About
On the shore of Hồ Gươm (Sword Lake) stands a stone tower shaped like a calligraphy brush pointing at the sky, carved with three characters, "Tả thanh thiên". Right behind it is Đài Nghiên (the Inkstone Gate), home of Giọt Mực (Ink Drop), a tiny ink spirit (a fictional character).
For more than a hundred and fifty years Giọt Mực has never written a single word on the sky, so today it sets off to find one line truly worth writing. In your hands is the Thăng Long Scroll, its four corners still blank and waiting for four seals.
A walk of about 6.5–7 km through more than a thousand years of history:
- The Pen Tower, Đài Nghiên, Thê Húc Bridge and Ngọc Sơn Temple (Inkstone Seal)
- Bạch Mã Temple, 76 Hàng Buồm: a wall builder from the year 1010 tells his story
- Ô Quan Chưởng gate (White Horse Seal)
- The North Gate, still scarred by cannon fire from 1882
- The Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, a World Cultural Heritage Site: a stone carver of the early Lê dynasty tells his story (Stone Dragon Seal)
- The Hanoi Flag Tower
- The Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám), Việt Nam's first university (Khuê Văn Seal)
Once all four seals are in place, the scroll unfurls and Giọt Mực knows what to write on the blue sky. There is no way to lose.
📍 Start: Đài Nghiên by the Pen Tower, Hoàn Kiếm Lake.
🏁 Finish: The Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám).
⏱ Duration: about 5 hours, including a lunch break.
🚶 Distance: about 6.5–7 km on foot over the day, mostly on shady, tree-lined pavements.
🕘 Suggested schedule: 7:30 Hồ Gươm, 8:40 Bạch Mã Temple, 9:05 Ô Quan Chưởng, 9:45 North Gate, 10:15 Imperial Citadel, 11:35 Flag Tower. Lunch 12:00–13:00, then 13:00–14:15 Temple of Literature; playable from Tuesday to Sunday only.
💰 Possible costs:
- Ngọc Sơn Temple: 50,000 VND per person, children under 16 free; open Monday–Thursday 7:00–19:00, Friday–Sunday 7:00–22:00.
- Bạch Mã Temple: e-ticket 20,000 VND per visit; open 8:00–12:00 and 13:30–17:30 (Friday–Sunday also 19:00–21:30).
- Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long: 100,000 VND per person, children under 16 free; open 8:00–17:00, may close on Mondays.
- Temple of Literature: 70,000 VND per person, children under 16 free; open daily 8:00–17:00.
- Lunch around the Temple of Literature: at your own expense.
- Source: banqldtdthanoi.vn, hoangthanhthanglong.com, vanmieu.gov.vn, checked on 23 Oct 2026, subject to change; please check at the ticket counter.
⚠️ Notes: wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees for the temples and the Temple of Literature. Old Quarter streets are busy with motorbikes, so cross carefully.
💡 Tips: bring comfortable shoes, drinking water, a hat or umbrella and a power bank. The opening board at each stop reminds you when to arrive and when to move on.
Rules
- Suggested schedule for the day (Vietnam time):
- 07:30–08:25 · Hồ Hoàn Kiếm: Tháp Bút, Đài Nghiên, cầu Thê Húc, đền Ngọc Sơn. Then walk about 830 m, roughly 15 minutes.
- 08:40–09:00 · Đền Bạch Mã, 76 Hàng Buồm. Then walk about 290 m, roughly 5 minutes.
- 09:05–09:20 · Ô Quan Chưởng. Then walk about 1.5 km, roughly 25 minutes, via Phan Đình Phùng street.
- 09:45–10:00 · Cửa Bắc. Then walk about 800 m, roughly 15 minutes.
- 10:15–11:30 · Hoàng thành Thăng Long, gate at 19C Hoàng Diệu. Then walk about 330 m.
- 11:35–11:45 · Admire Cột cờ Hà Nội from the pavement of Điện Biên Phủ street. Then walk about 900 m.
- 12:00–13:00 · Lunch around Văn Miếu, Ngô Sĩ Liên and Quốc Tử Giám streets.
- 13:00–14:15 · Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám.
- Playable from Tuesday to Sunday only. Hoàng thành Thăng Long is open from 8:00 to 17:00 and closed on Mondays. Some areas such as điện Kính Thiên, Nhà và Hầm D67, and Hậu Lâu may temporarily close for maintenance, so call ahead to check. During Tết (Lunar New Year) and major public holidays, check opening hours in advance (Imperial Citadel: 024 3734 5427; Văn Miếu: 024 3747 2566).
- Times in the game are only suggestions. If you are running late, shorten your time at Hồ Gươm or đền Bạch Mã so that you enter the Imperial Citadel before 10:30. If your legs tire on the Ô Quan Chưởng – Cửa Bắc stretch (1.5 km), you can call a Grab, about 5–10 minutes.
- Walk safely: the Old Quarter teems with motorbikes. Keep to the pavement, cross at zebra crossings or traffic lights, and move slowly and steadily so that drivers can anticipate your path. Don't use your phone while crossing the street; play the mini-games only when you are standing still in a safe spot.
- Admission at your own expense: đền Ngọc Sơn 50,000 VND; đền Bạch Mã 20,000 VND (e-ticket); Hoàng thành Thăng Long 100,000 VND; Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám 70,000 VND. Children under 16 enter free at the Imperial Citadel, Văn Miếu and đền Ngọc Sơn; Vietnamese students aged 16 and over and Vietnamese senior citizens get 50% off with ID. Ô Quan Chưởng, Cửa Bắc (viewed from outside) and the Flag Tower (viewed from the pavement) are free. Prices may change, so check the price board at the ticket counter.
- Places of worship: đền Ngọc Sơn, đền Bạch Mã, the watchtower of Cửa Bắc and the shrine at Văn Miếu are places of worship. Wear clothing that covers your shoulders and knees, speak softly, do not take close-up photos of altars or of people at prayer, and turn off your flash. There are no mini-games inside temple grounds; the related questions are answered once you have stepped back outside.
- Artefacts: do not climb on the citadel walls, the dragon steps, the stone steles or the stone turtles. The Doctoral steles at Văn Miếu are a National Treasure; please do not touch them.
- Weather: Hà Nội summers are hot, with frequent downpours; bring an umbrella and water, and rest in the shade of the trees. In heavy rain or extreme heat, postpone your walk to another day.
- There is no losing: after a wrong answer you can choose again until you get it right; if you lose a mini-game, simply play it again.
- There are 5 GPS check-in stages: Tháp Bút, đền Bạch Mã, Cửa Bắc, Hoàng thành Thăng Long and Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám. Ô Quan Chưởng is confirmed with a photo. Stand in the open for a few seconds to let the GPS settle.
- Giọt Mực and the characters you meet along the way are fictional. Anything presented as legend is clearly labelled as legend; historical information is based on verified sources.
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