Trip overview
You will not find a leaner version of this pairing. One day of sightseeing in the capital, straight onto the junk for the night, and a road transfer back to Noi Bai the same morning you disembark. Skipping the countryside day and a second night afloat is exactly what keeps the whole thing inside four days.
Use it when you are passing through the country and have a few days to spend, or as the opening section of a wider trip through Cambodia, Laos or the rest of the country booked alongside it. Conditions on the bay are at their best between October and April, when the water is calmer and the days are cooler.
Trip highlights
- One full day of sightseeing taking in the Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda and the lanes of the Old Quarter
- An overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay aboard a traditional junk
- Surprise Cave on foot, and a swim stop off Ti Top Island
- An optional squid-fishing evening and a night in your cabin aboard the cruise
Your day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi (about a 45-minute, 25 km transfer from the airport)
Colonial-era streets, pagodas beside the lakes and the trading lanes of the Old Quarter make up the first impression of the capital. Since only one full day is set aside for sightseeing, the afternoon you land is often spent on a gentle wander through the Old Quarter, followed by an early night.
Day 2: Hanoi city tour
Morning takes in the Mausoleum and the stilt house behind it, One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, then Quan Thanh Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda on the shore of West Lake. The Museum of Ethnology fills the afternoon, and the day closes at Hoan Kiem Lake with a walk into the Old Quarter.
Day 3: Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, board overnight cruise (about 3 hours / 170 km one way)
Pickup is at 8am for the drive out through the rice fields and villages of the Red River Delta. Once you are aboard the junk the route passes Dinh Huong, Ga Choi and Dog Island, calls at a pearl farm and paddles into Luon Cave; there is a swim off Ti Top Island before the sun goes down and dinner is served on deck.
Day 4: Ha Long Bay to Hanoi Airport, departure (about 3½ hours / 190 km one way)
The final morning opens with Tai Chi on the sundeck, then Surprise Cave, reached up roughly 100 steps and seen on foot. Brunch follows, the boat ties up at Tuan Chau International Passenger Port, and a car takes you on to Noi Bai International Airport for the next flight.
What's included
- Accommodation with twin/ double/ triple sharing room basis with daily breakfast in the category chosen or similar (subject to availability).
- Meals as mentioned in the Tour Itinerary.
- Sightseeing & Transfers according to the above Tour Itinerary Details only.
- Transportation by vehicle with A/C
- Local English-speaking guide’s assistance.
- All Entrance fees for attractions included in the program
- All activities and cruises clearly mentioned in the program
- Government taxes & service charge
- Air Fare / Train fare.
- Personal Expenses such as Laundry, telephone calls, tips & gratuity, mineral water, soft & hard drinks, porterage, water sports.
- Early check-in, late check-out
- Additional sightseeing or extra usage of vehicle, other than mentioned in the itinerary.
- Room Up gradation Charges.
- Any cost arising due to natural calamities like, landslides, road blockage, political disturbances (strikes), etc (to be borne by the client, which is directly payable on the spot).
- Travel Insurance.
- Bank Charges
- Tip to Driver & Guide (Compulsory)
- Airport Taxes
- Visa and Visa arrangement
- Anything which is not included in the inclusion.
Not included
- Air Fare / Train fare.
- Personal Expenses such as Laundry, telephone calls, tips & gratuity, mineral water, soft & hard drinks, porterage, water sports.
- Early check-in, late check-out
- Additional sightseeing or extra usage of vehicle, other than mentioned in the itinerary.
- Room Up gradation Charges.
- Any cost arising due to natural calamities like, landslides, road blockage, political disturbances (strikes), etc (to be borne by the client, which is directly payable on the spot).
- Travel Insurance.
- Bank Charges
- Tip to Driver & Guide (Compulsory)
- Airport Taxes
- Visa and Visa arrangement
- Anything which is not included in the inclusion.
Booking this trip
- Days
- 3 nights / 4 days
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