Explore the colonial quarter and Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum

Beyond the Old Quarter, Hanoi's French colonial legacy lines the grander boulevards with elegant villas, the Opera House, and tree-shaded avenues. Nearby sits the solemn Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, where the country's founding leader lies in state (free to view the exterior and grounds, with a strict dress code if you go inside), along with the charming One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university. Many of these cost little or nothing. We'll suggest a route linking the colonial highlights and explain the mausoleum's opening quirks.