Charming North of Vietnam

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, you will be greeted by our driver and transferred to your hotel.

The colonial capital city Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental pagodas and temples dating back a thousand years.

This full day tour takes you around Hanoi's most interesting sights, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex: Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and his Stilts House, the Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda and, nearby, the Old Quarter also known as the 36 streets and guilds. Also on the tour, the Lake of the Restored Sword and Ngoc Son Temple, the Temple of Literature, peaceful West Lake (with lovers street Thanh Nien), the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple and one of the city's museums, either the History Museum or the Ethnology Museum.

From here, you will enjoy a one hour cyclo tour of Hanoi's vibrant Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, the focal point of the city. Lastly, in the late afternoon, you will be enchanted by the legends and stories told at the Thang Long Water Puppet Show that no one should miss while visiting Hanoi

Special note: The HCM Masoleum is closed on Fridays and Mondays and most museums are closed on Mondays

In the morning you will depart Hanoi at 08:00 for a three and a half hour drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long Bay City. On the way, you will stop for refreshments, and upon arriving in Halong City, you will take a tender transfer to your junk and set sail through the bay while lunch is served. As you cruise the magical bay, you will notice thousands of sculpted limestone islands rising from the waves like dragons' teeth. Later in the afternoon, you'll visit a fishing village with the opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. Back on board, you'll enjoy cocktails or a cooking class while watching the sunset, and later you can unwind at a restaurant with a lavish dinner. To end the day, you can enjoy some evening activities such as movie night, board games, or a beauty treatment, before an overnight stay on the junk.

After rising to the sound of the ocean coming to life, you'll enjoy breakfast, take a Tai Chi class and watch the sunrise over the bay (if you choose to get up that early!) You will visit a beautiful limestone grotto, and then head back to the junk for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Disembarking at the Cruise Café Lounge, you'll rejoin your private car for transfer back to Hanoi capital for check in the hotel

Breakfast at hotel. A 90km drive south of Hanoi will lead you to Ninh Binh, the site of the one capital city of ancient Vietnam before Hanoi took its leading role in 11th century. The area is featured by lots of well-known sceneries, which include Tam Coc Caves and Hoa Lu ancient capital with the old temples dedicated to King Dinh & King Le reigned in 10th century. The visit in Ninh Binh starts by a boat trip in Tam Coc where spectacular limestone karsts jut out from the green paddy fields reminding about Guilin (China) and Halong Bay of Vietnam, which gives this scenery the name “Halong-bay-on-land”. Further discovery in Ninh Binh will be continued in the site that used to be the kings’ palace in 10th century and now famous for the wooden relieves of the shady Dinh and Le temples. Late afternoon transfer back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Free on your own to explore the city.
16.30 pick up at your hotel in Hanoi.
Tonight your guide will take you on a culinary adventure, sampling street food in the Old Quarter. It’s a great opportunity to try all those weird and wonderful foods you see but just aren’t sure what they are! Start your Hanoi Street Eats tour at Bia Hoi corner to try the local brew, ‘Bia Hoi,’ an extra-carbonated draft beer that traces its roots to Eastern Europe. Do as the locals do and pull up a stool and enjoy a drink while watching the world go by.

Continue through the old quarter’s narrow streets as your guide points out a range of tasty noodles, breads and snacks. At night the sidewalks are packed with locals perched on stools, amongst sizzling woks and bubbling pots. These small pop up restaurants are a nightly feature that all but disappear during the day. Highlights may include Banh Cuon, rice rolls that include beef and fresh herbs, or Banh My, Vietnam’s famous baguette sandwich. But the best has to be the flame grilled Vietnamese barbecue of beef, chicken, tofu and vegetables on skewers. End the night with dessert from Hanoi’s best-known ice-cream parlour
Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel and then transfer to airport for your departure flight The end of service!