The Northern Soul of Vietnam – 5 Day Tour

Once your plane has landed, you will exit into the arrival hall and find our guide of Vietnam Escape Tours waiting with your name card. They will take you from here to the centre of the city, where you can check into your hotel and relax at your leisure for a while.

In the late afternoon, you will have free time for discovering Hanoi in your own way.

Enjoy your breakfast in the hotel before the guide arrives at 08.00 AM. We will begin our Hanoi City Tour, Vietnam’s capital of 1000 years and the holder of much of its long-held traditions.

This starts at the Ho Chi Minh Complex near the houses of government. Here, we can walk around Ba Dinh Square, where the famous modern leader of Vietnam declared his country an independent nation in 1945. In the centre of the square, we will find the mausoleum housing Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body, along with the stilt house where he lived out his later years during the Vietnam War. We can also take a look at the One-Pillar Pagoda and Presidential Palace to see aspects of Vietnam before and during Ho Chi Minh's presidency.

Take your pick of museums after this, from a list including the Vietnam Military History Museum, the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts, the Vietnam Ethnology Museum or Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Between all of these, you will find a feature of Vietnamese culture that appeals to you, which is something you can learn much more about with the help of our experienced guide.

We take a break for lunch after this before continuing our tour.

The Temple of Literature will be our first afternoon stop, standing as a testament to ancient and ornate Vietnamese architecture in the middle of the city. A walk around here will reveal some of this constructed beauty, as well as the manicured gardens of the temple. This beautiful attraction was more than a temple in the past; it was also Vietnam’s first university, where only the best minds in the country could come to study.

Our final stop of the day tour will be to Hanoi Old Quarter, where we can look around the 36 streets and learn of their ancient origins. The mishmash of buildings and trees create a brightly colourful and wonderfully picturesque scene throughout this lively district, all of which is caked in a thick layer of evocative history.

After our explorations here, we will drop you off at your hotel to enjoy the rest of the evening.

08.00 AM: The journey to Ninh Binh starts after breakfast and the arrival of the guide to your hotel. From here, we cross about 100km of beautiful agriculture and forest on our way to one of Vietnam’s smallest but most verdant provinces.

We can see the wealth of this strong greenery at Tam Coc, a village occupying the flat plateaus between limestone mountain ranges. We join a boat tour on the Ngo Dong River, cutting through the exquisite nature around us as we slowly float down a beauty-lined waterway. Our rower will take us in between soaring mountains clad with trees, as well as rice plants growing straight out of the river.

After this, we take lunch and relax into the early afternoon.

At this point, we make our way to Hoa Lu, where two emperors ruled the kingdom of Dai Co Viet for 42 years. Before the capital was moved to Hanoi and the name changed to Dai Viet (becoming 'Vietnam' 800 years later), Hoa Lu was the proud capital, and now the history of its two leaders can be seen in the temples of King Dinh and King Le. The architecture here is of a beautiful and pure kind, decorated with perfect ornaments to match the splendour of the mountains around Hoa Lu.

Our transfer back to Hanoi follows this tour, where you can enjoy another sparkling evening in the present-day capital. End of Hoa Lu Tam Coc Day Tour from Hanoi and enjoy your evening time in Hanoi.

Please Note: The following itinerary is merely for use as an example, as the cruise that you select during your booking of this tour may feature destinations or ship aspects that differ from those listed here.

Morning

Savour your breakfast and wait for the driver to pick you up at the hotel. Our destination today is the undisputed highlight of any northern Vietnam tour – the authentic world wonder of Halong Bay.

After your transfer to the bay, we can see immediately why it has been accredited with World Heritage status twice by UNESCO. The beauty here is elegant and refined; something we can experience for ourselves once we board the boat and head out into the shimmering sea.

Afternoon

Enjoy lunch on board and some time to relax into the early afternoon, which is one full of serenity and calm. This is seen best at our first stop, Ban Chan Beach, where we can relax for a while on this sandy cove bordered by palm trees, casuarina pines and a wall of limestone karsts. Swim in the water or simply relax here as you soak up the uniqueness of the beauty in Halong Bay.

Evening

We re-board the ship and head over to our overnight spot, where we can drop anchor and enjoy the blissful silence. On the way, there will be a party on the top deck during sunset, where we can revel in the social atmosphere brought about by happy hour and incredible views of the descending red sun.

Enjoy dinner after this and the rest of the evening in whichever way you see fit – maybe with relaxation, time at the bar or a spot of squid fishing.

A tai chi session will be an excellent way to wake you up and give you an energy boost ahead of the day. This will take place on the top deck before a light breakfast is served downstairs. 

We weigh anchor and make our way to Thien Canh Son Cave, one of the many majestic limestone offerings around the whole Halong Bay area. We enter the cave and take a look around with the help of our guide, who will show us the most impressive of the rock formations within.

Return to the boat to enjoy a filling brunch and the last of our cruising. We return to the harbour and disembark here, waving goodbye to the crew and joining the driver to take the transfer to Hanoi then private to Hanoi Airport. End of Halong Bay 2 day 1 night Cruise itinerary and your North Vietnam 5 Day Trip.

From here, you can get your onwards flight home or to your next destination.

This will be the end of our tour in Vietnam’s exotic north. Thank you for joining us and we hope to see you again!

Note: If you find the price of this tour is high we can arrange the group tours for you to those destinations for the better price. Please contact our travel consultant or you can visit more group tours in Vietnam for more options.