Itinerary
- Day 1
Hanoi
You'll arrive at Hanoi airport and get picked up for transfer to your hotel. After checking in, the rest of the day is yours to explore. The city mixes French colonial architecture with Chinese and Vietnamese influences, so there's plenty to wander around and get a feel for the place on your own terms.
- Start point
- Noi Bai International Terminal 2, Sân Bay Quốc Tế Nội Bài, Huyện Sóc Sơn, Hanoi 140800, Vietnam (Noi Bai airport, Hanoi, Vietnam )
Optional Activities
- Explore Hanoi Old Quarter at leisure
- Discover French colonial architecture and historical sites
Landmarks Hanoi Old Quarter 
- Day 2
Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay
Pick-up happens from your hotel, then you'll head by shuttle bus to Beo Harbor to board the Sunlight Cruise. After welcome drinks and cabin check-in, you'll sail through Lan Ha Bay where towering karst formations rise from the water. Lunch and dinner feature fresh Vietnamese seafood cooked onboard. During the day you can kayak through caves, go swimming, or try optional activities like squid fishing or karaoke if you're interested.
- Meals
- Lunch (Vietnamese seafood cuisine with fresh seafood and assorted appetizers served while sailing through Lan Ha Bay islands), Dinner (Vietnamese local cuisine prepared and served onboard)
Included Activities
- Shuttle bus transfer from Hanoi Old Quarter to Beo Harbor
- Welcome drinks and safety briefing on cruise
- Sailing through Lan Ha Bay and Cua Van Area
- Kayaking through Dark and Bright caves
- Swimming in nearby bay area with option to jump or dive from boat
- Cooking class with fresh spring roll preparation
- Lunch - Vietnamese seafood cuisine while sailing
- Dinner - Vietnamese cuisine onboard
Optional Activities
- Squid fishing after dinner
- Karaoke singing after dinner
Landmarks Lan Ha Bay Cua Van Area Dark Cave Bright Cave - Day 3
Lan Ha Bay to Cat Ba Island
Rise early to catch the sunrise over the bay, then fuel up with breakfast. You'll cycle about 5 km to Viet Hai Village tucked beneath the jungle-covered mountains of Cat Ba National Park. After returning to the boat for a freshwater shower, lunch happens while you sail. Later you'll dock at Beo Harbor and drive to Cat Ba Town to settle into your accommodation. That afternoon includes a motorbike or car ride to Ngu Lam Peak for views, then exploring Trung Trang Cave with its unusual underground ecosystem. You'll have dinner and stay overnight on Cat Ba Island.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast ready in quiet bay area), Lunch (Vietnamese seafood cuisine with fresh seafood and assorted appetizers served while sailing through islands), Dinner (Dinner served at hotel restaurant)
Included Activities
- Sunrise viewing on bay
- Breakfast on boat
- Bicycle ride to Viet Hai Village (5 km)
- Lunch - Vietnamese seafood cuisine while sailing
- Transfer from Beo Harbor to Cat Ba Town by shuttle bus
- Visit to Cat Ba National Park by motorbike or car
- Ngu Lam Peak viewpoint with photo opportunity
- Visit to Trung Trang Cave
- Dinner at hotel restaurant
Landmarks Viet Hai Village Cat Ba National Park Ngu Lam Peak Trung Trang Cave - Day 4
Cat Ba Island to Ninh Binh
You'll wake up to watch sunrise at 06:00, then have lunch at a restaurant by 11:00 before checkout. The bus departs at 12:30 for the drive to Ninh Binh, leaving Cat Ba Island behind. You should arrive in the late afternoon with time to check into your accommodation and settle in for the night.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at a restaurant)
Included Activities
- Sunrise viewing
- Lunch at restaurant
- Shuttle bus transfer from Cat Ba to Ninh Binh
- Day 5
Ninh Binh
Breakfast at your hotel at 07:00, then checkout and pick-up at 09:30 to join the group tour. You'll visit Bai Dinh Pagoda complex, the largest in Southeast Asia, where 500 stone Arhat statues line the grounds along with two bronze bells and a multi-armed Quan Yin statue. After lunch featuring local specialties, head to Trang An Grottoes for a sampan paddle through limestone caves, temples, and valleys. Before heading back to Hanoi, you'll climb to Mua Cave's summit for views across the rice paddies below.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at hotel), Lunch (Lunch at restaurant with great local cuisines)
Included Activities
- Breakfast at hotel
- Visit Bai Dinh Pagoda complex
- View 500 stone Arhat statues
- View two huge bronze bells (27 tons and 36 tons)
- View Quan Yin statue with thousands of arms and eyes
- View Gautama Buddha statue
- Lunch at restaurant with local cuisine
- Transfer to Trang An Grottoes
- Traditional sampan boat ride through caves
- Visit Lam Cave, Vang Cave, Dai Cave, Thanh Truot Cave
- Visit Cao Son Temple, Suoi Tien Temple, Vu Lam Temple
- Visit Mua Cave and trek to top of Ngoa Long Mountain
- Spectacular rice valley viewpoint
- Return transfer to Hanoi and hotel drop-off
Landmarks Bai Dinh Pagoda Dinh Mountain Trang An Grottoes Lam Cave Vang Cave Dai Cave Thanh Truot Cave Cao Son Temple Suoi Tien Temple Vu Lam Temple Mua Cave Ngoa Long Mountain 
- Day 6
Hanoi City Tour
Pick-up at 08:00 starts your Hanoi city tour. You'll visit Tran Quoc Pagoda from the 6th century on Golden Fish Island in West Lake, then see Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body and residences at the Ho Chi Minh Complex. Stop by the One Pillar Pagoda dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy, followed by the Vietnam Ethnology Museum where you'll learn about the country's 54 ethnic groups. Lunch features traditional Vietnamese food, then you'll spend the afternoon at Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university from the 11th century. You'll wrap up with the Hoa Lo Prison Museum, which has colonial and war-era history.
- Meals
- Lunch (Vietnamese cuisine with 8 delicious dishes)
Included Activities
- Pick-up from hotel and guided Hanoi city exploration
- Visit Tran Quoc Pagoda on Golden Fish Island, West Lake
- Visit Ho Chi Minh Complex - view embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh
- Visit Ho Chi Minh residences (1954-1969)
- Visit One Pillar Pagoda
- Visit Vietnam Ethnology Museum
- Lunch with Vietnamese cuisine - 8 delicious dishes
- Visit Temple of Literature - first university of Vietnam
- Visit Hoa Lo Prison Museum
- Return to hotel
Landmarks Tran Quoc Pagoda Golden Fish Island West Lake Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum One Pillar Pagoda Vietnam Ethnology Museum Temple of Literature Hoa Lo Prison Museum - Day 7
Hanoi to Airport
Have breakfast at your hotel whenever you're ready. You'll have free time until your departure, so use it as you like. Your driver will pick you up and take you to the airport for your next leg of travel.
- End point
- Noi Bai International Terminal 2, Sân Bay Quốc Tế Nội Bài, Huyện Sóc Sơn, Hanoi 140800, Vietnam (Noi Bai airport, Hanoi, Vietnam )
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at hotel)
Included Activities
- Breakfast at hotel
- Airport transfer
