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Through The Mountains & Myths Of North Vietnam – 6 Days

Ninh Binh 1
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The Heart of This Journey

Six days in the north, from the capital to the mountains and the sea. This short journey takes in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and landmarks, a night with a White Thai family in the Mai Chau valley, the river caves and ancient capital of Ninh Binh, and a final night among the limestone islands of Halong Bay.

  • Hanoi by cycloA ride through the Old Quarter, water puppets and a welcome dinner on your first evening.
  • The capital’s landmarksThe Ho Chi Minh Complex, the Temple of Literature and the pagodas of West Lake.
  • A night in Mai ChauA trek through the rice fields and dinner with a White Thai family in their stilt house.
  • Hoa Lu and Trang AnVietnam’s first capital, then a rowing boat through caves and limestone hills.
  • A night on Halong BayIslets, a floating village and Bat Cave by kayak or bamboo boat.
  • Sunrise on the bayTai chi on deck and the vast chambers of Surprise Cave before the journey home.

Tour Destinations:

Detailed Itinerary:

Here is how the six days unfold, from a cyclo ride through Hanoi’s Old Quarter to a last morning on Halong Bay. Every part of it can be adjusted: add a night where you want to linger, swap an activity or change your hotel class, and we will shape the plan around you.

Day 01:Hanoi Arrival

Welcome to Hanoi, a capital of tree-shaded lakes, French colonial boulevards and a thousand years of history.

Arrival

Your driver and guide meet you in the arrivals hall at Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the heart of the city.

Afternoon

Climb into a cyclo for a ride through the winding streets of the Old Quarter, past shophouses, street stalls and French colonial facades, with the life of the city unfolding at arm’s length.

Evening

Watch a water puppet show, a folk art born in the flooded rice paddies of the Red River Delta, where puppeteers hidden behind a bamboo screen make dragons and farmers dance across the water. Then sit down to a welcome dinner at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.

Meals: Dinner. Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 02:Hanoi City Tour

A full day to discover Hanoi, an eclectic capital of broad boulevards, French villas, serene lakes and centuries-old pagodas.

Morning

Begin at the Ho Chi Minh Complex, where the granite Mausoleum stands beside the modest stilt house in which the country’s founding father lived and worked. Nearby, the One Pillar Pagoda rises from its pond like a lotus flower, and the yellow Presidential Palace shows the French side of the city. Continue to the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius and later home to Vietnam’s first university.

Afternoon

Head to West Lake for the ancient Tran Quoc Pagoda, set on a small island joined to the shore, and the Quan Thanh Temple nearby. Then choose one of the city’s museums: the History Museum for the story of Vietnam through the ages, or the Museum of Ethnology for the traditions of its many ethnic groups.

Good to know: the Museum of Ethnology is closed on Mondays.

Meals: Breakfast. Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 03:Hanoi – Mai Chau – Homestay

Leave the city for Mai Chau, a wide valley of rice paddies framed by towering limestone mountains.

Morning

After an early breakfast, drive west past villages and pagodas scattered across the countryside. Along the way, stop to meet a Muong community, then pause at Thung Khe Pass for your first sweeping view down into the Mai Chau Valley.

Midday

Lunch is served in Mai Chau.

Afternoon

Set off on foot along the Song Ma River, away from the main roads, following paths through terraced rice paddies and small villages where you meet the White Thai people who have farmed this valley for generations.

Evening

Spend the night in a Thai village, sharing dinner with your host family and sleeping in their traditional stilt house.

Good to know: homestay rooms are simple, with mattresses and mosquito nets in a shared space.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau.

Day 04:Mai Chau – Ninh Binh (Hoa Lu – Trang An)

From the mountains to Ninh Binh, a landscape of rivers and limestone peaks often called Halong Bay on land.

Morning

After breakfast with your hosts, drive to Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s first capital in the 10th century. Visit the temples dedicated to its early kings, then climb a hillside stairway for a panoramic view over the old capital and the peaks around it.

Afternoon

After lunch, glide by rowing boat through Trang An, a peaceful nature reserve where a quiet river winds between limestone hills and passes right through a series of caves, one of them about 15 minutes long in near darkness. The only sounds are birdsong and the gentle dip of the oars in the clear water.

Evening

Spend the night at a resort on the edge of the Van Long Nature Reserve.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch. Accommodation: Hotel in Ninh Binh.

Day 05:Ninh Binh – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise

Swap the rice fields for Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of limestone islands rising from emerald water, and a night aboard a cruise.

Morning

After breakfast, drive for about four hours through the farmland of the Red River Delta to Halong Bay.

Midday

Board your cruise by tender and settle in with a welcome drink and a safety briefing as the boat sets sail past the Stone Dog and Fighting Cock islets towards Hoa Cuong, a floating fishing village. Lunch is served as you cruise.

Afternoon

Explore Bat Cave, either by kayak or relaxing in a bamboo boat rowed by a local, then return on board as the boat finds a sheltered spot for the night.

Evening

Watch a cooking demonstration on the sundeck as the light fades, then enjoy dinner on board. Afterwards, try your hand at squid fishing, watch a film, or book a massage directly with the cruise manager.

Good to know: this is a sample programme; routes and timings vary with the cruise you choose, and we will send the exact schedule when you book. Massages are at extra cost.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Overnight on the cruise.

Day 06:Halong Bay – Hanoi – Departure

One last sunrise over the bay before your journey home.

Early morning

Rise early for tai chi on the sundeck, then enjoy breakfast as the bay wakes up around you.

Morning

Walk through Sung Sot, the “Surprise Cave”, whose vast chambers of stalactites and stalagmites are among the most impressive in Halong Bay. Back on board, check out and enjoy brunch as the boat cruises slowly back to Tuan Chau pier.

Departure

Your driver meets you at the pier for the transfer to Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport and your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast, Brunch.

Day 01:Hanoi Arrival

Welcome to Hanoi, a capital of tree-shaded lakes, French colonial boulevards and a thousand years of history.

Arrival

Your driver and guide meet you in the arrivals hall at Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the heart of the city.

Afternoon

Climb into a cyclo for a ride through the winding streets of the Old Quarter, past shophouses, street stalls and French colonial facades, with the life of the city unfolding at arm’s length.

Evening

Watch a water puppet show, a folk art born in the flooded rice paddies of the Red River Delta, where puppeteers hidden behind a bamboo screen make dragons and farmers dance across the water. Then sit down to a welcome dinner at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.

Meals: Dinner. Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 02:Hanoi City Tour

A full day to discover Hanoi, an eclectic capital of broad boulevards, French villas, serene lakes and centuries-old pagodas.

Morning

Begin at the Ho Chi Minh Complex, where the granite Mausoleum stands beside the modest stilt house in which the country’s founding father lived and worked. Nearby, the One Pillar Pagoda rises from its pond like a lotus flower, and the yellow Presidential Palace shows the French side of the city. Continue to the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius and later home to Vietnam’s first university.

Afternoon

Head to West Lake for the ancient Tran Quoc Pagoda, set on a small island joined to the shore, and the Quan Thanh Temple nearby. Then choose one of the city’s museums: the History Museum for the story of Vietnam through the ages, or the Museum of Ethnology for the traditions of its many ethnic groups.

Good to know: the Museum of Ethnology is closed on Mondays.

Meals: Breakfast. Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 03:Hanoi – Mai Chau – Homestay

Leave the city for Mai Chau, a wide valley of rice paddies framed by towering limestone mountains.

Morning

After an early breakfast, drive west past villages and pagodas scattered across the countryside. Along the way, stop to meet a Muong community, then pause at Thung Khe Pass for your first sweeping view down into the Mai Chau Valley.

Midday

Lunch is served in Mai Chau.

Afternoon

Set off on foot along the Song Ma River, away from the main roads, following paths through terraced rice paddies and small villages where you meet the White Thai people who have farmed this valley for generations.

Evening

Spend the night in a Thai village, sharing dinner with your host family and sleeping in their traditional stilt house.

Good to know: homestay rooms are simple, with mattresses and mosquito nets in a shared space.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau.

Day 04:Mai Chau – Ninh Binh (Hoa Lu – Trang An)

From the mountains to Ninh Binh, a landscape of rivers and limestone peaks often called Halong Bay on land.

Morning

After breakfast with your hosts, drive to Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s first capital in the 10th century. Visit the temples dedicated to its early kings, then climb a hillside stairway for a panoramic view over the old capital and the peaks around it.

Afternoon

After lunch, glide by rowing boat through Trang An, a peaceful nature reserve where a quiet river winds between limestone hills and passes right through a series of caves, one of them about 15 minutes long in near darkness. The only sounds are birdsong and the gentle dip of the oars in the clear water.

Evening

Spend the night at a resort on the edge of the Van Long Nature Reserve.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch. Accommodation: Hotel in Ninh Binh.

Day 05:Ninh Binh – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise

Swap the rice fields for Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of limestone islands rising from emerald water, and a night aboard a cruise.

Morning

After breakfast, drive for about four hours through the farmland of the Red River Delta to Halong Bay.

Midday

Board your cruise by tender and settle in with a welcome drink and a safety briefing as the boat sets sail past the Stone Dog and Fighting Cock islets towards Hoa Cuong, a floating fishing village. Lunch is served as you cruise.

Afternoon

Explore Bat Cave, either by kayak or relaxing in a bamboo boat rowed by a local, then return on board as the boat finds a sheltered spot for the night.

Evening

Watch a cooking demonstration on the sundeck as the light fades, then enjoy dinner on board. Afterwards, try your hand at squid fishing, watch a film, or book a massage directly with the cruise manager.

Good to know: this is a sample programme; routes and timings vary with the cruise you choose, and we will send the exact schedule when you book. Massages are at extra cost.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Overnight on the cruise.

Day 06:Halong Bay – Hanoi – Departure

One last sunrise over the bay before your journey home.

Early morning

Rise early for tai chi on the sundeck, then enjoy breakfast as the bay wakes up around you.

Morning

Walk through Sung Sot, the “Surprise Cave”, whose vast chambers of stalactites and stalagmites are among the most impressive in Halong Bay. Back on board, check out and enjoy brunch as the boat cruises slowly back to Tuan Chau pier.

Departure

Your driver meets you at the pier for the transfer to Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport and your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast, Brunch.

Price Included:

Accommodation (3 star in average).

Breakfast & meals per mentioned in the itinerary.

Transportation by private car with A/C.

English-speaking guides.

All entrance fees, performances, boat trips & excursions.

Price Excluded:

International flight.

Travel insurance.

Vietnam Visa.

Gratuities for tour guides/drivers.

Beverages & other personal expenses.

Video Highlights:

Indulge in a vivid, sensory panorama of our cherished destinations, carefully curated to ignite your wanderlust and craft a tantalizing prelude to your forthcoming journey!

Private, tailor-made trip
6days
5 nights
  • DepartureAny date you choose
  • 4 stopsHanoi · Mai Chau · Ninh Binh · Halong Bay
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