This five-day small-group tour (maximum 20 travellers) covers the three essential landscapes of the north. Day two takes you south to Ninh Binh — the ancient capital of Vietnam — for the colossal Bai Dinh Pagoda, a long sampan ride through the UNESCO-listed grottoes of Trang An, and a steep climb to the dragon’s-back summit of Mua Cave with its famous panorama across the rice paddies. Day three is a full day in Hanoi: the solemn Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, the one-thousand-year-old Temple of Literature, the colonial-era Hoa Lo Prison, and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.
Days four and five centre on Ha Long Bay — a UNESCO World Heritage seascape of 1,969 limestone islands. Board your overnight cruise, explore the vast chambers of Sung Sot Cave, kayak through the hidden lagoon of Luon Cave, and climb Titov Island for panoramic views before a sunset party on deck. Return to Hanoi on day five in time for departure.
Your English-speaking guide accompanies you throughout, with 3-star hotel accommodation in Hanoi and a cabin on the Ha Long Bay cruise included every night.
Your guide meets you at Nội Bài International Airport (transfers available 00:00–23:00) and transfers you to the Classic Street Hotel (3-star) or similar in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Settle in and explore the neighbourhood at your own pace — the Hoan Kiem Lake is a short walk away and the Old Quarter's 36 streets are at your doorstep.
Overnight: Classic Street Hotel or similar (3-star), Hanoi.
After breakfast, drive south to Ninh Binh (approx. 2 hours). The first stop is Bai Dinh Pagoda — Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist complex, set across 539 hectares of hillside. Walk the 500-metre corridor lined with 500 stone La Han statues, each carved with a unique expression, then visit the towering Quan Yin statue (34 m) and the ornate Jade Emperor Temple housing the 100-tonne Gautama Buddha — the largest bronze Buddha in Vietnam.
After lunch at a local restaurant, board a flat-bottomed sampan for a 2-hour row through the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex (UNESCO World Heritage). The route winds through four limestone grottoes — Lam, Vang, Dai, and Thanh Truot caves — and past ancient temples perched on karst outcrops: Cao Son, Suoi Tien, and Vu Lam. The scenery — sheer cliffs, still water, jungle — has been compared to Ha Long Bay on land (and served as a filming location for Kong: Skull Island).
In the afternoon, climb the 500 stone steps of Mua Cave (Hang Mua) to the Ngoa Long peak (Dragon's Back) — a 360° viewpoint over the entire Tam Coc valley, the paddy fields, and the karst towers that inspired the film sets of Kong. Return to Hanoi overnight.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel; Lunch at local Ninh Binh restaurant.
Overnight: Classic Street Hotel or similar (3-star), Hanoi.
A full day discovering Hanoi's layered history with your guide. Start at the Tran Quoc Pagoda — the oldest Buddhist pagoda in Hanoi (6th century AD), standing on a small island in West Lake. Continue to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to pay respects to Vietnam's revolutionary leader (open Tue–Thu, Sat–Sun mornings), then walk through the adjacent Ho Chi Minh Museum and the two preserved residences where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked from 1954 until his death. The nearby One Pillar Pagoda — a single wooden shrine rising from a lotus pond, built in 1049 — is one of Vietnam's most distinctive symbols.
After an 8-dish Vietnamese set lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, where the cultures, costumes, and traditions of all 54 of Vietnam's recognised ethnic groups are displayed across indoor galleries and an outdoor village area. Continue to the Temple of Literature (Văn Miếu) — Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius — and finish at the infamous Hoa Lo Prison Museum ("Hanoi Hilton"), where French colonial cells and exhibits on American POWs from the Vietnam War offer a sombre counterpoint to the city's dynamism.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel; Lunch at local restaurant (8-dish Vietnamese set).
Overnight: Classic Street Hotel or similar (3-star), Hanoi.
After breakfast, transfer to Ha Long Bay (approx. 3.5 hours by private vehicle). Board your overnight cruise — a traditional wooden junk — and sail into the UNESCO-listed seascape of 1,969 limestone karsts. A Vietnamese buffet lunch is served on deck as the boat passes through the islands.
The afternoon begins at Sung Sot Cave (Surprise Cave) — one of Ha Long Bay's largest cave systems, with two cathedral-like chambers of towering stalactites and stalagmites lit in soft colour. Back on the water, take to kayaks or bamboo boats to paddle into the hidden lagoon of Luon Cave, passing beneath a natural limestone arch into a calm enclosed bay surrounded by sheer karst walls. The boat then anchors off Titov Island for a swim at the beach and, for those who want it, a climb up the 436 steps to Titov Peak — a panoramic summit with views across the entire bay. As the sun drops, gather on deck for a sunset party with complimentary beverages as the karsts turn gold around you.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel; Vietnamese buffet Lunch on board; Dinner on board.
Overnight: Ha Long Bay cruise cabin.
Wake to sunrise over the bay before a final breakfast on board. The cruise returns to harbour mid-morning and your vehicle transfers you back to Hanoi, arriving early afternoon. Time permitting, there is opportunity for last-minute shopping in the Old Quarter before your guide drops you at Nội Bài International Airport (transfers available 00:00–23:00).
Meal: Breakfast on board.
