Northern Vietnam (5 days)

Welcome to Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam!
Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, welcomed by the driver and transfer to the center of Hanoi to check-in hotel (Normal check in time is 14:00). At leisure to relax and get rid of jet lag. Overnight in Hanoi. 
 

Breakfast at hotel. Morning, we’ll pick you up and take you to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (closed on Mondays, Fridays and during Sep – Nov for annual restoration) – the final resting place of the beloved national hero, Uncle Ho – and President Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house where he lived off and on from 1958 to 1969. Next, visit the One Pillar Pagoda, which is actually a group of structures that collectively make up a pagoda built over the water in the middle of a square lake. After that, you’ll have a chance to explore the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the shore of West lake. From there, it’s onto the Temple of literature, which was Viet Nam's first university and is dedicated to Confucius.  Lunch at the restaurant before heading to Hoan Kiem Lake - the heart and soul of Hanoi. 

Option 1: Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sunday
You’ ll stop in at Museum Of Ethnology. This superb museum showcases the depth of Vietnamese cultural diversity with an astounding collection of 15,000 artifacts gathered from throughout Vietnam. Maps, displays, and dioramas are labeled in Vietnamese, French and English. Displays portray a typical village market, the making of comical hats and a Tay shamanic ceremony; videos show the real thing. You can also check out a traditional Black Thai house reconstructed in the museum. There's also a center for research and conservation where scientists from all over the world study traditional Vietnamese cultures.

Option 2: Monday
Depart for Bat Trang ceramic village which is about 20 km away from Ha Noi, this is pottery village with a half- milleary historic development.
Later, take the car to come back to your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.
 

Breakfast at hotel. A 90km drive south of Hanoi will lead you to Ninh Binh, the site of the one capital city of ancient Vietnam before Hanoi took its leading role in the 11th century. The area is featured by lots of well-known sceneries, which include Tam Coc Caves and Hoa Lu ancient capital with the old temples dedicated to King Dinh & King Le reigned in the 10th century. The visit in Ninh Binh starts by a boat trip in Tam Coc where spectacular limestone karsts jut out from the green paddy fields reminding about Guilin (China) and Halong Bay of Vietnam, which gives this scenery the name “Halong-bay-on-land”. Further discovery in Ninh Binh will be continued in the site that used to be the kings’ palace in the 10th century and now famous for the wooden relieves of the shady Dinh and Le temples. Lunch at a local restaurant. Late afternoon back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at hotel. Depart for Halong Bay, a World Heritage as designated by Unesco in 1994 with nearly 3,000 rocky islets. The drive may take you more than three to four hours utmost depending on the high or low seasons’ traffic, and will pass the Red River Delta, one of the two granaries of Vietnam. Upon arriving in Halong, we will sail our boat round its natural rocky gardens whilst a tasty seafood lunch is waiting on board. Most of the islets here are not for living due to the lack of fresh water, but are excellent for cruising to contemplate their miraculous draws on the horizon. Many of them have great names from their inspirational shapes, including the Surprising cave, Pelican Grotto, Chopstick rock, Butterfly rock, Turtle rock, the island of Fishman’s Head, the Fighting Cocks, the Sail, the Urn, or the Sea Dog! We can visit a grotto, or just lazily relax on the sundeck. The boat will be back to the Wharf late afternoon where we take our car or coach to return to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Time at leisure until check out the hotel (Normal check out time is 12:00) and transfer to the airport with driver for the departure flight.