Hanoi City tour from Halong Bay

OVERVIEW

As the capital of Vietnam for almost a thousand years, Hanoi is considered one of the main cultural centres of Vietnam, where most Vietnamese dynasties have left their imprint. Even though some relics have not survived through wars and time, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike. The city hosts more cultural sites than any city in Vietnam, and boasts more than 1,000 years of history, and that of the past few hundred years has been well preserved.

Highlights

Hanoi's history, culture, religion and tradition: Ho Chi Minh Complex, Hoa Lo Prison, Temple of Literature, Museum, Old Quarter, French Quarter
Experience Vietnamese cycle ride (local rickshaw)
Hanoi's food (specialties)
Old quarter oriental walking

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Itinerary Details

DAY 1: HALONG BAY CRUISE HALF DAY (5 HRS. - NO LUNCH)

12:00PM: Pick up at cruise passenger station.

Notes: Ship will dock at a new international cruise port and use a shuttle to transfer clients to the passenger cruise station (transfer 3 minutes or otherwise walking 10 minutes– 500 meters). See photos of the pickup place.

Transfer (20 minutes) to sightseeing pier on Tuan Chau Island to board private half-day junk for a 4-hour cruise on the emerald green waters of Halong Bay.

After some time of cruising on the bay, we quickly get away from most of the other tourists to be alone in the middle of nature among the thousands of spectacular limestone islands and passing floating village for taking pictures.

The cruise includes a short hike up to an island for a visit to a limestone cave (Thien Cung or Heavenly Palace cave) with many beautiful stalactites and stalagmites and cruising by a fishing village where you can see how lives on the water and their making living there are.

Get on a rowing boat (or kayaking) to visit Ba Hang Cave to enjoy the marvelous scenery here, boating is an activity you cannot ignore as your hands are free to take photos and admire the scenery.

We will start the cruise back to Halong City where your vehicle will be waiting for you to take you back to the cruise.

Arriving at the pier at 05:00PM

Depart for Hanoi - the heart of the Vietnamese nation, transfer takes 2.5 hrs. (using the new highway Halong - Hanoi).

Arrival Hanoi at 08:30PM, check-in your hotel and have dinner at your own cost.

Overnight at a hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

Notes: Cruise or Itinerary can be changed with prior notice according to the weather or Halong Bay Management permission.

DAY 2: CHARMING & HISTORIC HANOI (LUNCH INCLUDED)

08:00AM: Pick up at your hotel

Today you will have a day tour to visit Hanoi’s featured sights. (visit as much as possible)

Drive through bustling streets lined with French colonial style structures on your way to the nation’s capital, including the parliament, party house, the president's house, and the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh – the founding father of Vietnam.

Continue to the Temple of Literature, built-in 1076 as Vietnam's first university. It was established within a temple to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite. The university functioned for an incredible 700 years and its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam’s past.

Have lunch at one of the finest local restaurants, tasting local specialties or trying “Phở” or “Bun chả” - one of the oldest favorites of north Vietnam cuisine.

After lunch: Visit Hoa Lo Prison museum - 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.

(Alternative: Visit Ngoc Son Temple (the Temple of the Jade Mountain) is the most scenic natural landscape of the city, built on a small island in the centre of the ‘Lake of the Returned Sword’ or Hoan Kiem Lake)

Enjoy half an hour trishaw (pedicab) ride through Old Quarter - This bustling area of narrow streets and alleys is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. It's a great place to explore with plenty of photo opportunities all around you.

(Alternative if time permits: Enjoy 45 minutes Water Puppet show, a unique Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life.)

Stroll around the Old Quarter discovering several Vietnamese handcrafts & shopping before return to the port (2.5-hour drive).

06:00PM: Drop off at port. End of services.

Thank you! And see you again!

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IMPORTANT NOTES

Van & Group size:

1 pax: Private 4 or 7 seat van
2 – 3 pax: Private 7 seat van
4 – 8 pax: Private 16 seat van
9 – 15 pax: private 29 seat van
16 – 20 pax: Private 35 seat van
20 – 25 pax: Private 45 seat van

Packing lists:

Summer time: Comfortable shoes or sandal, camera, sunglasses, sunscreen
Winter time: Warm clothes, Comfortable shoes or sandal, camera

Meals: If requested for drinking & lunch & dinner on day 1, extra 10 USD/person/meal

Pick up & Drop off:

Pick up: Pick up at the back ground of the international passenger station where electric car/shuttle drop you. (Ship will dock at New international cruise terminal then by the ship, there are lots of shuttle waiting to take passengers out). Just get in one of them. Shuttle will take you to the shuttle to the back yard of the cruise passenger’s station, guide pick you up at the place shuttle drop you
Drop off: Same place as pick up

Travel Insurance: Local travel insurance included on the entrance ticket.

Payment methods: Need a refundable deposit (30%) by either Pay Pal or Credit card, to process your booking. - Balance can be paid in USD cash on arrival to our guide. If the ship skips port(s) due to unforeseen circumstances, no fee charge but requires you to inform us 12 hrs. in advance so that we have enough time in advance to release services reserved for your group

If the ship skips port(s) due to unforeseen circumstances, no fee charge but requires you to inform us 12 hrs. in advance so that we have enough time in advance to release services reserved for your group

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PRICE & AVAILABILITIES

PRICING IN US DOLLAR PER PERSON

Rates applied from 1 October 2019 to 31 December 2020

Number of Persons	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9 - 10	11 - 12	13 - 14	15 - 16
Price	Please contact us for best price upon your travel date, number of travelers and specific needs