anyone who prefers to understand the city at their own pace, with no prior knowledge of Vietnam.
Which landmarks and points of interest does it include?
The Hanoi audio guide covers 7 main sites: Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ba Dinh Square, Hoa Lo Prison and the Tran Quoc Pagoda.
Can I do it all on foot?
Yes, in two areas. Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter and Hoa Lo Prison are less than a kilometre and a half from one another. The Temple of Literature, the Imperial Citadel and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum form another group, a good kilometre apart and about two kilometres west of the lake; from the mausoleum, the Tran Quoc Pagoda is a little over a kilometre north, on West Lake. Between the two areas you can walk or take a taxi.
Can I use a purchase in the other EarGuide apps or on another phone?
Yes. Purchases belong to your EarGuide account, not to one app or one phone. A city unlocked in the EarGuide app is also unlocked in that city's own app, and the other way round, on both iPhone and Android. Just sign in with the same account on the other device. The store's “restore purchases” button only covers the app the purchase was made in, so signing in is what carries it across.
Download the Hanoi audio guide free
The Hanoi audio guide is inside the EarGuide app, free and ready to use offline. Carry it in your pocket and explore the city at your own pace.
More destinations
More audio guides in Vietnam
-
Ho Chi Minh City
From the cathedral built of bricks shipped from France to the palace whose gates the tanks crashed through in 1975. Explore Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, with audio guides.
