Things to Do in Hai Phong (Hải Phòng): A Walk Through the Port City and Beyond

The City Theatre (Nhà hát thành phố), as it is officially called, is the anchor of the centre, its French facade facing a square and a long strip of gardens. There is no fixed schedule for visiting the interior; the surest way to see the horseshoe-shaped auditorium is to buy a ticket for a performance. By day, walk the gardens and photograph the building from across the square.

The mustard-yellow post office at 5 Nguyen Tri Phuong was completed in 1905 and is still the central post office. From here, walk along Hoang Van Thu, Dien Bien Phu (Điện Biên Phủ) and Minh Khai streets to see one French-era building after another: banks, schools and old hotels with shutters and arched windows. Minh Khai and Phan Boi Chau (Phan Bội Châu) have plenty of cafes and chrysanthemum tea stalls (trà cúc) for a break. Stay on the pavement where you can, cross at marked crossings and lights, and look both ways for scooters.

The red building dates from 1918 and is worth a look from the street alone. Inside, the galleries cover the city's history and culture, which suits people who like to understand how the port grew up before seeing the rest of town. It opens Tuesday to Sunday. Sources list entry as anything from free to VND20,000, and the hours differ too: some give 8-11am and 2-5pm, others 8am-5pm straight through. Mornings are the one slot every source agrees on; phone ahead if you plan to go in the afternoon.

The statue of the heroine Le Chan (Lê Chân), a general of the first-century uprising led by the Trung sisters, stands at the end of the central gardens; locals credit her with founding the old An Bien (An Biên) settlement. A few minutes' walk away on Le Chan street is Nghe temple (đền Nghè), where she is worshipped. The rear sanctuary was built in 1919 and the front hall a few years later, in Nguyen-dynasty style. The temple's set of 22 gold ritual objects was named a national treasure at the end of 2024. It gets busy on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month; cover shoulders and knees and keep your voice down.

The stretch of the Tam Bac (Tam Bạc) river through the centre is where the port city began, lined by Tam Bac and Bach Dang streets and their narrow old shophouses, the area locals casually call the old quarter (phố cổ). It is at its nicest in the cooler late afternoon. Two markets that older guides mention have changed: the Iron Market (chợ Sắt) site is set aside for a commercial and hotel development, and Tam Bac market burned on the morning of 12 February 2023; its traders moved to a temporary Tam Bac market in June 2024, and the old site is earmarked for a park. Walk along the Tam Bac river and stop at any roadside cafe that takes your fancy.

Do not confuse the river with Tam Bac lake in the central gardens. The lake is an old stretch of river that was closed off by the Tam Ky (Tam Kỳ) dam in 1985; the river itself flows on the other side of the dam.

Du Hang Pagoda, formally Phuc Lam Tu, has been a national heritage site since 1986, with a seven-bay main hall and a three-storey bell tower. It is our pick for a quiet hour in the middle of a city day: trees, a lotus pond and far fewer people on weekdays than at festivals and Tet. Take a Grab or Xanh SM ride, or walk if the weather is cool.

The hill takes its name, "observatory hill", from the Phu Lien weather station built on the summit in 1902, about 113 m up. The road to the top winds about 2.5 km through pine forest; in early 2026 it was being upgraded and many people were walking up rather than riding. On a clear day you can see across to Trang Kenh and Do Son (Đồ Sơn). Go in the morning or late afternoon with water and walking shoes; after rain the slopes are slippery, so save it for a dry day.

Across the Cam river, this site honours the river battles fought on the Bach Dang (Bạch Đằng), where Vietnamese commanders defeated invading fleets by planting iron-tipped stakes in the riverbed and luring ships onto them at low tide. There are temples to Ngo Quyen, Le Dai Hanh and Tran Hung Dao, a Truc Lam pagoda and a replica field of stakes in the water. It is a national historic site with no entry fee. We like it more than most photo spots because the river scenery and the story go together. Pairing it with Thien Van hill in one half day is a rush; pairing it with lunch in Thuy Nguyen works well.

This green lake in an old limestone quarry became famous on social media, but we have not confirmed a current visitor operator or an authorised access route. The water is more than 30 m deep below sheer rock walls, parts of which can collapse, and the local authority and the licensed quarrying company fenced the lake in 2017 to keep people out. We would not climb the fence or the rock faces for a photo: look from public ground only, do not go into the water and do not bring small children. For river and limestone scenery in Thuy Nguyen, the Bach Dang site is the easier choice.

The park on Vu Yen island opened on 1 July 2025 with a zoo, indoor and outdoor rides and the Aloha water park, next to a pedestrian street of food stalls. The water park is ticketed separately at VND150,000 (1.4 m and taller) or VND110,000 (1-1.4 m), and a rides, zoo and water park combo is VND450,000/310,000; prices vary between weekdays, weekends and holidays. VinWonders' own pages give different opening hours (one says 9am-6.30pm on weekdays and 8.30am-7.30pm at weekends, others run to 8pm or 9pm), so confirm on its app or website before you go. For couples or adults travelling without kids, we think half a day in the French quarter and along the Tam Bac river is the better use of time.