Hanoi is perhaps not the best place to head for if you are an especially active character as outdoor sports and pursuits are somewhat limited. However, if you’re tired of wandering around fairly aimlessly on your own then you might want to consider some of the activities listed below.
There are a few opportunities to get out of the urban jungle and others to enjoy cultural or leisure pursuits.
Golf course in Hanoi:
The King’s Island Golf course is the only course in the whole of the north of Vietnam and is situated a short distance from the city centre at the King\'s Island Golf Resort and Country Club. The course has 36 holes and offers magnificent views of the Ba Vi Mountain and the waters of the Dong Mo Reservoir. A club house offers a place to relax and a fantastic restaurant serving Vietnamese, Thai and Western food.
Biking around Hanoi:
There are several companies offering biking tours in Hanoi and most reputable tour agents will have deals with them so you shouldn’t struggle to get details if you’re interested.
Tours are a mixture of on-road cycling and dirt tracks so it’s probably not entirely accurate to describe them as mountain biking excursions. Typically the tours last several days and cover fairly significant distances with Hanoi to Kimboi via Hanam and HoaBinh and Hanoi to Hoa Lu via Bat Trang just two of the more popular routes offered.
Hanoi City Tours:
At agents of the popular Sinhcafe Travel Company, it’s possible to book tours of the city of Hanoi which take in all the popular sights. Typically a one-day tour will visit the Ngoc Son temple, the Dong Xuan market, the Old Citadel, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Quan Thanh Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Ethnology Museum, the Literature Temple and Quoc Tu Giam.
Cooking Classes in Hanoi:
You can find cookery classes in Hanoi but unlike other SE Asian destinations, they are not aimed at backpackers or budget travellers. The high class hotels invariably offer these courses which are normally one-day affairs and begin with a trip to the local market for an introduction to the fresh ingredients used in Vietnamese cuisine, followed by a day back at the hotel spent preparing a number of popular dishes.
Swimming in Hanoi:
There is a modest selection of pools available in Hanoi including the Oriental Park Swimming Pool on Tay Ho St. and the Hanoi Water Park also in the Tay Ho district. Several hotels including the Hanoi Sofitel and the Thang Loi hotel, have their own pools some of which are available to guests only while others can be used by the general public also provided you pay the required fee.
- Hanoi travel guide
- Vietnam tour package
