We did it on our own and we're pretty relaxed when we aren't with a tour group. (We were on a tour but stayed 4 extra days in Hanoi to do things on our own). 3 hours should be enough for all 3 things. I find when you are on... More
We did it on our own and we're pretty relaxed when we aren't with a tour group. (We were on a tour but stayed 4 extra days in Hanoi to do things on our own). 3 hours should be enough for all 3 things. I find when you are on a tour, it's more focused and you don't wander about like we did. It's a spread out museum and many of the rooms aren't that interesting because there are no translations. Especially the very old stuff. They have been fighting invasions for 1,000 years!!! We wanted to see more modern things like from the time of the French occupation and the U.S. involvement, which is from their point of view, of course. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend watching the recent Ken Burns documentary Vietnam which I think you can now get on YouTube. It makes it all more understandable and interesting--gives a big picture narrative from both sides, which helps understand what you are looking at in this museum (& the whole country). The outdoor exhibits might upset some Americans because it's a lot of captured military equipment. We thought it was a good museum overall. We liked Hanoi a lot! Enjoy your trip.
