Why visit Cổ Lóa
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 9 parks and trails, 5 places to eat and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Nhật Tân Bridge and Co Loa Citadel.
Weather in Cổ Lóa
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Cổ Lóa
Cổ Loa Citadel is an ancient fortified city and archaeological site in present-day Hanoi's Đông Anh District, roughly 17 kilometers north of Hanoi, in the upper plain north of the Red River. Relics of the Bronze Age Phùng Nguyên culture and Đông Sơn culture have been found in Cổ Loa. It might be the first political center of the Vietnamese civilization. The settlement’s concentric walls resemble a snail’s shell; it had an outer embankment covering 600 hectares.
From the Wikipedia article Citadel of Cổ Loa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks1
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Co Loa Citadel
Monument and historic site · 0.8 km
Archaeological site in Vietnam
Parks, trails and playgrounds9
Restaurants and cafes5
Bình Minh Quán - Cơm Văn Phòng
Restaurant · Vietnamese · 2.4 km
57 Đường Thiên Nga 1, Hà Nội
Duy Còi - Garden Cafe & Billard
Cafe · Cafe, Trà Chanh, Bia, Sữa Chua · 2.1 km
Mo-Su 07:00-23:00
History
Cổ Loa is closely associated with An Dương Vương, the king of Âu Lạc. After defeating the Hùng king of Văn Lang, An Dương Vương ordered to construct the fortified city, which is spiral-shaped like a snail.
There are many legends surrounding the construction of this fortress. According to the legend of the Golden Turtle, when the city was being built, all the work during the day was mysteriously undone by spirits led by a thousand-year-old white chicken. In response to the An Dương Vương's plea, a giant golden turtle (Kim Quy) emerged from the water and protected the King until the city's completion. Kim Quy gave the King one of his claws before leaving and instructed him to make a crossbow using it as a trigger, assuring him he would be invincible with it. A man called Cao Lỗ was tasked to create that crossbow, which was then called "Master Crossbow of the Divinely Luminous Golden Claw" (靈光金爪神弩; Linh Quang Kim Trảo Thần Nỏ).
In the "Legend of Trọng Thủy and Mị Châu", Trọng Thủy was a prince of Nam Việt who was married Mị Châu, the only daughter of An Dương Vương. But Mị Châu unwittingly betrayed her father, giving away the secret of the Turtle Claw Crossbow to Trọng Thủy and leading to the fall of Cổ Loa fortress to Nam Việt kingdom.
From the History section of Citadel of Cổ Loa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship14
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries7
Healthcare1
Map of Cổ Lóa
42 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 13 km away.
- Tây Hồ 8 km southwest, about 8 min by car
- Long Bien 10 km south, about 10 min by car
- Hoàn Kiếm 10 km south, about 10 min by car
- Hanoi 11 km south, about 11 min by car
- Từ Sơn 11 km east, about 11 min by car
- Cầu Giấy 12 km southwest, about 12 min by car
- Hai Bà Trưng 12 km south, about 12 min by car
- Đống Đa 12 km south, about 12 min by car
- Gia Lâm 13 km southeast, about 13 min by car
- Bắc Từ Liêm 14 km southwest, about 14 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Citadelle de Cổ Loa, ZiYouXunLu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Inverted V Arches (18373617190), Michael Coghlan from Adelaide, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Ceramic xi ou, Archaeologists, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built November 8, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.