Meal: N/A | Accommodation: hotel in Hanoi
Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. Time for relaxing after the journey. You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.
Meals: breakfast | Accommodation: hotel in Hanoi
You’ll have the whole day to explore Vietnam’s capital city.
In the morning, you’ll visit the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century. You’ll walk through the gardens and symbolic momument to the Temples dedicated to Confucius and his scholars as well as famous Vietnamese teachers throughout the country history.
Later, after a short transfer you’ll walk through the burstling Ngoc Ha market before visit Huu Tiep Lake, better known as ‘B-52 lake’, where US B-52 bomber wreckage can be seen. The walk from the main road through the narrow alleys of Ngoc Ha village is a great chance to see Hanoi’s life behind the scene.
As you return to the Old quarter, we would like to invite you to get off the tourist trail and explore Hanoi hidden lanes for a street food experience. Take your pick from a wide range of street food menu to taste the authentic of Hanoi. After lunch, sit down on one of many Hanoi’s charming cafes’ where you will be able to try some of Hanoi’s tastiest coffee: Cà phê sữa đá (Iced coffee) and if you feel more adventurous, you can also try the ‘Egg coffee’.
In the afternoon, we’ll visit some of the famous sites in the city center including Ba Da pagoda and St. Joseph’s Cathedral – an European neo-Gothic church. We’ll later process to Dong Xuan market, a large crowded local market but very Vietnamese and start a walk through hidden lanes and busy streets of the old quarter. The walk ends at Hoan Kiem lake where you’ll enjoy a performance of traditional Water Puppetry, an art form unique to northern Vietnam (a good, light-hearted introduction to our rural culture). Service ends at around 17.00
Alternative option:
If you would like to see Hanoi’s infamous site: Ho Chi Minh’s complex, we would be happy to alternate the tour a little bit. Instead of the ‘behind the scene’ walk to Huu Tiep lake, you’ll visit Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, the Presidential Palace and his simple stilt house where he lived and worked. After that we’ll visit One Pillar pagoda, a small charming pagoda that was first built in XI century with a lotus shape representing Buddhism.
Meals: lunch and dinner | Accommodation: Treasure junk
8:00 – 8h30: Depart from Hanoi for a 3.5 hours drive to Halong City through the Red River Delta. Upon arrival, get on board of the Treasure Junk. Start cruising from Hon Gai pier to the boundaries of Halong bay while lunch with fresh seafood is served (vegetarian and kids menus available).
After lunch, just make yourself at ease and relax. We are slowly getting off the classic cruising routes, far from the usual clichés of this busy tourism spot. Limestone rock formations will parade all around us for about 2 hours before our first stop.
We reach the perfect spot, remote and scenic, where the waters of Halong and Bai Tu Long hit and wave together. Let’s get ready for serious things. Swimming suits, ok. Kayaks and tender boat, ok. Paddles and gears, ok. Let’s get closer to the water and explore the bay in depth.
After one/one and a half hour kayaking, we get back on board to refresh and start the aperitif on the sundeck. The boat cruises to its anchorage area. Dinner is served either inside or outside depending on weather conditions. Overnight on board in a cozy air-conditioned cabin with en-suite bathroom facilities.
Meals: brunch | Accommodation: not included
We will be back at the pier about 11am, and driven to Hanoi with an expected arrival time about 4pm. The day will be short so let’s wake up early to take the maximum of it.
6:30 – Coffee, tea and cakes will be served. Wake up smoothly while witnessing the silence of beautiful misty bay. A 30-minute Tai Chi session will be organized, energize your body and soul or just allow yourself some farniente time on a sunbath with a cup of coffee.
About 7.45am, we hop on bamboo boats to go visiting a secluded floating village surrounded by the mountains. We trace our way between numerous floating houses and small rowing boats that serve the everyday life as vehicle, itinerant shops, fishing utility, sometimes overnight shelter.
Back on treasure before 9am, we start cruising back to the pier. From 9.30am, a brunch will be served. Take a last glance at the rocks, standing still as the eternal guardians of a kingdom, we are about to reach the pier.
Once on land, our shuttle bus will take you back to Hanoi centre at around 15:30 – 16:30.
Transfer to Airport to catch flight out.