Vincom Ice Rink at Royal City offers real indoor ice skating in Hanoi, with rental skates and support for beginners. Find it on basement level B2 of Vincom Mega Mall Royal City, 72A Nguyen Trai. It works well as an active break for families, couples or friends who want something different from sightseeing.
Plan around a public skating session rather than the shopping mall’s opening time. Allow extra time to find the rink, fit your skates and put away belongings before stepping onto the ice. For a first visit, a weekday session is a useful choice: entry costs less and the rink is generally less busy than at weekends.
Tickets and the costs to check
- Monday–Friday skating admission: 170,000 VND per person.
- Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 230,000 VND per person.
- Chaperone admission: 30,000 VND; confirm which accompanying areas this permits.
- Socks bought at the rink: 20,000 VND.
- Skating aids: penguin 40,000 VND or seal 60,000 VND, subject to availability and suitability.
As a simple admission-only example, two skaters and one chaperone total 370,000 VND on a weekday or 490,000 VND at a weekend or holiday. Budget separately for any equipment, aids, coaching, food and transport. Check the final price for your chosen session before paying.
Ask whether skate hire is included in the exact ticket you are buying. A reseller’s bundle can differ from a counter ticket. For online purchases, check the Royal City location, valid dates, permitted day type and redemption instructions; a voucher is not necessarily a reservation for a particular session or skate size.
Opening hours and choosing a session
The rink’s usual operating window is 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Public skating commonly uses 90-minute sessions, so ask for the actual start and finish times before choosing a ticket. A late arrival can leave you with less skating time if the session has a fixed ending.
Royal City’s mall opens earlier at weekends, but that does not establish an earlier skating session. Training, events or ice preparation can also affect public access. Before a special journey or an evening visit, contact the Royal City information team on +84 979 901 101 and ask for the rink’s current public schedule.
For a first visit, arriving around 20–30 minutes before the agreed session is a sensible planning allowance. That gives you time for the counter, rental fitting and helping children with their equipment. Leave a relaxed break afterward rather than booking another timed activity immediately after the ice session.
Rental skates, clothes and a comfortable first session
Bring clean socks, comfortable long trousers and a light warm layer. Choose clothes that allow you to bend and move, with nothing trailing near the blades. Even if it is hot outdoors, standing beside the ice and skating slowly can feel quite different from walking around Hanoi.
Give the rental staff your usual shoe size, then let the fit decide. Your heel should feel secure without painful pressure. Ask for help with fastening and change a poor-fitting pair before entering the ice; getting the equipment comfortable is more useful than rushing to start.
Use the protective equipment recommended by rink staff, and check what is supplied or rented separately. Ask where to keep bags and how any locker works. Keep your hands free while skating and take photographs from an appropriate stationary position off the active skating route.
Beginners and children: choose the right amount of help
The rink accommodates beginners, but general admission and a skating lesson are different purchases. If you want instruction, arrange the coach, lesson length, language and total price before the visit. An available staff member helping with equipment is not the same as a booked instructor staying with your group.
For a child, confirm that the rink accepts their age and size, that suitable skates are available and that the accompanying adult understands the supervision arrangement. A penguin or seal aid can support an introduction when staff consider it appropriate; it does not replace instruction or supervision.
Let a nervous beginner get used to balancing and moving slowly before attempting anything more ambitious. Follow the rink’s direction of travel and staff instructions, give other skaters space and leave the ice for a break when tired. It is reasonable to finish early if the child is cold, uncomfortable or no longer enjoying it.
If everyone would rather try a different indoor sport, compare the session and introductory options in our Hanoi indoor bouldering guide. Choose the activity the group actually wants to learn rather than treating any indoor venue as interchangeable.
For a shared game with turns and time to sit between them, compare bowling options in Hanoi. Choose the actual mall and full or mini lane before traveling; those venues are separate from the Royal City ice rink.
Getting there and making a half-day of it
Royal City is southwest of Hanoi’s central visitor neighborhoods. A taxi or ride-hailing car to 72A Nguyen Trai is straightforward; allow for city traffic and then the walk inside the complex. Save the entrance or pickup point you use so that finding the return car is easier.
Inside the mall, follow signs for Vincom Ice Rink on B2. Royal City also has roller skating, so specify ice skating, or trượt băng, when asking directions. The ice rink and the roller-skating venue use different surfaces, equipment and admission arrangements.
A skating session followed by a meal is enough for a relaxed outing. If members of your group have different interests, agree on a meeting place and time before separating, with one adult clearly responsible for any child who stays at the rink.
For a quieter addition within Royal City, VCCA on B1 hosts changing exhibitions. The Hanoi contemporary art guide explains what to expect there; check that a show is running before building the afternoon around it.
Keep the rest of the day light if skating is new to you. Our Hanoi family travel guide helps fit an active session around meals, transport and recovery time without turning it into another full day of rushing between attractions.