7 days Hanoi - Ba Be Lake - Halong - Ninh Binh

Welcome to Hanoi – Vietnam!

Upon arrival, the local driver will be welcoming you at Noi Bai airport; it takes us 35 minutes driving to the centre of Hanoi then check-in at hotel. Free at leisure rest of day. Overnight in Hanoi.

Please note: Standard check in time is 14:00. Early check in is subject to availability of the hotel

Night activities suggestion: enjoy local beer at Ta Hien Streets, experience the ambience of sleepless street with life music, the young people of Hanoi and also foreign tourists. Hundred of bars and pubs in the Old Quarter are also at your disposal or just simple spend your time at shopping malls or various boutique Shops.

Our tour guide will pick you up by car at your hotel around 7:30-8:00am, as an early start is necessary for all we have in store for you today. On the way to Ba Be National Park, we will stop in a local village to enjoy lunch in a restaurant, before our route takes us up through the mountains and tea plantations on the road to Ba Be Lake. You will then travel to the Tay village of Coc Toc, where the houses are built in traditional Tay fashion on stilts. The local Tay population is extremely friendly to visitors and will welcome you with open arms, introducing you to their way of life central pillars of which are fishing on the lake and rice-farming. This is where you will spend the night in a homestay, to really get an intimate look at Tay culture and daily life. After checking in at the homestay, your afternoon will be free to spend as you wish, though we recommend going for a walk to explore the beautiful surroundings. Following this, we will take you to Hua Ma Cave, featuring thousands of stalactites and stalagmites.The rest of the day is again yours to do with as you please, though we offer the optional activities of guided walks/bike rides around Coc Toc Village and kayaking trips on the lake. If you’d rather spend the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the serene views, then that’s also an option.

After breakfast we’ll kick the final day of the tour of by boarding a boat and setting off onto the lake. It’s up to you how to spend your time on the boat, whether it’s relaxing and enjoying the views or going for a swim in the cool waters to refresh yourself. The views consist of stunning karst formations all around you covered with patches of wild vegetation and a rich wildlife. The boat will then continue along the Nang River, giving you a chance to explore the caves of Puong Grotto where you can marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites created through river erosion, as well as observe the thousands-strong bat colony that lives here. After your exploration of the lake, you will have the chance rest as we drive you back to Hanoi, taking in the beautiful scenery along the way. You will stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way before arriving in Hanoi at about 17:30, when it’s time to say your goodbyes to your guide, driver and tour group.

Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

8.00 - 8.15: We pick you up from your hotel, start visiting first place named Tran Quoc Pagoda, a Buddhist relic and national heritage lying on the West Lake. 

9.00: Visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum – 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. 

9.30: You’ll 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.

10.00: 

Departure on MON, FRI

Depart for Bat Trang ceramic village which is about 20 km away from Ha Noi, this is a pottery village with a half- millenary historic development (applied on MON, FRI)

Departure on TUE, WED, THU, SAT, SUNDAY

You’ll stop in at the 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 conical 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 (applied on TUE, WED, THU, SAT, SUNDAY).

12.30: You have lunch at a restaurant in the Old Quarter

13.30: Visit the Temple of literature, considering the first university of Viet Nam. The temple was first constructed in 1070 under King Ly Nhan Tong and dedicated to Confucius, sages, and scholars.

Afterward, you’ll visit Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart and soul of Hanoi, visit Ngoc Son Temple dedicated to Van Xuong Saint and Tran Hung Dao General Commander for his struggle against Mongolians.

15.30- 16.00: Come back to your hotel. Free at leisure rest of the day. Overnight in Hanoi. 

Have 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 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 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 10th century and now famous for the wooden relieves of the shady Dinh and Le temples. Lunch at local restaurant. Late afternoon back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Around 8:00 am: You will be picked up from the hotel in Hanoi and depart for Halong Bay.

Around 10:30: You will stop over for a short break on the way to Halong Bay.

Around 12:30 - 16:30: You will arrive in Tuan Chau Harbor, where you will get on the boat and have an amazing cruise on the bay.

Here, you will be served a welcome drink.

Then, you will have time for lunch featuring a Vietnamese Set Menu.

Then, you will pay a visit to Thien Cung Cave – one of the most beautiful caves in Halong Bay.

After that, you will have a relaxing time enjoying afternoon tea on the cruise or kayaking.

Then, you will disembark to get on the shuttle bus back to Hanoi.

Around 18:00: You will have a short stop to stretch your legs.

Finally, you will arrive back at your hotel at 8.30.p.m.

Breakfast at hotel and check out. You are free until transfer to airport for departure flight. 

Please note: Standard check out time is 12:00. Late check out is not included.