Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you'll be met and
driven to your hotel.
17.15: You'll be picked up to watch the Water Puppet show
an art form unique to northern Vietnam, and a good,
light-hearted introduction to its rural culture.
18.30: Your Welcome Dinner will be served at one of the
good local restaurant.
You'll spend the night in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi City tour (B, L, G)
9.00: You'll be picked up at your hotel to start a Hanoi city
tour.
9.30 - 10.30:
You’ll visit Ba Dinh Square, where silent
sentries guard the marble and
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum where Ho Chi Chi lies in state
(closed on every Monday & Friday and October & November). You’ll see the simple
cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked. You’ll continue to visit the One Pillar
Pagoda and hear the legend of its construction, born from the love of an emperor
in the 11th Century.
10.30 - 11.00:
You’ll drive to visit the serene Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest in
Hanoi, on the banks of Hanoi’s West Lake.
11.00 - 12.00: You’ll also call the Temple of Literature, built in 1070
and the dedicated to Confucius, it is a serene retreat from
the busy streets outside and later become Vietnam’s first
university.
12.00 - 13.30: Lunch at local restaurant
13.30 - 15.30: Visit the Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54
distinct ethnic
15.30 - 16.15:
Pass by Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake ,
also known as Lake of Restored Sword from the legend that
surrounds it en-route to one of the city’s fascinating
museums.
16.15 - 17.15:
You’ll then take to the streets by cycle
ride tour of the Ancient Qurter of 36 streets District. This
densely populated corner of the city was once a centre of
commerce where goods were sold under the street name of a
particular guild. Still a thriving community of sellers
today, you’ll see streets name such as Sugar Street, Tin
Street and Paper Street. Ancient homes and temples are
interspersed with stores in this souvenir hunter’s paradise.
You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.
Day 3: Exploring villages around Hanoi (B, L, G)
8.30: Drive and guide will pick you at your hotel to Van
Phuc silk village
9.30 - 10.30: You’ll arrive in
Van Phuc village, a small village where families have
specialised in weaving and dying silk over centuries, once the creators of fine
material for the robes of the Royal court.
10.30 - 12.00: Drive to Bat Trang -
a village famous for its fine ceramics.
You can stroll through the narrow streets to
watch the manufacturing process and meet the craftspeople.
12.00 - 13.00: You'll have lunch box in the village.
13.00 - 14.30: You'll then be picked up to drive to
visit the Dong Ho handicraft village, famous for
its traditional wood-paintings, and spend time in an artist’s
house to watch the creative process.
14.30 - 16.15: You’ll drive to one of a
traditional village in the North of Vietnam to enjoy its
traditional Quan Ho music performed by villagers in the commune
house. The singers have recently been officially designated as
part of Vietnam’s ‘living heritage’.
16.15 - 17.15: You'll visit Dong Ky village where most of the local families produce
furniture inlaid with mother of pearl. It’s a good example
of how the villagers work co-operatively on different stages
of the manufacturing process.
You’ll return to Hanoi to spend the
night.
Day 4: Hanoi/Perfume Pagoda (B, L, G)
8.00 - 9.30: Pick up at your hotel and drive to Perfume
pagoda
9.30 - 10.30: On arrival, you’ll be rowed through rice fields
along a gently flowing scenic waterway to the Perfume Pagoda, a
complex of pagodas and shrines built into the limestone cliffs
of the Mountain of Fragrant Traces.
10.45 - 13.30: You'll hike up to visit Perfume Pagoda and
Huong Tich cave.
13.30 - 15.00: You'll have a a picnic lunch and have a
brief look at the Thien Tru Pagoda (Heaven Kitchen).
15.00 - 17.45: Take rowing boat back to Duc Harbour and and
drive back to the city. You'll spend the night in Hanoi.
Day 5: Hanoi/Ninh Binh/Hanoi (B, L, G)
8.00 - 10.00: Pick up at your hotel and drive to Ninh Binh
(110 km)
10.00 - 11.00: On your arrival in Hoa Lu, the former capital of Vietnam. You’ll visit
Dinh and Le temples,
which dedicated to Emperor Dinh and a memory of Emperor Le.
You'll follow by a brief visit to the remains of the Old Palace
11.00 - 12.30: You'll be driven to Tam Coc (three grottoes) and have lunch at the local
restaurant.
12.30 - 14.30:
You’ll be rowed along a gentle river between
paddy fields and through the Tam Coc, You'll enjoy a peaceful valley
among limestone ‘karst’ hills on the way. 8.00 - 10.00:
Pick up at your hotel and drive to Ninh Binh (110 km)
14.30 - 17.00: Drive back to Hanoi. You'll spend the night
in Hanoi.
Day 6: Hanoi/Ha Long/Hanoi (B, L, G)
7.30:
You’ll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most
spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone
‘karst’ landscape.
9.00: You'll take a short break at Hong Ngoc
Embroidery workshop.
9.30 - 11.00: You'll continue driving to Ha Long Bay.
11.00 - 16.00:
you’ll board a traditional-style boat for five-
hour cruise on the bay to visit some of the less well-known
grottoes and caves and a beach. Weather permitting, you’ll be
able to swim, and climb hills for an overview of the Bay’s
remarkable seascape. Your lunch will be served with seafood on
the boat.
16.00 - 19.00:
You’ll return to Hanoi for your overnight accommodation.
Day 7: Hanoi departure (G)
You'll be free to shop at some of the local market before being driven to the
airport for your international departure flight.
