5 Days Hanoi & Halong Bay – Peaceful Halong Bay Cruise

8:00: We pick you up from your hotel (located within the Hanoi Old Quarter only) or at LVP Travel Guide in Hanoi and take you to 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. You’ll also the Ho Chi Minh Museum where you can learn about this remarkable man and what he did for Vietnam and the world.

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. 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 Vietnam’s first university and is dedicated to Confucius.

12.30: You have lunch at a restaurant in the Old Quarter. Afterwards, you’ll visit Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart and soul of Hanoi.

Finally, 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 labelled 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.

7:45 – 8:00 Morning, we will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi Center ( Old Quarter Area - If you prefer to get the pick up further - surcharge 5 USD/pax) beginning the scenic, 3.5-hour drive to Halong Bay. Enjoy the landscape of the Red River Delta countryside and have a short break on the way.

11:00: We will arrive at the Tuan Chau Harbor. Embark the Cruise and have some welcome drinks served by crews.

We now start a dreamy cruise to stunning scenery with thousands of limestone mountains and have seafood lunch (Vietnamese traditional and vegetarian dishes are available ) while cruising through the emerald water passing by the Dog Stone, the Burning Incense islet, stop at Ba Hang fishing village for kayaking or sit in a mini wooden boat rowed by locals.

After the visiting of Fighting-Cock island and the Heavenly Palace (Thien Cung cave) – which has opened to the public since 1998 with stalagmites and stalactites. Back to the Ship and continue cruising back to the jetty. Get back to Tourist wharf. Disembark and return Hanoi. You will arrive in Hanoi around 8 PM and same drop as pick up at your hotel. Tour ends

8:00AM, pick up at your hotel and head out for Ninh Binh (2 hours driving). There is a beautiful roadside scenery on the way. Arriving in Ninh Binh city, first pay a visit to Hoa Lu – the ancient Royal Capital of Vietnam, visit the two temples: Temple of King Dinh and King Le, admire the unique architecture from ancient times.

Continue to Tam Coc and have lunch at a nice restaurant with many local delicacies. Then boarding a small sampan to visit Tam Coc which means literally “three caves” (2.5 hour boat trip). With Halong bay type views of majestic limestone cliffs and mysterious caves, as well as countryside landscape like peaceful streams, rice paddies and deserted green fields, Tam Coc really has it all. You will feel the fresh air and peaceful moments, a very good opportunities for photo lovers, freezing the special moments and scenery.

Time permits, you can also visit Bich Dong pagoda nearby and climb up the mountain to have a wonderful perspective view of the Bich Dong and Tam Coc. Return to Hanoi late afternoon.

You will have free time in the morning. Then our guide will pick you up at the hotel and transfer to airport for your onward flight. Tour ends.