What to Know about The Hanoi Opera House

Hanoi Opera House is a spectacular French architectural building standing right in the heart of Hanoi. This extraordinary landmark has witnessed many significant historical events in the country for over a century and become the Opera House has become the pride of Hanoians.

See more at Saigon Opera House

An Overview of Hanoi Opera House

Address: 1 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

The Hanoi Opera House has always been praised from time to time as the most beautiful architectural project in Southeast Asia. The construction starts in 1901 - the French colonial era - and finished 10 years later under the direction of two French architects Travary and Savelon. The theater takes after the design of the Opera Garnier in Paris, meaning the organization of the premises, the performance space, the stairs, the entrance and also the hall bear incredible neoclassical vibe of theaters in Europe in the early 20th century.

Hanoi Opera House is only a few hundred meters from Hoan Kiem Lake

A Brief History of The Hanoi Opera House

In 1899, the city council met under the presidency of Richard - Hanoi's Ambassador, offered to Governor Fourer to build a Theater. The design map was approved by two architects, Broyer and Harvy, with the construction cost of 2 million francs. The work was started on June 7, 1901 and completed in 1911. In the beginning, the theater was only reserved for the French officials and their families to enjoy performances by Western artists. The place was too extravagant to the Vietnamese at the time, and only the elites were also allowed to attend, but they had to wear special costumes and pay expensive fares. Later, the Opera House also had charity concert nights organized by Vietnamese. In its own history,however, the theater was suspended multiple times because it was deemed as a testament of the Western influence.

The initial design of Hanoi Opera House 

Not only is a cultural space, but the Hanoi Opera House is also where many important political events of the country take place. In August 1945, the Opera House Square was the political center of the country during the revolutionary days. Since then, Hanoi Opera House has always been the center of important conferences, meetings and art performances by art troupes domestically and internationally. 

The Impressive Architecture of Hanoi Opera House

Hanoi Opera House is divided into 3 distinct parts: the magnificent lobby right at the entrance with a solemn T-shaped staircase having decorative figures on the ceiling and walls, above the hall is the "mirror room" for VIPs on the second floor; the audience room accommodates 800 seats on 3 floors, including family seats arranged in loge. There are also practice rooms, dressing rooms, administration rooms, and meeting rooms. All of which are infused with the soul of the theaters in the south of France, from the colors to the intricate details.

The magnificent lobby with T-shaped staircase

The first space right at the entrance is the main hall with a stone T-shaped staircase leading to the second floor. It is the first place to welcome guests to the theater, the lobby is stone-patterned with stone and decorated with classical motifs, bringing a sense of luxury and nobility.

The mirror room is 20.5m long and 19m wide and is where important ceremonies are held, such as the signing ceremonies of Government or welcome ceremonies for VIPs. This is also a room for art shows or press conferences. The room has a Mozaic mirror-engineered floor with stone brought from Italy. On the wall, among the open doors are large mirrors. The crystal chandeliers, tables, and chairs are all of the classic French style.

The iconic mirror room of Hanoi Opera House

The audience room where performances are held 

What to Enjoy at The Hanoi Opera House

Hanoi Opera House is home to many famous cultural and art events in Vietnam. The events held here are large-scale and ensure strict content regulations, so the audience doesn't have to worry about the quality when enjoying the performances held at Hanoi Opera House.

Information about performances and ticket prices are updated regularly every month and you can look at them at Hanoi Opera House homepage.

There are many high-quality performances at Hanoi Opera House 

In addition, tourists can also join the Hanoi Opera House tour and explore every corner of Hanoi Opera House, listen to a detailed explanation of the history and architecture here, and excellent art performances are also included.

There is also a virtual tour of Hanoi Opera House on the official website. With a unique way of expression, this will be an exciting experience whether visitors have been to Hanoi Opera House or not.

Summary on What to Know About Hanoi Opera House

Hanoi Opera House is a tourist attraction that appears as one of Hanoi's iconic places. This is the place for any tourists to at least drop by once, no matter if you are into musicals and arts or not, as it brings many cultural and historical values which can't be found anywhere else. 

See more:

What is the Capital of Vietnam?

Top 5 Things to Do in Hanoi for a Day

What's Inside the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum

Get your travel insurance to visit Hanoi: