Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Upon arrival, pick up and transfer to your hotel in Hanoi. The rest of the day is for free. Meals are on your own. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 2: Ha Noi city tour (B)
Tour guide picks you up at 9:00 am. Visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (closed on Monday and Friday), the traditional stilt house and the reserved One-Pillar Pagoda. Next, explore Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda located on the shore of West Lake. Head to the very first university in Vietnam – Temple of Literature. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Ethnology Museum (closed on Monday) and Ngoc Son Temple at Hoan Kiem Lake. In the evening, watch a water puppet show before dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3: Hanoi – Hoa Lu – Van Long (B)
After breakfast, start a 2-hour drive to Tam Coc. Take a sampan boat trip along Ngo Dong river and visit 3 caves. Then visit Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam with historical sites such as Dinh king temple and Le king temple. Have lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, explore Van Long Natural Reserve surrounded by rice paddies and towering limestone mountain landscape. After that, check in your hotel in Ninh Binh. Overnight in Ninh Binh.
Day 4: Ninh Binh – Trang An Scenic Landscape – Hanoi (B)
Breakfast at your hotel. Check out the hotel and leave for Bai Dinh Pagoda. Witness the biggest pagoda in Vietnam with 500 La Han statues, biggest bronze Buddha statue in Vietnam with 10 meters height, 100 tons weight. Lunch on your own. After lunch, head to Trang An Landscape Complex – a UNESCO World natural heritage and explore the area by a rowing boat. You will see the stunning scenery of karst mountains, rice fields, and admire some caves namely Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, Nau Ruou, etc. Transfer back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 5: Hanoi – Sapa – Cat Cat – Sin Chai (B)
Enjoy early breakfast. Catch a morning bus to Sapa. Upon arrival, have lunch and check in the hotel. Tour guide and driver pick you up and start the trip to Sin Chai village – a beautiful village of Black Hmong minority at the foot of Hoang Lien mountain. You start trekking uphill then down to Catcat village. Back to your hotel and overnight in Sapa.
Day 6: Sapa – Local market (B, L)
Tour guide picks you up from your hotel, transfer by car to Can Cau market. Crossing Bao Nhai bridge with beautiful views over the valleys, go uphill and visit Can Cau market (only in Saturdays), where you can see the daily life and colorful costumes of Flower Hmong, Black Zao, Phu La minorities. Enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, a 1.5-hour drive downhill towards Lao Cai and stop mid-way for a short walk to Trung Do village. You can visit traditional stilt houses and take a boat cruise upstream the Chay River. The driver will wait for you at Bao Nhai Bridge to return to Sapa. Overnight in Sapa.
Day 7: Fansipan Peak – Hanoi (B)
After breakfast, the driver takes you to Cable Car Station to Fansipan Mountain – the Roof of Indochina. Upon arrival, you can admire the majestic landscape and visit pagoda before trekking up 600 steps to the top of Fansipan. You have around 1.5 hours before heading back to your hotel for checking out and get back to Hanoi by bus. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 8: Hanoi – Halong Bay Cruise (B, L, D)
Pick up at your hotel between 8:15 – 8:45 am. Arrive at Tuan Chau Pier, embark on Amanda Halong Cruise. Enjoy lunch while the ship cruises to Halong Bay. The first stop is Luon Cave where you can kayak or sit leisurely on a sampan boat rowed by a local and enjoy the stunning view. Return to the boat and move to Ti Top Island for hiking and swimming at the beach. Back onboard at around 17:30 and participate in Sunset party & cooking class with Happy Hour at the bar (Buy 2 get 1 drink free). Enjoy dinner and evening activities such as massage (extra charge), herbal wood foot bath in your room (free of charge 01 herbal bag for each cabin), bamboo dancing, fashion show traditional costumes “Footsteps of Heritage” or fish squid. Overnight onboard.
Day 9: Halong Bay cruise – Hanoi (B, L)
Take part in a Tai Chi session on the top deck to refresh your body and mind. Enjoy a light breakfast before the 2nd excursion. Visit Surprise Cave – the largest and most beautiful cave in Halong Bay. Back onboard, check out your cabin. Enjoy the early buffet lunch onboard while the ship cruises back to the pier. Disembark at around 11:00 am. Get on the bus, back to Hanoi at around 2:30 pm. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 10: Hanoi Departure (B)
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for the departure flight.
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