Nha Hat Lon, the Opera House in Hanoi, is one of the most importance performance halls in the city. Architecturally, the Nha Hat Lon is almost indistinguishable from the famous Paris Opera House, considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Nha Hat Lon (and the Paris Opera House) seats about two thousand people and stands at an imposing 17 stories tall. The shows put on here are said to be breathtaking and unforgettable. The Paris Opera House inspired the story The Phantom of the Opera, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s operatic version, which is performed here from time to time, is a sight to behold, incorporating every level of the house, from the cellar to the top floor.
While mostly famous throughout the world for its similarities to the Paris Opera House, the shows put on here are unique to their culture, given the almost equal influence of both French and Vietnamese influence.