Northern Vietnam Tour: 6 Days in Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay

A driver holds a sign with your name at Noi Bai and drives you over the Red River into the centre, roughly 45 minutes with normal traffic. Nothing is scheduled for the rest of the day, so you can rest or go out as you like.

The Old Quarter is the natural first walk: 36 streets that once each sold a single trade, now packed with pavement kitchens, silk shops and scooters. A slow loop around Hoan Kiem Lake at dusk is the easiest way to get a feel for the city before the guided day tomorrow (optional, no extra cost, on your own).

A full guided day through the capital's history, with a car between the stops. You begin at Tran Quoc, the oldest pagoda in Hanoi, on a small island in West Lake, then move to the Ho Chi Minh complex, where the mausoleum, the presidential palace grounds and the stilt house he lived in stand in one park. Our guides ask guests to wear long trousers or a long skirt here and to cover their shoulders, as the guards at the mausoleum turn people away otherwise.

The Temple of Literature follows, founded in 1070 as Vietnam's first university, with stone steles that record the names of doctoral graduates. In the afternoon you walk the cells of Hoa Lo, the French colonial prison the American pilots nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton, and end at the Ethnology Museum, whose outdoor park holds full-size houses of the country's ethnic groups.

You leave Hanoi by road for Ninh Binh, about two hours south, where limestone towers rise straight out of the rice fields. The included activity is the Mua Cave climb: a stone stairway of around 500 steps up the side of a karst peak to a viewpoint over the Tam Coc valley and the river winding through it. Go at your own pace, there are landings to rest on the way.

The rest of the day can be filled with one of two boat trips (optional, extra cost). The first pairs Hoa Lu, where Vietnam's kings ruled before the court moved to Hanoi, with a rowing boat along the Tam Coc river under the cliffs. The second combines Bai Dinh, the largest pagoda complex in the country, with a boat through the caves and waterways of Trang An, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape.

At around 5:00 PM, you'll head back to Hanoi, arriving at your hotel between 7:00 and 7:30 PM.

After an early breakfast at your hotel in Hanoi, check out and meet your cruise representative for a shared shuttle pickup between 8:30 and 9:00 AM. The drive to Ha Long Bay takes around 3.5 hours through the countryside. At the harbour, board your cruise around midday and enjoy lunch as the boat sails between the limestone islands of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the afternoon, explore one of the bay's caves before kayaking through sheltered lagoons or swimming, depending on the cruise programme and weather. Return to the boat for dinner and some time to relax on the sundeck as the sun sets over the bay. You'll spend the night in your cabin on board.

The day starts on the sun deck, watching the light come up over the islands while the bay is still quiet. The boat then cruises back through the limestone formations by a different route, so you see the pillars and arches from the other side on the way to the harbour.

Once you are ashore your driver takes you back to Hanoi, around two and a half hours by the expressway. The evening in the capital is free, and the Old Quarter is a short walk from most central stays if you want to pick your own street-food stall for the last night.

The final morning is yours until the airport transfer. Three Hanoi habits are suggested as options (optional, extra cost): a bowl of pho at a street stall to start the day, a cup of egg coffee, which the city invented in the 1940s when milk was scarce, and a last turn through the Old Quarter for silk, lacquer or coffee beans to take home.

Your driver then takes you to Noi Bai Airport for your flight. If you have a late departure or want more time in the north, we can add a day trip or extra nights in Hanoi when you book.