Day to day itinerary
Day 1. Arrival Hanoi, cyclo tour in Old Hanoi
After arrival to Hanoi, you go on a classical cyclo tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, and later a visit to the very interesting Ethnology Museum. In the evening a delicate traditional Vietnamese welcome dinner is served.
Day 2. Hanoi – Halong, commence Halong Cruise
After breakfast, you drive to the Halong bay. You are transferred by tender to our luxurious Indochina Sails boat – and enjoy a welcome drink. After having received a cruise briefing, you check in to your cabins and the cruise begins! After lunch - a deluxe Vietnamese/International menu, our vessel arrives at Titop Island. Here you can enjoy swimming, relaxing on the beach or climbing the steps to the top of the mountain on the island for fantastic views and photo opportunities of the bay.
Next stop in the afternoon is the Bat Cave area. Here, you can choose between testing your kayaking skills paddling to the Bat Caves and in the lagoon, or to visit the Cua Van floating fishing village, the largest floating fishing village in Halong Bay. Here are about 130 floating houses and approximately 600 people live and work in the village.
Day 3. Halong Bay Cruise
Quite early in the morning coffee, tea and breakfast pastries are served in the dining room. We transfer by tender to our “Day Tour Boat” to commence a cruise to some of Halong Bay’s more untouched localities. After a more substantial breakfast, you arrive at Ngoc Vung Island. Here you can enjoy a relaxed bicycle (motorised transportation is also available) journey across the island. Along the way we will pass many points of interest, forest pathways, shrimp farms and local people at work. In the midmorning, it’s possible to take a swim at the island’s long sandy beach.
You continue your Halong Bay cruise, and eat lunch whilst passing many islands on the way to our second destination of the day. In the early afternoon you arrive at the Vong Vieng floating fishing village, where you can enjoy an exciting kayaking program around the village, past the local pearl farm and through the famous caves. Later, while an afternoon snack is served we sailback to our Indochina Sails boat, which anchor for the night in the Luon Bo area.
For dinner another deluxe Vietnamese/Western menu is served. If you feel like more activities in the evening, an excursion to one of the many local squid fishing boat can be arranged (weather and the vicinity of such a vessel permitting). We travel by the tender and you will be able to board the boat and see how the local fishermen catch squid and other fish.
Day 4. Halong – Hanoi, dinner and Water Puppet Show
Early coffee, tea and breakfast pastries served in the dining room. We arrive at the Surprise Cave area, where there is a small floating fishing village. You can enjoy Tai Chi instruction on the sundeck, before you transfer by tender to the Surprise Cave. You can walk up the 100 steps to the entrance of the cave and tour on foot up there. After breakfast, before/around noon, we disembark and transfer back to Hanoi.
Back in Hanoi, you check in at your hotel. After another delicious Vietnamese dinner, you will enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Show. The water puppetry was developed in lake and pond-rich areas in the Red River Delta. The surface of water serves as the stage while spectators sit at the edge of water. The puppeteers both male and female stand waist-deep in the water to manipulate the puppets making them move about and even dance on the surface of the water.
Day 5. Visit to traditional villages outside Hanoi
After breakfast we will drive a bit out side the city. Hanoi is surrounded by trade and craftsman villages - and many of their products are sold far and wide. We will first pay Bat Trang ceramic village a visit. Bat Trang is famous for its ceramic pottery which is sold throughout Vietnam and increasingly to the overseas markets. Ceramics have been made here for almost 500 years and knowledge has been passed down through the generations. You can visit the ceramics workshops to see local artisans working on every processes of making a ceramic item – anything from small bowls to huge sculptures.
Later, we continue to visit But Thap, known for its four storey stone stupa. It was rebuilt in the 17th century - two 13 m towers, Ton Duc and Bao Nghiem, are made of white rock, making the pagoda seem higher and more majestic.
The last stop, before returning to your hotel in Hanoi is at the Dong Ho painting villages – also really worth a visit.
Day 6. Time for leisure, before transfer to airport
Time for the last shopping or relaxing, before you are transported to Hanoi International Airport for your onward journey.