- Vietnam National Museum of History (Tuesday to Sunday): Explore Vietnam’s history during the French colonial period, the Vietnam War (Resistance War against the U.S.), and conflicts with the Khmer Rouge and China.
- The Air Defense - Air Force Museum (on Monday): A repository of heroic chapters in Vietnamese history—especially during the resistance wars against the French and the Americans—showcasing the remarkable feats of Vietnam’s air defense and air force branches.
- B-52 Victory Museum (Optional) – Witness the wreckage of a B-52 bomber, the largest and most advanced U.S. bomber of the 1970s. The museum also showcases missiles used to shoot down B-52s, anti-aircraft artillery, and fighter jets of the Vietnamese military.
- Hoa Lo Prison – A dark prison used by the French to detain Vietnamese revolutionaries, later holding American pilots during the Vietnam War, famously nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton Hotel" by U.S. prisoners.
My tour guide was so knowledgeable about Vietnam history and taught me so much, best tour guide he was very funny and has a great sense of humour. I would definitely recommend him for sure, ask for ~Nam Tran
Julia was a great guide on this tour. It was fascinating and she had great answers to all my questions. A very cool tour guide and interesting museums. Recommended for anyone who wants to hear an additional perspective on the conflicts in Vietnam. Definitely recommend Julia as a guide!
Van was amazing. It was clear she loves her country and is extremely knowledgeable and tells the history so clearly. I highly recommend the excursion!
Exceptional, tour guide Van was very knowledgeable, professional, and outstanding.loved the French quarter architecture, the prison was humbling and emotional Will recommend to other tourist.
If you want to gain an extensive insight to what Vietnam has endured over the years this tour is for you. Julia wa a fantastic guide who was thorough and shared in a way I could retain so much information
Fantastic tour! Nam was our guide and did a great job of retelling the history of Vietnam in a way that keep us engaged the entire time. I would recommend this your to anyone who wants to learn about how Vietnam became the country that it is today.
Great experience with our guide Van!! Very informative tour of our guide who presented everything with great pride in her country and people!! Without a professional guide we would have missed a lot information in the museum! The prison is well presented and Van gave our brains a workout with some of her questions!! Highly recommend both the tour and Van - cannot recommend her highly enough! Thankyou
Our guide Nam Tran was a wealth of knowledge. We learnt so much about the history, it was an Amazing Day! A highlight our trip, so highly recommended this tour and in particular Nam ✨️
Nam was an excellent tour guide. He has a true passion for history and really took time with us to answer questions. Highly recommend this tour!
Well worth the tour — my wife and I were very glad we did the tour instead of just doing the museums without a guide. As Americans visiting Vietnam we thought it was important for us to hear a Vietnamese perspective on our fraught shared history. Would highly recommend.
Nam was well prepared to discuss Vietnam with the two history buffs in our group. they shared details and opinions of quite a number of events.
Van was very informative and I learned a lot of Vietnamese history. The Hoa Lo prison was fascinating, but sobering. So much suffering.
Complete tour. The guide is full of knowledge and happy to answer questions. You are never rushed.
Julia is very knowledgeable and gave us a very good explanation highly recommended her
A thoroughly enjoyable experience. Julia is an exceptional guide and she provided an engaging, educational, and entertaining tour. The museum displays were enhanced by Julia's knowledgeable narrative as she passionately and proudly explained her countries recent history. There were plenty of pauses in the narrative to give the guests an opportunity to view the exhibitions at their own pace. Julia welcomed questions and input from the guests, which enabled a free flow of experiences, perspectives and ideas. Highly recommended.
Van was an excellent guide and we learnt a lot about the history of Vietnam. Van was very helpful
Nam was very knowledgeable about the three stops and added helpful context to many of the exhibits. Even though the prison was the most crowded, the history museum stop was the most informative. I would not have enjoyed the experience without Nam as many exhibits were not in English. Even if they were, it was poorly translated. I probably would have skipped the b52 exhibit as it was very chaotic with several busses and tour groups. Probably just bad timing. Regardless, all that is there are fragments of a b52, a mobile radar, a few artillery wagons, and a dilapidated mig fighter.
An excellent tour with an awesome guide. Learnt so much about the war, prison and Hanoi area. Highly recommended
This was our first time in Hanoi and am very grateful to have Julia as our guide. She had a wealth of knowledge not only about the war museum and prison but of Hanoi itself. The tours were fun and interesting and Julia answered any questions we had. If you want an experienced and knowledgeable guide while you are in Hanoi, I highly recommend JA Vietnam.
Van was a wonderful guide and very knowledgeable in Vietnams history. It helped me to understand the country and its people. They truly are a resilient nation and have survived so much. We also visited a very nice hidden away coffee shop in an old French villa.
Was so nice to have a guide, Nam. He took care of transportation which was great. He gave us a great perspective at each location but we wandered alone when we wanted to. The access to the B-52 lake was to walk down a very narrow alley. Very exciting given the heavy two way scooter traffic. The highlight of our afternoon.
My tour guide Van taught us everything we need to know about the history of Vietnam. If you are looking to learn more about Vietnam and how it got to where it is today, I highly recommend checking it out with Van, she asks questions to make sure you are paying attention. Van makes everything easier to understand and goes at a non-boring pace. Afterwards, she took us to a hidden gem cafe that has the best and most addictive Vietnamese Coffee you will ever taste in Vietnam but you won't know about it unless you book with the best tour guide Van. Thank you for the experience!
Ms Van was an amazing tour guide and made the tour excellent. Her depth of knowledge of history was very clear. She provided the level of detail that we wanted at the Museum of History. She also to us to the the “Prisons” and she was again excellent. She was able to take us the the site of the B52 museum. This tour was unforgettable. I would highly recommend for any wanting a good understanding of the history of Vietnam.
Very informative and eventful tour. Van was a great guide and I learned a lot about the Vietnam war as well as the French colonial history leading up to it. Highly recommend.
This is a great tour for any history fan. My Guide Van was was a wealth of knowledge and enthusiastic about sharing that with me. Highly recommended!
Fantastic tour exploring the history of Vietnam. Nam was our exceptional guide, so passionate about the history and exceptionally knowledgeable. We could not have had a better guide. The tour is an absolute must for any history buff. A++++++
Julia was an incredible guide on an incredible tour. She was knowledgeable, thorough, friendly, and personable. She showed a genuine interest and passion in not only the topics she was speaking of but us and who we were. It didn’t feel like a transaction at all, it felt like a friend was showing me around her city.
We went on the war museum and Hoa Lo prison tour with Nam as our guide. He was super passionate about Vietnamese culture and history, and we learned a lot. It was a well organized tour and Nam was a fantastic guide. He took the time to answer all our questions and the tour didn’t feel rushed at all, he genuinely loves giving the tour and it shows. Definitely recommend booking this tour if you want to learn more about Vietnamese history and culture!
We had a fantastic time with Nam as our guide. He was super knowledgeable, friendly, and organized. We learned SO much from him and really enjoyed our tour. Highly recommend taking a tour with Nam!!!
This was our favorite tour in Hanoi! Our guide (Nam) was fantastic! His passion for Vietnamese culture and interest in Vietnamese history was the highlight of our tour. We learned SO much! We didn’t feel rushed at all and had all our questions thoroughly answered. The tour was well organized and we loved it! Highly recommend choosing to go on this tour (and hopefully you’ll get Nam as your guide)! We had a wonderful time!
Nam ordered our tour an uber (grab) between tours and wanted to get us drinks. He also spoke English and gave us detailed info. Highly recommend since there was so much to read and he gave a simplier versions. 5/5 stars from me. Friendly, answers your questions well, respectful
Well structured tour. Van is very friendly guide, her English is easy to understand and she understood is well. She also welcomes questions and interacts well during the tour. It was nice to have a break in between and Van had chosen a very interesting a bit hidden coffee shop in an old colonial house. In general, the logistics were we'll handled. It's a great to if you want to understand how Vietnamese people feel about their colonial and history, and especially about the main character: Ho Chi Minh.
Excellent tour of Vietnam National Museum of History, Hoa Lo prison, French Quarter Nam, our tour guide was excellent, providing our party with a balanced over view of Vietnams history and how many countries tried to influence and control its people for their own gains, only for the people to fight and fight again for their independence. A truly fascinating overview and well worth taking the time to learn about the countries history.
The best tourguide ever! Julia made me try so much - too much haha - food, some that will stay among my favorite shops in Hanoi (especially the Banh bao Binh Mo). But not only the food was tasty, Julia was also really enthousiastic, energitic and taught me a lot, including Vietnamese. I even booked a 2nd foodtour! Hope to see you again one day!
Nam was a super guide. He is a volunteer at the museum as well. His interest in the subject has caused him to do a great deal of research which he so nicely shared with our group. His English is excellent! Such a nice young man! He extended beyond the time allotted to make sure we were able to see the highlights. It was our favorite tour in Vietnam.
We had a private tour with Nam and thoroughly enjoyed the level of detail he provided. The tour was informative and somewhat customized to our interests with Nam asking questions about what we what our interests were and providing several options. He also went well above and beyond by extending the tour by 30 mins to answer questions. I would definitely recommend this tour to any history fans who want to get an overview of Vietnam’s history and culture. Ask for Nam. His passion for the topics is clear and it adds to the quality of the tour.
Nam was a fantastic tour guide with a wealth of information! He was polite and courteous and even went over on the tour time to ensure we didn’t miss anything!
I had an exceptional experience on the Hanoi Hoa Lo Prison and War Museums Tour. My guide, Vân, was absolutely outstanding. She has deep knowledge of the country’s past and explains even complex historical topics with clarity, sensitivity, and passion. This tour was incredibly helpful for me to truly understand Vietnamese history. Vân took the time to answer all my questions and provided rich context that made each site even more meaningful and eye-opening. Her warm personality and engaging storytelling created the perfect balance of education and emotion. I can highly recommend this tour!
Nam Tran was a great and very knowledgeable guide. We learned so much about the history of Vietnam and he was able to provide answers and insights to all of our questions. Recommend to any travelers wanting to learn more about the history of Vietnam.
Van was amazing and knowledgeable and able to tailor the tour to fit your knowledge and interests. I highly recommend this tour as you will miss a lot of the context of the exhibits without a guide. Highly recommend Van to make the museum experience top notch.
Van was amazing and knowledgeable. This is the only way to tour the museums. You will miss so much otherwise!
A well planned guide by Nam , very knowledgeable and passionate about the rich history of Vietnam. We enjoyed this guided tour by Nam. It gives you much more insight than being on your own . The guide takes you through a well detailed history of Vietnam explaining events in detail and how they align to the present history. Being a self taught student of history myself i found Nam's guided tour excellent . We arrived at the B52 Victory museum a bit late because we did spent a considerable time at the Maison Centrale but we will make a day trip to the B52 Victory Museum another day .What a great day
Nam is the man and a great tour guide. Using his depth of knowledge of Vietnams history and culture from ancient to contemporary times. He crafts a tour that gives justice to the great stories of Vietnam. During the tour his sense of humour and passion makes for easy listening. Allowing you to relax and take in the history. Nam took care of me ensuring that I had enough water and food throughout the 3.5 hours. I left the tour with a greater understanding and Vietnam. I learnt so much from him and feel lucky to have been able to witness his passion. Thanks Nam for the experience, I will share what i learnt from you and this will allow me to enjoy my time in Vietnam even more.
Our guide, Nam Tran was excellent. He was very knowledgable and knew his history. He was prompt, very informative and answered so many questions on history. He is excellent if you get the chance to hire him.
Van was the best guide in Hanoi. The tour was very well organized, with a perfect pace and flow between locations. Van made sure everyone was engaged, encouraging us to ask questions and share thoughts. There was a great level of interaction, and it felt more like a conversation than a lecture, which made it all the more memorable. If you're visiting Hanoi, we wholeheartedly recommend this tour. It's educational, moving, and incredibly well-led. Van's passion and storyelling made it one of the best expriences of our trip.
I learned so much about Vietnam through my personal guide. He is absolutely passionate in his work. We spent the whole morning in the national museum, shared a light lunch and then visited the ancient prison and B52 site. I can recommend his services to anyone who speaks English
We met with our guide (Son), and after a brief overview of what we would see and a short introduction from him, we were already on our way. He explained the history of Vietnam really well and informatively. You could tell that he really enjoys his work and has incredible knowledge about the history of Vietnam. Thanks for everything!
Great! Van is an experienced guide , passionate about history and she shared a lot of relevant information with us. I recommend this activity
I really liked this combination of visits to both museums , the guide was excellent , she knows the history of the country very well . This visit was very enlightening and rich for me. I highly recommend .
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