Hanoi landmarks like Turtle Tower and the Opera House are now ice cream bars, delighting tourists with local flavors and creative designs.
In a refreshing twist on local pride, an entrepreneur has created ice cream bars shaped like Hanoi’s most iconic landmarks, turning popular sites into a sweet treat for both locals and tourists alike.

During the five-day Reunification Day holiday, ice cream carts stationed at popular spots such as Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street and Thong Nhat Park drew in crowds with their unique offerings. Priced at just VND20,000 (80 cents), these ice cream bars came in a variety of flavors, including young green rice, banana, durian, and mango, each shaped like one of 11 famous Hanoi landmarks.

Among the landmarks represented are Turtle Tower, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the Hanoi Opera House. These creative ice cream treats are the brainchild of Ly Hai Hoang Tan, an entrepreneur from Hue who now resides in Hanoi. Inspired by ice cream shaped like famous sites in China, Tan wanted to bring this idea to Vietnam, tailoring it to the local market with affordable prices and familiar flavors.

"In China, ice cream costs about VND70,000 ($2.75), which is too expensive for the Vietnamese market," said Tan. "We wanted to offer something that resonates with local culture at a reasonable price."

Tan began his ice cream venture in 2018, experimenting with different shapes in 2021, before launching his landmark-inspired ice cream sticks in early 2023. Each design is carefully crafted—Tan visited each landmark, created sketches, and then transferred the drawings into molds for production. The ingredients, sourced both locally and internationally, include Italian ice cream powder, Thai milk powder, Vietnamese fruits like avocado and durian, and green tea from Thai Nguyen.

Hanoi was a natural focus for Tan's creative ice cream bars due to its rich history and abundance of landmarks. He plans to expand the collection to include the Hanoi Railway Station and the Hanoi Flag Tower, and eventually introduce landmark-shaped ice cream for other cities like Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Lao Cai.

The quirky ice cream sticks have become a hit among young people, tourists, and photography enthusiasts, with sales tripling during the holiday period. "I really like this ice cream," said 12-year-old Quang Anh, who bought one from a mobile cart in the West Lake area.

Other tourist destinations across Vietnam have also embraced this ice cream trend, with places like Ha Giang, Da Lat, and Ba Den Mountain offering locally inspired treats. Visitors often pose for photos with the ice cream before indulging, making it a popular social media sensation.

Tan is not stopping with Hanoi. He aims to expand his ice cream offerings to other regions, contributing to Vietnam’s tourism by featuring these creative and delicious representations of local landmarks at tourism events and fairs nationwide.