Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
You land at Noi Bai, about 27km north of the city across the Red River. Your guide meets you once you are through immigration and customs, and the private vehicle is waiting outside.
Private meet & greetTransfer 45–60 minInsider tipChange a little money into Vietnamese dong at the airport. Cards are accepted in hotels and larger restaurants, but the Old Quarter still runs on cash.Hotel check-in
Check in to your 3 or 4 star hotel in or beside the Old Quarter, and take an hour to shower and settle before the afternoon begins.
Rest & freshen upOld Quarter walk, through the 36 Streets
Hanoi's commercial heart for a thousand years, laid out so that each lane was given over to a single trade - and a good many still are, from tin and silk to votive paper. You walk it with your guide, past shophouses, pavement kitchens and the old Bach Ma temple.
2 hrs on footShophouses · Street kitchens · Bach Ma TempleInsider tipTraffic here flows rather than stops. Cross at a steady, predictable pace and let the scooters steer around you - hesitating is what causes trouble.Hanoi Train Street
The narrow residential lane where the Hanoi–Lao Cai line passes within touching distance of the front doors, and the cafes fold their chairs off the tracks a few minutes before a train comes through.
30–45 minPhoto stopInsider tipThe authorities open and close the lane at short notice. Your guide checks on the day and has Long Bien Bridge ready as an alternative if it is shut.Welcome dinner
A first proper sit-down with northern Vietnamese cooking - pho, bun cha grilled over charcoal, fresh herbs by the plateful - with your guide there to do the ordering.
IncludedNorthern Vietnamese
Vietnam in Focus
Hanoi · Ha Long Bay · Ninh Binh
A best-selling circuit through the north's ancient capital, its UNESCO seascape, and the limestone rice valleys inland - the definitive Vietnam highlight reel, unrushed and under a week.
The journey ahead
6 days, in orderOur top-selling northern Vietnam circuit, built for couples, families and small groups who want the highlights in under a week. Two nights taking in Hanoi's Old Quarter energy and French-colonial heritage, a full day cruising the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay, and a night out among the rice valleys of Ninh Binh - often called "Ha Long Bay on land". Every night is in a 3 or 4 star hotel with breakfast, and all transfers, a private English-speaking guide and an air-conditioned vehicle are included throughout.
| Day | Route | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Arrive Hanoi | Noi Bai airport transfer, Old Quarter & Train Street, welcome dinner | Hanoi |
| 02 | Hanoi heritage | Ho Chi Minh Complex, Temple of Literature, water puppets | Hanoi |
| 03 | Ha Long Bay | Day cruise, limestone cave, kayaking, seafood lunch on board | Ha Long |
| 04 | Ha Long → Ninh Binh | Trang An boat ride, Bich Dong Pagoda | Ninh Binh |
| 05 | Ninh Binh → Hanoi | Tam Coc cycling, Mua Cave climb, Dong Xuan Market | Hanoi |
| 06 | Departure | Hoan Kiem Lake stroll, transfer to Noi Bai airport | — |
Day by day
Tap a day to open itHo Chi Minh Complex & One Pillar Pagoda
Ba Dinh Square, where independence was declared in 1945, and the granite mausoleum that now stands over it. The same grounds hold the stilt house Ho Chi Minh lived and worked in, the ochre Presidential Palace behind it, and the eleventh-century One Pillar Pagoda, built on a single stone column to resemble a lotus rising out of the water.
90 minBa Dinh Square · Stilt house · One Pillar PagodaInsider tipThe mausoleum keeps short morning hours and closes for several weeks each autumn. Shoulders and knees must be covered to go inside, and bags and cameras are left at the entrance.Temple of Literature
Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius. Five walled courtyards run back from the gate, each quieter than the last; the third holds the doctoral stelae - stone tablets carried on the backs of turtles, recording the names of every graduate from 1442 onwards.
60 minFive courtyards · Doctoral stelae · Well of Heavenly ClarityInsider tipIt appears on the 100,000 dong note, so it is worth having one in hand to compare.Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
The lake at the centre of the city, named for the legend of a magic sword returned to a golden turtle. The scarlet Huc Bridge crosses to Ngoc Son Temple on its small island, and the Turtle Tower sits out in the water. Flat, shaded and the best place in Hanoi to watch the city keep its own time.
45–60 minThe Huc Bridge · Turtle TowerInsider tipThe streets around the lake close to traffic from Friday evening to Sunday night, and the whole shore turns into a walking street of games, music and food stalls.Evening water puppet show
Mua roi nuoc - puppetry performed in waist-deep water, an art invented by Red River Delta farmers in flooded paddies close to a thousand years ago. The puppeteers stand hidden behind a bamboo screen, working the figures on long poles beneath the surface, while a live band of drums, bamboo flute and dan bau plays alongside.
50 minThang Long Theatre · Live musicians · Tickets includedInsider tipIt is performed in Vietnamese, but the story is told entirely through the puppets - nothing is lost by not following the words.
Drive to Ha Long Bay
Around three and a half hours east by private vehicle, out across the rice flats of the Red River Delta on the expressway, with a comfort stop roughly halfway.
3.5 hrsComfort stop en routeBoard the cruise
Boarding at the harbour for a full day out on the water. Close to two thousand limestone islands stand out of the bay, undercut at the waterline and topped with jungle - a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994, and the single image most people carry home from Vietnam.
Full day cruisingUNESCO World HeritageLimestone cave visit
A walk through one of the great chambers in the bay, usually Sung Sot - the Cave of Surprises - where lit walkways run between stalactite formations the size of buildings, and the exit opens onto a viewpoint over the anchored junks below.
45–60 minLit walkways · Steps · Entrance includedKayaking or bamboo boat
Paddle yourself under a low rock arch into a hidden lagoon ringed by cliffs, or sit back and let a local rower take you through by bamboo boat. Either way you get in where the cruise boat cannot follow.
45 minKayak or rowed boatInsider tipThe water is sheltered and calm, and kayaking is entirely optional. Bring a change of clothes and keep your phone in a dry bag.Seafood lunch on board
Lunch is served on deck as the boat moves between the islands - crab, prawns, squid and clams, cooked on board, with vegetarian dishes if you let us know in advance.
IncludedFresh seafoodDisembark and check in at Ha Long
Back on shore in the late afternoon and into your hotel in Ha Long City, so the night is spent on land rather than at anchor. The evening is free - the Bai Chay waterfront and its night market are a short walk from most hotels.
Evening freeBai Chay waterfront
Drive to Ninh Binh
South and inland, skirting Hanoi, into a landscape built from the same limestone as the bay - except that here the towers rise out of rice fields and slow green rivers instead of the sea, which is why it is known as Ha Long Bay on land.
~4 hrsComfort stop en routeTrang An boat ride
Two hours in a rowed sampan through a flooded valley of karsts, threading a chain of low water caves - one or two long enough that you sit with your head down for a full minute in the dark - and calling at riverside temples between them. The whole complex is UNESCO listed for its landscape and its archaeology alike.
2 hrsUNESCO site · Rowed sampan · Water cavesInsider tipThe rowers work the oars with their feet and are paid only a small share of the ticket, so a tip at the end is customary.Bich Dong Pagoda
A pagoda on three levels built into a cliff above a lotus pond, the upper terraces reached by stone steps and a passage through the cave itself. Centuries old, quiet, and usually close to empty by late afternoon.
45 minThree tiers · Cave passage · StepsCheck in to hotel
Your hotel sits out among the karsts rather than in the town, so the evening is a quiet one - and the view from it at first light is the reason to stay out here.
Overnight Ninh Binh
Cycling through the Tam Coc rice paddies
An easy and entirely flat ride along lanes between the paddies and the limestone towers, past village gates, duck ponds and goats grazing on the rock. Bicycles are provided and your guide sets the pace.
1.5–2 hrsFlat · Bicycles providedInsider tipLate May and early June are when the Tam Coc rice turns gold, and the valley is at its very best. Outside that the paddies are a bright green, which photographs almost as well.Mua Cave viewpoint climb
Roughly five hundred stone steps run up the ridge to a stone dragon and a small pagoda at the top. The view from there is the one on the postcards - the Ngo Dong river turning through the paddies with the karsts standing over it.
1 hr~500 steps · OptionalInsider tipThe steps are uneven and there is no shade on the way up. It is entirely optional, and the lotus pond and gardens at the base are lovely without the climb.Transfer back to Hanoi
Around two hours north, reaching the Old Quarter in the late afternoon and checking in for your final night.
~2 hrsFree time, or shopping at Dong Xuan Market
The largest market in the Old Quarter: three floors of silk, coffee, spices, ceramics and cheerful knock-offs, with the surrounding streets turning into a night market from Friday to Sunday.
Free eveningSilk · Coffee · CeramicsInsider tipOpening prices are asked high and expected to be negotiated. Somewhere near half is a fair place to start, and walking away usually improves the offer.
Free time, or a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake
The lake shore is at its best just after dawn, when half of Hanoi comes out to exercise around it. Otherwise, a last coffee - the city takes it thick and sweet over ice, or whipped with egg yolk into something closer to a dessert.
Free morningEgg coffeeCheck out
Check-out is around noon. If your flight is in the evening, a late check-out can usually be arranged for a fee - tell us before you travel and we will request it. Luggage can be left at the hotel until your transfer either way.
Luggage storageTransfer to Noi Bai Airport for your departure flight
A private transfer back out to Noi Bai, timed to put you at the terminal three hours before an international departure.
Transfer 45–60 minPrivate vehicle
What's included
Per person · VietnamIncluded
- ✓5 nights in a 3 or 4 star hotel, with breakfast every morning
- ✓All other meals shown in the day-by-day itinerary
- ✓Private air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers and touring
- ✓Experienced English-speaking private guide throughout
- ✓All sightseeing, attraction tickets, passes and entry fees listed in the itinerary
- ✓Ha Long Bay luxury day cruise, with kayaking or bamboo boat and cave entrance
- ✓Trang An sampan boat ride and Mua Cave entrance fees
- ✓Water puppet show and the local cultural experiences listed
- ✓Bicycle hire for the Tam Coc ride
- ✓Bottled water throughout the touring days
- ✓24/7 assistance from the Hasikhusi team while you are away
- ✓All hotel taxes and service charges
Not included
- ×International and domestic flights
- ×Vietnam e-visa or visa-on-arrival fee
- ×Travel insurance - strongly recommended
- ×Personal expenses, alcoholic drinks and laundry
- ×Tips for guides, drivers and sampan rowers - USD 8–10 per day is usual
- ×Sedan-chair fee at Mua Cave, optional and paid on site
- ×Spa treatments and optional activities not listed
- ×Anything not explicitly listed under Included
Booking terms
Confirmation to departure- Deposit
- 30% of the total package cost, due at confirmation.
- Balance
- Full payment due 21 days before departure.
- Free cancellation
- Up to 15 days before departure. The deposit is non-refundable.
- Late cancellation
- 50% charge within 7–14 days of departure; 100% within 6 days.
- Minimum group
- 2 travellers, as this runs as a private tour. Solo travellers are welcome with a single supplement.
Good to know
Before you goNot included in this price
NPR 55,000 covers the land package from arrival at Noi Bai to departure. We can quote and book flights from Kathmandu separately - just ask when you enquire.
A hotel bed every night
All five nights are in 3 or 4 star hotels with breakfast - two in Hanoi, one in Ha Long City, one out among the karsts at Ninh Binh, and a last one back in Hanoi. Ha Long Bay is a full day cruise, not a night at anchor.
E-visa, arranged in advance
Nepali passport holders need a Vietnam e-visa or visa on arrival. We provide the itinerary and hotel confirmations for the application; the fee itself is not part of the package.
Comfortable, with two long drives
Mostly gentle walking and boats, but two real road days - three and a half hours out to Ha Long, and around four on to Ninh Binh. The Mua Cave viewpoint is a climb of some 500 steps, and entirely optional.
Shaped around your group
- —Group discounts for families and friends travelling together - tell us your numbers when you enquire.
- —The itinerary is customisable: add days, change the hotel grade, or slow the pace down.
- —Honeymoon and family versions of this route, with the rooms and activities to match.
- —Photography stops built in - Trang An, the Mua Cave viewpoint and sunset out on the bay.
Along the way
Hanoi · Ha Long Bay · Ninh Binh
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