Hanoi Flag Tower Introduction

You are interested in Vietnam history but you do not like just seeing the past in pictures or artifacts protected in shelves. You want to visit a historic ground and get closer to the artifacts to understand the victory of the war in Vietnam. Flag Tower of Hanoi is the place that we highly recommend visitors to come and see all the historical evidence.

Tourist Information – Flag Tower of Hanoi

• Map
• Location: No.28A Le Hong Phong street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi. In the area of the Vietnam Military History Museum.
• Hanoi Flag Tower opening hours: Everyday except Monday and Thursday. 8 am – 5 pm.
• Contact: (+84) 24 3823 4264.

Local tips to Hanoi Flag Tower

• Recommended time:

Visitors are recommended to spend from 30 minutes to 1 hour in Hanoi Flag Tower.

The best time to visit is from 9.30am – 10.30am due to the low number of guests.

• Dress code:

There is no rule for dress code but visitors are advised to wear formal clothes as historical place are a quite serious place for most of local.

• Preparation:

Cameras and smartphone are necessary if you want to take some pictures with beautiful backgrounds.

If you visiting in summer, remember to use sunscreen and anti-bugs spray.

A hat is the must-thing to bring along. You can also bring a small umbrella in case raining.

You can bring along a small bottle of water. However, there are some nearby cafeterias for visitors.

• Transportation:

It takes around 20 minutes to walk from the Old Quarter to the Hanoi Flag Tower due to the 1.6km distance. So it is possible for visitors to travel here on foot.

However, there are various transports to choose such as bus, taxi or rented motorbike. It takes about 10 minutes to go.

There are parking lots in the nearby museum area for visitors coming here themselves. The parking fee is quite cheap.

1. History of Flag Tower Hanoi

At the age of nearly 200 years, the Flag Tower of Hanoi is now known as one of the symbols of Hanoi.

Constructed in 1805, the tower is completed in 1812 during the Nguyen dynasty, the 11th of Gia Long time, which was 5 years after a construction time of Flag tower in Hue.

Although nearly all the constructions in Imperial Citadel of Thang Long were destroyed by the French colonial, flag tower was one of the rare architectures that still remain today.

On the capital liberation day, the ceremony of raising flags on the Flag pole became one of the most memorable moments in local’s mind. Then in the war against America, the flag pole was used as an observatory of the Vietnamese air force army.

The image of the tower was printed on the money paper (old design) issued firstly by the Bank of Vietnam.

The old money paper (1 VND) design with the image of Hanoi flag tower

Since 1986, there has always been a national flag flying on the top of flag tower of Hanoi. One flag is used every 2 to 3 weeks on average.

2. The architecture of the Tower

With three tiers, Flag tower has a pyramid-shaped tower which covered around with the brick wall with a spiral staircase leading to the top inside it.

2.1. The first tier

42.5m width and 3.1m height.

There are 2 staircases leading to the top inside it.

2.2. The second tier

The area is about 25m width and 3.7m height has four doors. There are words inscribed on each door.

On the eastern door is the word “Nghenh Huc” (to welcome dawn’s sunlight), “Hoi Quang” (to reflect light) is on the western door and “Huong Minh” (directed to the sunlight) on the southern door.

2.3. The third tier of Hanoi Flag Tower

12.8m in length and 5.1m in height.

There is an 18.2m high flag pole which has eight octagonal cylinders, tapering toward. Each bottom side is about 2m.

There is a spiral staircase leading up to the top. The whole pole is illuminated (and vented) by 39 fan-shaped holes.

The flagpole has an octagonal shape which is 3.3m height with eight windows corresponding to the eight sides.

In the middle, there is a circular cylinder where hang the flag which is 8m height.

The whole flag pole is 33.4m height if including the flag and Flagstaff, the height is 41.4m.

3. Meaning to locals and tourists

After more than half of a century, the Vietnamese flag has always been flying on the top of the tower is the historical evidence, a symbol of glory and pride of Vietnamese. Hanoi flag tower attracts many tourists every day. A well-known historical destination with artifacts for tourists to get closer and explore the history of Vietnam in a different view.