DAY 1: HANOI ARRIVAL - HALF DAY CITY TOUR (HOA LO - MUSEUMS - HOAN KIEM LAKE - OLD QUARTER) (NO MEAL)
Upon arrival at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport you will be welcomed by our guide holding a sign with your name on it. After approximately 50 minutes to 1-hour transfer, you will be at your hotel for check-in.
Hanoi or “River-bound City” as its name literally means is Vietnam’s capital with a thousand-year-old history dating back to 1010. The city’s fascinating beauty which is characterized by unique cultural relics, ancient streets of antique houses, elegant French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and romantic lakes has made it one of the most charming cities of Asia.
Afternoon, our guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer to visit some war-time leftover as well as prominent museums of Hanoi. Start first with Hoa Lo Museum, which is the leftover of the French Central Prison built in 1896 to detain Vietnamese political prisoners. The museum offers much interesting information on the French justice system, which resorted to unforgiving punishments to crack down political opposition. During the Vietnam War, Hoa Lo was referred to as Hilton Hanoi by the shot-down American pilots imprisoned here. Move on to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, Vietnamese Women’s Museum, the National Museum of Vietnamese History or the Museum of Revolution. Continue to Ngoc Son Temple, a pagoda situated on a small island in Hoan Kiem Lake accessible by a classically painted wooden bridge. The view of the city from the pagoda is particularly popular. End your day by walking through the iconic Old Quarter. The streets of this district are bustling with scooters, bicycles, cyclos and cars zipping around pedestrians. The best way to enjoy the charming colonial architecture is to wander with your guide at a leisurely pace, and be sure to stop for a cup of Vietnamese coffee or a local snack from one of the many tantalizing street vendors.
Meal: None
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi
DAY 2: HANOI - HA LONG OVERNIGHT ON BOAT (B, L, D)
Following breakfast leave Hanoi for a 2.5-hour drive to Ha Long Bay including a 20-minutes stop on the way. Arrive at the jetty in Ha Long City towards noon and proceed with check-in formalities. Be welcomed onboard and have lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight on Ha Long cruise
DAY 3: HA LONG OVERNIGHT ON BOAT (2ND NIGH) (B, L, D)
Wake up to take some Tai Chi exercises on the sun deck and continue cruising the bays. Breakfast buffet will be served in the restaurant,
Today, you'll embark on a unique day trip aboard a traditional local boat. Explore the hidden coves and serene waters of Ha Long and Lan Ha Bays. Enjoy activities like swimming, kayaking, and a scenic village walk to experience local life.
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight on Ha Long cruise
DAY 4: HALONG - HANOI HALFDAY CITY TOUR (BR)
Wake up to take some Tai Chi exercises on the sun deck and continue cruising the bays. Breakfast buffet will be served in the restaurant, then visit the limestone grotto. Disembark in Halong City around 11am and transfer back to Hanoi with your private vehicle, guide and driver.
The half-day city tour begins with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex and Ba Dinh Square, an important point of pilgrimage for many Vietnamese. The area surrounding the complex is a traffic-free zone filled with botanical gardens, monuments, memorials and pagodas, and includes the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside), Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh Museum. Travel back in time to the nearby simple cottage on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked during his humble beginnings as a revolutionary. Walk a few blocks out of the Ho Chi Minch Complex to the 11th century Buddhist One Pillar Pagoda, an elegant construction rising from the center of a square shaped lotus pond on a solitary pillar. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars.
Meal: Brunch
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi
DAY 5: HANOI DEPARTURE (B)
You are free at leisure before being transferred by our guide & driver to Noi Bai International Airport for flight departure
Meal: Breakfast
