Things to Do
Hanoi Opera House: a beacon of cultural heritage
Take in a show at one of Vietnam’s most elegant historic buildings
The Hanoi Opera House illuminates the history, culture and art of Hanoi. Built by the French government, construction began in 1901 and finished in 1911. Its architects drew on the styles of ancient Greece, the Tuylory castle and the Paris Opera House. The aesthetics inside are remarkable, with the theater consisting of a main stage and three levels of seating (nearly 600 seats), a magnificent display of architectural brilliance.
Initially, it was used for performances of opera and drama for upper class French officials and the wealthy Vietnamese, but by 1945 it was the main stage of the August Revolution, an uprising of the Vietnamese against the French colonial occupation. Historically, the Opera House has been used for political gatherings such as the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In 1995 the government spent nearly 14 million U.S. dollars restoring the Opera House. In 2011, on the building’s 100th anniversary, it was named a National Relic.
The building houses shows an array of local and international opera, ballet, orchestras and drama. Notable performances include: Lang Toi – My Village, an elegant portrayal of traditional Vietnamese life through the artistic acrobatic use of bamboo; and The Mist, the story of farmers’ lives told through metaphors and the blending of ballet, neoclassical and contemporary dance.
Tickets range in cost according to the show and seating: you can choose to sit in the main seating area or the balconies above. Usually, prices range from 700,000-2,000,000 VND. The Hanoi Opera House is centrally located near Hoàn Kiếm lake.
1 Tràng Tiền, Phan Chu Trinh, Hoàn Kiếm
+84 24 3933 0113
hanoioperahouse.org.vn/ (Tiếng Việt, English)
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