Ninh Binh and Halong Bay 2 Day Tour

8:00 – 8:30 am: The driver will arrive at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter and show you onto the bus. We pick-up your fellow passengers for the day and head to Ninh Binh province, located about two hours south of Hanoi.

10:30 – 11:00 am: After passing a wealth of greenery on both sides of the highway, we arrive at the peak of countryside beauty in Ninh Binh. We check out its ancient history first at Hoa Lu, where the capital of Vietnam was located for 42 years. 

Between the years of 968 and 1010, Hoa Lu was the imperial centre of Vietnam, and much of the beautiful architecture from that period still remains. It can be seen on a walk over the bridge and through the magnificent gate, but the best of it is found at the two temples built here in memory of the two emperors, Dinh and Le. We stroll around the ancient capital and soak up the royal majesty left behind 1000 years later.

12:00 pm: After this, we move our attention to Tam Coc, a village of immense natural beauty in the river running through it and the rice fields stretching around it. We have a brief rest for lunch at a local restaurant, before heading the centre of the village, where we find a row of wooden boats awaiting our boarding.

1:30 pm: We duly climb into one of the boats and a local rower will take us down the Ngo Dong River, where we have a 90-minute cruise involving views of Tam Coc’s most outstanding scenery. Relax into the ride on the way as we glide between gigantic limestone mountains on both sides, dressed in a verdant forest of trees jutting out at ambitious angles. From the riverbed itself, Tam Coc’s famous green and golden rice plants sprout, adding yet more colour to the vibrant scene around us.

3:00 pm: Arrive back at the harbour in the centre of the village and climb onto your bicycle. We will have a brief cycling tour of the magnificent countryside on offer. The flat paths and wide-open views of Tam Coc are perfect for exploration by bicycle, as vistas of the undulating mountains in the background are almost constant.

4:00 pm: We get back to the centre of Tam Coc and start our drive back to Hanoi, enjoying the sights of a beautiful sunset en route and ending at your hotel in the capital at about 6:30 pm. 

The 2nd of Ninh Binh and Halong Bay 2 Day Tour, we will visit Lan Ha Bay – The less touristy part of Halong Bay.

7:15 – 7:45 am: Our driver will arrive at your hotel in the early morning and you will board the bus to head to Hai Phong. The drive takes almost half the amount of time as the drive to Halong Bay and passes through beautifully traditional farming scenes along the side of the highway.

10:00 am: Once arrived at Got Harbour, we will check into the waiting lounge and board the cruise afterwards. Explore your new, luxurious surroundings for the day as we start our cruising into Lan Ha Bay, passing very few other cruise ships as we do so.

11:00 am: Take a seat in the dining room as lunch is served, with many different options catering to a wealth of different diets. During and after this, we will be able to enjoy incredible views of Lan Ha Bay’s stunning limestone karsts punctuating the emerald sea.

12:30 pm: After a while spent cruising the placid water, we make our first stop of the tour. This is to a tranquil area known as Tra Bau, where a local fishing family will allow us exclusive access into their jaw-dropping back garden. We will kayak and swim in total serenity around here, glancing at the tall, tree-coated mountains and enjoying the unique atmosphere, not found in many other areas of Halong. 

2:30 pm: Following this, we head over to the Dark & Bright Caves, two systems of weather-worn limestone enclosing a hidden lagoon at the back. We head on a local sampan boat through the cave and into its secret lake, becoming humbled by the streaked rock cliffs on all sides and the trove of green vegetation around us.

3:30 pm: Spend some time after this relaxing into the cruise, as we have a few more hours of serene drifting on our way back to the harbour. This can be spent in many places on the cruise, but the most accommodating for passengers are on one of the two sundecks or in the well-cushioned living room. During our cruise, we enjoy a chef’s display of cookery and fruit carving, followed by an afternoon tea service of western delights.

5:30 – 5:45 pm: Stepping off the cruise at Got Harbour in Hai Phong city, we will make our way back to Hanoi across the Red River Delta, arriving in the capital in the mid-evening. The tour will end at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter.

This hotel drop-off will signal the end of Ninh Binh and Halong Bay 2 Day Tour, for which we would like to thank you graciously for joining. It was a pleasure to have you and we wish to have the same privilege at some point in the future!