This small-group 12-day tour is the definitive exploration of North Vietnam. From the French-colonial boulevards of Hanoi to the UNESCO-listed seascape of Ha Long Bay, the ancient capital of Ninh Binh, and the off-the-beaten-track highland reserve of Pu Luong, each destination is given proper time to breathe.
Two nights aboard a Ha Long Bay cruise let you wake among the karst towers, kayak into hidden lagoons, and eat freshly caught seafood as the sun sets over the water. In Ninh Binh you glide by sampan through Trang An’s UNESCO-listed limestone grottoes and past the rice paddies of Tam Coc — landscapes used as filming locations for Kong: Skull Island. The final chapter heads deep into the Thanh Hoa highlands to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, where three days of gentle trekking through Kho Muong and Ban Don villages reveal traditional Thai and Muong minority life, cascading terraced rice fields, and the Hieu Waterfall tumbling through the valley. You stay in a comfortable homestay, eat home-cooked meals, and see a side of Vietnam most visitors never reach.
Maximum 20 travellers per departure ensures an intimate experience throughout, with a private English-speaking guide accompanying you from airport arrival to final drop-off.
Your guide meets you at Nội Bài International Airport between 08:00 and 23:00 and transfers you to the Flower Garden Hotel (3-star) or similar in the Old Quarter. Check in, settle in, and spend the rest of the evening exploring the neighbourhood at your own pace — the nearby Hoan Kiem Lake and night-time street-food scene are a perfect introduction to Hanoi.
Meal: Dinner (own arrangement on arrival evening).
Overnight: Flower Garden Hotel or similar (3-star), Hanoi.
A full day to discover Hanoi with your guide. Visit the solemn Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and the adjacent One Pillar Pagoda. Explore the Temple of Literature — Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070. Stroll through the 36 Streets of the Old Quarter, where each lane has traditionally been dedicated to a single trade. Stop for a cup of cà phê trứng (egg coffee) at a century-old café. In the afternoon, visit the Hoan Kiem Lake and the Ngoc Son Temple on its island, reached by the red-painted The Huc Bridge. Round off the day with an optional Water Puppet Show at the Thang Long Theatre.
Meal: Breakfast at hotel.
Overnight: Flower Garden Hotel or similar (3-star), Hanoi.
After breakfast, a comfortable private vehicle heads east through the Red River Delta to Ha Long Bay (approx. 3.5 hours). Board your overnight cruise — a traditional wooden junk — at Tuan Chau or Hon Gai harbour. As the vessel glides between the 1,969 limestone islands and islets, a welcome lunch is served on deck. Spend the afternoon kayaking through hidden lagoons and sea caves, swimming off the boat, or visiting a pearl farm. Watch the sun sink behind the karst silhouettes as your crew serves a feast of fresh seafood — grilled prawns, steamed clams, and squid in tamarind — in the ship's dining room. After dinner, join optional squid fishing from the deck under the stars.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel; Lunch and Dinner on board.
Overnight: Ha Long Bay cruise (cabin).
Rise early for sunrise over the bay before a Tai Chi session on the sundeck. After a full breakfast, explore a cave system with your guide — Sung Sot (Surprise Cave) or Thien Cung (Heaven Palace Cave), both cathedral-like chambers of stalactites and stalagmites. Return to the boat for a cooking demonstration and brunch as the cruise heads back to harbour. Disembark and travel back to Hanoi, arriving late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast and Brunch on board.
Overnight: Flower Garden Hotel or similar (3-star), Hanoi.
Head south from Hanoi (approx. 2 hours) to Ninh Binh, the ancient capital of Vietnam and one of the most dramatic landscapes in the country. The first stop is Tam Coc — "Three Caves" — where you board a flat-bottomed sampan punted by a local rower through a narrow river valley flanked by sheer limestone cliffs and vivid green rice paddies. The boat passes through three natural cave tunnels bored through the mountains, emerging each time into another stretch of open paddy. Optional bicycle hire lets you explore the surrounding villages in the afternoon. Accommodation tonight is in Ninh Binh town or a nearby guesthouse.
Meal: Breakfast at hotel.
Overnight: Ninh Binh guesthouse or similar.
Spend a full day exploring the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. A long sampan ride winds through a labyrinth of grottoes, valleys, and rivers hemmed in by jungle-covered karst peaks — the route passes through 31 caves and by dozens of ancient temples and pagodas, taking around 3 hours. After lunch, walk up to Bich Dong Pagoda, a three-tiered temple complex built into the face of a limestone cliff in 1428, offering panoramic views across the rice plains. There is time in the late afternoon to visit the ruins of Hoa Lu — the 10th-century royal citadel where Vietnam's first emperors ruled — before returning to Ninh Binh.
Meal: Breakfast at guesthouse.
Overnight: Ninh Binh guesthouse or similar.
A scenic drive northwest through the Thanh Hoa highlands (approx. 3–4 hours) brings you to Pu Luong Nature Reserve — a 17,662-hectare protected area of forested mountain ridges, cascading terraced rice fields, and traditional Thai and Muong minority villages. Arrive at Pu Luong Happy House or a similar quality homestay: a stilted wooden house overlooking the valley, with comfortable beds, local cooking, and the sound of the river below. The afternoon is free to walk the immediate surroundings, take a dip in a stream, or simply take in the views over the terraces.
Meal: Breakfast at guesthouse.
Overnight: Pu Luong Happy House or similar (quality homestay).
A full day of gentle trekking through the heart of the reserve. Set off on foot through Kho Muong Village, one of the oldest settlements in the valley, where the White Thai minority has lived for centuries — their wooden stilt houses, hand-woven textiles, and traditional rice-wine brewing are a world apart from modern Vietnam. Continue along paddy-field paths to Ban Don Village, crossing bamboo footbridges and passing women in traditional dress working the terraces. Your guide introduces you to local families, explains the agricultural cycle of the sticky-rice crop, and shares the customs of the Thai and Muong ethnic communities. Return to the homestay by late afternoon for a home-cooked dinner.
Meal: Breakfast at homestay.
Overnight: Pu Luong Happy House or similar (quality homestay).
Today's highlight is Hieu Waterfall — the largest waterfall in the Pu Luong reserve, where a powerful cascade drops through several tiers of jungle before feeding the river that irrigates the valley below. Trek through forested trails to reach it, with a refreshing swim in the natural pool at the base. The afternoon is free for a slower pace: relaxing at the homestay, exploring the immediate village, renting a bicycle to ride the valley road, or joining your host family in preparing the evening meal.
Meal: Breakfast at homestay.
Overnight: Pu Luong Happy House or similar (quality homestay).
After a final breakfast looking out over the terraced valley, your driver returns you to Hanoi (approx. 3.5–4 hours). Arrive mid-afternoon with time for any last shopping in the Old Quarter — Hang Gai Street for silk and lacquerware, the Weekend Night Market if it falls on a Friday–Sunday. Your guide can recommend restaurants for a farewell dinner.
Meal: Breakfast at homestay.
Overnight: Flower Garden Hotel or similar (3-star), Hanoi.
Enjoy a final breakfast at the hotel. Your guide accompanies you to Nội Bài International Airport for drop-off, with transfers available between 08:00 and 23:00. Allow at least 3 hours before international departure.
Meal: Breakfast at hotel.
