Hanoi among world's 20 best cities for culture

A corner of Hoan Kiem walking zone in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

Hanoi has been ranked ninth among the world's 20 greatest cities for art and culture for 2025 by the U.K.-based Time Out magazine, making it the highest-ranked destination in Asia.

The Vietnamese capital ranked ninth among the world's top cultural destinations, with Paris, Florence, and Edinburgh taking the top three spots.

At the same time, Hanoi emerged as Asia's leading representative, placed ahead of other major regional cities such as Beijing (11th), Jakarta (13th), and Delhi (14th).

According to Time Out, Hanoi is the cheapest city for art and culture on the list, with 82% of locals ranking it highly for affordability. "Take its weekend walking streets – by far the most recommended of all the city's cultural offerings in our survey – where the roads of the Old Quarter and around Hoan Kiem Lake are cleared of traffic to make room for street performances, traditional dance and live music," it recommended.

"Several mentions also went to the grand, neoclassical Hanoi Opera House, as well as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum."

The list was compiled based on a global survey gathering the views of 18,500 residents across various cities on their local cultural scenes.

Each city was scored according to the quality and affordability of its cultural offerings. The top-scoring cities in each country made the long list, after which Time Out’s culture editors selected their favorites.

Original Article: VnExpress/ By VNA May 21, 2025 | 07:37 am GMT+7/ Hanoi among world's 20 best cities for culture

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