Red River Delta Loop

Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will be greeted by your guide and taken to your hotel where you can relax to get ready for an exciting half-afternoon trip.

Get the first glimpse of Hanoi at the Water puppet show theater where you have a chance to understand more about Vietnamese culture and tradition through a splendid form of wooden puppets dancing.

After that, join a 3-hour walk around the iconic Hanoi Old Quarter for tasty authentic food and drink. Take this as an opportunity to observe the real life of Hanoians and enjoy the vivid evening ambiance of this 1000-year-old city.

If the day falls on Friday to Sunday, you are likely to join a night market featured numerous candid street performances.

At 8 AM, begin your full-day city tour around Hanoi with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum first and get to be told about the man who led Vietnam’s campaign for independence from French colonial rule. After dedicating his life to the liberation of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh passed away in 1969 and his body was hence preserved for posterity. During the year, the mausoleum is closed for a month while Ho Chi Minh is given a bit of a spruce up!

Move further to the symbolic One Pillar Pagoda and the Presidential Palace.

Next, visit an 11th century relic, the Temple of Literature, which was built in homage to the Chinese Scholar Confucius and known as the very first university in the entire Vietnam.

In the afternoon, pay a visit to the Museum of Ethnology to understand more about 54 diverse ethnic groups scattering around Vietnam as well as their culture.

Then return to Ngoc Son Temple built on a tiny islet in the middle of the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake. Over here, you ’ll be told about a legend of an emperor, a magic sword and a giant turtle from which the name “ Lake of Returning Sword ” was hence introduced.

Spend the last 1 hour on a breezy cyclo ride through the Old Quarter’s 36 streets. Each of the street is accordingly named after the representative products sold along the thoroughfares.

Beside a traditional, antique beauty of a-thousand-year history, you will explore another peculiar aspect of Hanoi.

Apart from the bustle, narrow crowded streets and markets in front of your eyes, there are emerald paddy fields with serene ambience in the surrounding Red River Delta.

Continue your bike ride to one and only architecture of Co Loa Ancient Citadel, an iconic attraction built from 250 B.C. Extend the day in some selected fruit farms where you are about to pick the freshest tropical fruits right off the branches.

This is a fun experience to get off the beaten track out of the regular Hanoi downtown and meet local people in the countryside.

Begin your day at 8 AM to the complex of Hoa Lu – Tam Coc in Ninh Binh. Arrive at Hoa Lu Ancient Capital after 2.5 hour drive. Pay a visit to King Dinh and King Le’s Temples and get to learn about the interesting historical stories about this holy land.

Fill your stomach with our arranged upscale lunch – traditional Vietnamese cuisine at a local restaurant.

Next off, get on a sampan boat sneaking through the unique Tam Coc Grotto (known as Ha Long Bay on land) and admire the real peaceful countryside landscape. The boat will sail you through 3 specular caves filled with hundreds of limestone. If you’re tripping during the harvest season, get ready to see a wide range of terraced rice fields in the stunning saffron-color like carpet.

Get back to Tam Coc Wharf in the afternoon to chill out and start a 1-hour bike ride off the beaten track around the countryside. On the way, stop at a local bungalow in the middle of emerald terrace rice field to enjoy cookies and Vietnamese tea. What a relax!

Transfer to Bai Tu Long Bay early in the morning on a 4-hour drive from Ninh Binh.

Upon arrival, check-in your cruise and enjoy a high-end lunch while cruising around the bay and admiring the fascinating formations out of the window. The hidden Thien Canh Son Cave is one of the finest highlights of the whole voyage.

Next activity is an utmost relaxation on a white sandy beach at Hon Co Island including some time for swimming or kayaking. Get back to cruise after a day of adventure and go refresh yourself before dinner on board. The rest of the night is at your own leisure.

The last morning brings you an enormous view of the Bay’s landscape before breakfast in the fresh air.

After that, visit Vung Vieng Fishing Village on a rustic row-boat before checking out and lunchtime. After lunch, disembark and head back to Hanoi on a 4-hour drive. On the way, stop at Phu Lang Ceramic Village to discover the life of local people living on the bank of Cau river with their long-lasting pottery making tradition.