A trip to another country would not be complete without a city tour. On the eighth day, we explored Hanoi and visited some of its most famous landmarks.
Our first destination was Ba Đình Square, where Ho Chi Minh is laid to rest. After that, we visited the Temple of Literature. It is one of the most famous historical places in Vietnam. We saw many old stone tablets and many people came there to pray and visit the temple.
Next, we went to Al Noor Mosque again. This was the same mosque where we had our first Friday prayer in Vietnam. This time, we performed the Dhuhr prayer before continuing our trip.
Before visiting the next destination, we had free time to find lunch with our own groups. My group decided to eat at Little Charm Hostel. It is not only a restaurant but also a hostel for tourists. The prices were very affordable, and many meals cost less than 100,000 VND.
After lunch, we continued to Train Street, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hanoi. People come there to watch the train pass very close to the cafés and houses.
My two friends and I arrived about five minutes before the train passed, and none of the other groups had arrived yet. After we watched the train, our other friends finally came. They had to wait about one more hour to see the next train.
Since we had already seen the train, the three of us continued to our last destination, Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Before arriving at the lake, we stopped at a Uniqlo store for a short time while waiting for the others.
On the way to Hoàn Kiếm Lake, we also saw St. Joseph's Cathedral, one of the most famous churches in Vietnam and a popular tourist destination. Visiting the church was not part of our official schedule, so we only stopped to take a few photos before continuing our journey.
When we arrived at Hoàn Kiếm Lake, we visited another Uniqlo store and then met the rest of our group. That was the end of our city tour. After that, we returned to our accommodation to rest.