With tailor made holidays we create a unique itinerary for the trip to suit your style, taste and budget. They are sometimes called ‘bespoke holidays’. We arrange your accommodation, tours and vehicle hire to match your individual requirements. The Hanoi – Halong Discovery tour below is just the starting point.
Introduction to Vietnam, 7 days
April 28, 2018
Saigon – Urban Adventure, 4 days
April 29, 2018Hanoi – Halong Discovery
Experience the many sights and sounds of Hanoi during a four-day Hanoi – Halong Discovery trip around the colourful capital of Vietnam and its surrounding areas. If you’re wondering what to do in Hanoi, you won’t want to miss the nearby Ha Long cave system during a Halong Bay overnight cruise.
Begin your tour of Hanoi with a sampling of the local cuisine. Among the many things to do in Hanoi Vietnam, you can spend your first afternoon leisurely strolling the markets and getting a taste of the street food. Browse stalls full of fresh vegetables, frogs, live fish, and other local delicacies in Chau Long market or sit down for a meal of traditional bun cha.
On your second day, plan for a full round of sightseeing with a visit to several museums, temples, and monuments and immerse yourself in the history and culture of Vietnam. Indulge in a moment of peace at the serene Temple of Literature, a beautiful and well-preserved example of traditional Vietnamese architecture. Make sure to stop by Old Quarter, a maze of streets offering unusual goods for sale, from silk clothing to gravestones. You’ll never have to wonder what to do in Hanoi, a modern city full of tree-lined boulevards, traditional shops, and narrow lanes full of history.
On day three, begin your journey to Tuan Chau Island outside of Halong City, where you’ll board the two-day La Vela Cruise, the best Halong Bay cruise for exploring this scenic region of Vietnam that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site. After checking into your cabin, the Halong Bay overnight cruise will begin taking you through a group of islands within the bay that are filled with magnificent grottoes and caves. You’ll have a chance to explore Sung Sot cave, the largest Ha Long cave, and view its breathtaking limestone formations. Enjoy kayaking around the Luon cave area and spend the night relaxing aboard La Vela Cruise. After breakfast the next morning, you’ll disembark on Tuan Chau Island and return to Hanoi.
With all the things to do in Hanoi Vietnam, including sailing on the best Halong Bay cruise, you’ll never be bored in this city. Built upon centuries of tradition and surrounded by lush greenery, this Asian capital offers plenty of charm and is just waiting for you to discover.
Day 1 Hanoi
Arrival in Hanoi
Day 2 Hanoi
Walking tour to Huu Tiep lake and the downed B52
Day 3 Hanoi – Halong
Cruise aboard La Vela Cruise through Halong Bay
Day 4 cabin / onboard
Join an early morning Tai Chi session on the sundeck
Day 1 Hanoi (Dinner: Meals incl. in itinerary (Vietnam) )
Arrival in Hanoi
Transfer
Afternoon at leisure
Experience street food and market visit with local chef (private, morning or afternoon or evening)
On arrival at Hanoi Cooking Centre (HCC) try a cup of La Han, a special Vietnamese tea, before go across the road to taste Pho – a typical food of Hanoian. Take another short walk to Chau Long market to see all sorts of fresh vegetables, live fish, frogs, eels, silk worms, along with other bizarre products. Next stop is Ngo Cho Dong Xuan, sample Hanoian’s traditional dishes: bun cha, prawn cake, che. On the way back, stop at Yen Phu to visit a typical old cafe dating back to 1936 before returning to HCC. End of program – Overnight in Hanoi
Day 2 Hanoi (Breakfast: Hotel / Dinner: Ngon Villa Restaurant )
Walking tour to Huu Tiep lake and the downed B52
Start the tour in the northern part of the city at the Vietnam Military History Museum, home to over 150,000 artifacts and collections of war memorabilia. Continue walking to a colourful market selling herbs, spices, sea products and many other local and exotic ingredients. Stroll alongside the lake to Tran Quoc
the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, located on a small island near the southeastern shore of the West Lake. Carry on past the peaceful Quan Thanh, a Taoist temple, and the Presidential Palace to the Botanical Garden, the green lung of the capital. Wander through the maze of narrow streets and crowded alleys until you emerge at a small lake containing the wreckage of a crashed B52 from the Vietnam War. Enjoy coffee at a small local shop near the lake. Walk to Ngoc Ha Street where the car will transfer you back to your hotel.
Sightseeing in Hanoi
Although it is the modern-day capital of Vietnam, Hanoi still retains the mystery and charm of past centuries. Narrow lanes and traditional shop houses invite an exciting exploration by walking, while it’s many beautiful public spaces
lakes, parks, tree-lined boulevards and monuments
give the city an air of elegance and harmony with nature unique among Asian capitals.
Visit the Temple of Literature
The Temple of Literature has a peaceful series of walled courtyards and graceful gateways, and this monument is one of the best-preserved examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture. Founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, this was also the site of Vietnam’s first university. In one courtyard, giant stone tortoises bear stele on their backs, listing the accomplishments of graduating scholars.
Visit the Old Quarter
The Old Quarter holds over a thousand years of history and remains one of Vietnam’s most lively and unusual places, where one can buy anything from a gravestone to silk pyjamas. Explore by walking to the maze of back streets with fascination wonderment at every turn and there are endless things to buy from wool clothes, cosmetics, gold and silver jewellery, silk clothes and herbal medicines.
Transfer to/from restaurant
– Overnight in Hanoi
Day 3 Hanoi – Halong – cabin / onboard (Vietnam) (Breakfast: Hotel / Lunch: La Vela Classic/ Restaurant / Dinner: La Vela Classic/ Restaurant )
By vehicle from Hanoi (city) to Halong Bay
Stop en-route for stretch your legs and use the restroom at one of the souvenir shop for charity.
Transfer to/from Tuan Chau Marina Port
Cruise aboard La Vela Cruise through Halong Bay, day 1 of 2 (English speaking guide is included) * No local guide *
Arrive at Tuan Chau Island. Transfer to cruise ship. Welcome drink – cruise briefing, safety instructions, check-in cabins. Depart to Halong Bay – cruise and programme commence. Enjoy lunch while the cruise sails passing by magnificent sceneries of the World Heritage site. In the afternoon, explore Sung Sot cave, hiking up and down 600 steps to the magnificent limestone formations of the biggest and most marvelous cave in Halong bay or enjoy kayaking (with supplement) around Luon cave area. Back to the vessel and participate in cooking demonstration with cruise’s chef. Dinner on board. Overnight on board. – Overnight in cabin / onboard (Vietnam)
Day 4 cabin / onboard (Vietnam) (Breakfast: Hotel )
Cruise aboard La Vela Cruise through Halong Bay, day 2 of 2 (English speaking guide is included) * No local guide *
Join an early morning Tai Chi session on the sundeck while tea, coffee and assorted pastries are being served. Relax on board or go visit Titov island. Back on board enjoy breakfast, check out and return to Tuan Chau Island. End of the program.
By vehicle from Halong to Hanoi (Noi Bai Airport)
INCLUDED SERVICES:
– Program is based on English speaking guide. For other languages a supplement charge will apply.
– accommodation as mentioned above or equivalent.
– meals according to itinerary / Breakfast box in lieu of ABF when early morning flight.
– Porter fees at the airport where guide service is booked.
– ground transportation in private A/C vehicle.
– 1 complimentary bottle of drinking water and 1 cold towel per person per half day tour/ 2 bottles of water and 2 cold towels per person per full day tour.
– sightseeing incl. admission fees according to itinerary.
EXCLUDED SERVICES:
– visa fees, drinks, personal expenses. ** Visa Procedures: Vietnam
For bookings of roundtrip or module packages, we will confirm one of the hotels mentioned above according to the selected category.Please note that compulsory gala dinners and peak season surchargesmay apply during peak periods surrounding the public holidays of Christmas and New Yearand Lunar New Year (TET Festival) – these surcharges will be confirmed at the time of booking.
