Itinerary Details
Day 1: Halong Bay port - Hanoi
08h00 Ship dock at port (Halong international cruise port – new port to replace tendered port)
Pick up at port gate - Ship arrange free shuttle to port gate (transfer 5 minutes)
Depart for Hanoi - the heart of Vietnamese nation, transfer takes 2.5 hrs.(using the new highway Halong - Hanoi)
Part 1: Hanoi Classical Romance & City’s highlights
Arrival Hanoi, Drive through bustling streets lined with French colonial style structures on your way to Ba Dinh Square to visit Ho chi minh complex where you’ll witness the impressive marble and granite tomb of the nation’s founding father – Ho chi minh final resting-place..
From there, take leisurely walk through tranquil carp-filled ponds and well-tended gardens leading to the humble stilt house, where "Uncle Ho" once lived & one Pillar Pagoda, which was founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049 - the structure is small but has become an important symbol for the people of Hanoi.
Next, visit to a Confucius temple -Temple of Literature founded in 1070 to honor Vietnam’s finest scholars. This place is considered Vietnam's first university, also referred to as Van Mieu, to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite.
Lunch: Take walking tour that will introduce to you some of Vietnam’s finest authentic street foods. Our guide take you wandering to some typical places, market to get overview Vietnamese food, talking with artisan foodstuffs, street food vendors, stall holders, hear stories of the ingredients and history of Hanoi’s food culture and sample Northern Vietnamese cuisine. Tasting Hanoi “Pho” or “Bún chả” - one of the oldest favorites of north Vietnam cuisine … and finish the food tour at a nice coffee shop famous with the “egg coffee” in the Old Quarter.
After that, visit Hoa Lo Prison - Known widely by the nickname ‘Hanoi Hilton’ given to it by the Americans during the Second Indochina War, Hoa Lo Prison was originally established by the French colonial government in 1896 for the purpose of detaining political prisoners and formed part of a northern network of ‘unjust and cruel prisons’. Many leading Vietnamese revolutionaries were incarcerated here during the French colonial period, Between 1964 and 1973 the prison’s inmates included several captured American pilots, notably Senator John McCain and Douglas 'Pete' Peterson, America’s first Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Stroll around the Old Quarter discovering a number of Vietnamese handcrafts & shopping
Part 2: Parts Unknown & Backstreet Adventures
Riding through the maze of zigzagging backstreet and narrow alleyways & markets Diving into the rivers of motorbikes and Hanoi street symphony.
Travelling with all your senses heightened: Watching, Hearing, Touching, Tasting, Smelling…
Experiencing the GOOD, the BAD, the WEIRD and even the UGLY of the city as it is what it is.
Experiencing different slides of life behind the scene, the hidden part of the iceberg, the parts unknown & train tracks.
Meeting people where they live, work, learn and pray.
Part 3: Happy Hours & Hanoi Food Culture
Eating at random street-side eateries & authentic local restaurants
Experiencing Family’s heirloom food and special delicacies
Stroll through hidden alleyways and bustling markets of Hanoi’s charming old quarter
Learn more about Hanoi’s unique food culture
Try local specialties with influences from French and Chinese cuisine
Enjoying Hanoi egg coffee and taking in a spectacular night view of Hoan Kiem lake from a hidden café.
Return to the cruise, drop off at tendered port at around 23h00 pm
Day 2: Spectacular Halong Bay with traditional wooden junk boat
06h00: Pick up at Halong international cruise port. Transfer (20 minutes) to sightseeing pier to board private day junk for Halong bay & briefing
06h30: Start boarding. After sometimes cruising on the bay we quickly get away from most of others tourist to be alone in the middle of the nature among thousands of spectacular limestone islands.
08h00: Take a short hike up to an island for a visit to Sung Sot cave (Surprising cave) – one other largest and most popular caverns in Halong Bay.
After that, The cruise move toward a Lagoon cave (Luon Cave): here we can visit the place by kayak (row your selves) or in a rustic row-boat rowed by the local and try to spot wild monkeys to admit the magnificent scenery of this magical bay where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragons’ teeth…
Finally, experience the pleasure of cruising through the bay while our boat takes a different route returning to land, passing floating Pearl farm where, if time permits you can get off the boat & look around.
Take another route cruising back to Halong pier where your vehicle will be waiting for you to take you back to the cruise
11h30: the boat trip ends at pier, say goodbye to your crew and return to the boa/p>
12h00: Drop off at your cruise
.JPG)
.JPG)
