Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Northern Vietnam
The three northern essentials, each with its own night
The capital, the limestone on land and the limestone at sea. Six days is enough for all three, provided each one gets a night rather than a day trip.
Overview
Why a night in each place
Most short northern trips treat Ninh Binh and the bay as day trips from Hanoi, which means two long days in a minibus and every famous sight at its busiest hour. This one sleeps in each place. You see Mua Cave at dusk and the Trang An boats early, and on the bay you are there for the evening and the next morning rather than the middle of the day.
Ninh Binh to the bay is about two and a half to three hours by expressway, so there is no need to go back through Hanoi in between. The car, driver and guides are from our Hanoi partner, an operator we have worked with for years; the boat comes from our own short list.
- Length
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Longest drive
- About 3 hours
- Nights
- Hanoi 3, Ninh Binh 1, on board 1
- Best months
- October to December, March to May
- Pace
- Relaxed
- Run by
- Our Hanoi partner operator
Nights
The route and the nights
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival in Hanoi
Your driver meets you at Noi Bai; the drive to the centre is about 45 minutes. The rest of the day is yours. If you arrive before mid-afternoon, the guide can take you for a short first walk around Hoan Kiem lake and a street-food supper.
Day 2
Hanoi on foot
A full day with the guide: the guild streets of the Old Quarter in the morning, the Temple of Literature, lunch, then the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum area or the Vietnamese Women’s Museum depending on the day of the week and your interests. Back at the hotel by 16:00. The evening is free.
Day 3
South to Ninh Binh
Leave at 08:30 for the two-hour drive south. Hoa Lu, the tenth-century capital, before lunch; an afternoon on bicycles through the lanes around Tam Coc; and the climb of about 500 steps to Mua Cave at around 16:00 for the view over the valley in the low sun.
Day 4
Trang An early, then on to the bay
On the Trang An boats as they start, for two and a half hours of rowing through caves. Then the car heads north-east to the harbour at Ha Long, about two and a half to three hours, to board in the early afternoon. Kayaking or a cave in the late afternoon, sunset on deck, and a night at anchor.
Day 5
Morning on the bay, back to Hanoi
An early outing by small boat, brunch as the boat sails in, and ashore by late morning. Back in Hanoi by about 14:30. A free evening: the water puppets, a last bowl of pho, or nothing at all.
Day 6
Departure
Transfer to Noi Bai for your flight. If you are flying on south to Saigon, we can meet you at the other end.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 795 | from 995 | from 1510 |
| 4 travelling | from 650 | from 815 | from 1240 |
| 6 travelling | from 590 | from 735 | from 1120 |
The boat and the hotel tier move the price more than anything else in the table above. Swapping Ha Long for Lan Ha adds about half an hour of driving and a little cost, and we recommend it for anyone who values quiet over the classic view. A second night on the water, in place of the last Hanoi night, is the upgrade we suggest most often.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Airport transfers in Hanoi at both ends
- Private car and driver for all road travel
- English-speaking guides in Hanoi and Ninh Binh; cruise guide on board
- Four hotel nights and one night on board, breakfast daily
- Meals as listed, including all meals on the boat
- Entrance fees, boat trips, bicycles and kayaks as described
What it does not include
- International and domestic flights
- Visas and travel insurance
- Drinks on board and at meals
- Tips for guides, drivers, rowers and crew
Practical
Timing and what to pack
October to December and March to May are the best windows for all three places at once. From December to February Hanoi and the bay are cold and often grey; pack a proper warm layer. July to September is hot, humid and typhoon season on the coast, when the authorities sometimes close the bay; we then swap the boat night for a second night in Ninh Binh and adjust the days.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
This is the first-timer’s north, and people who have been to Vietnam before usually want something less travelled — Pu Luong, Ha Giang or the far north-east. It includes no mountains; if you want terraces and trekking, look at the seven-day trip with Sapa. And anyone who dislikes boats should replace the bay with a second night in Ninh Binh, which we can do without fuss.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Can we swap Ha Long for Lan Ha Bay?
Yes. The drive is about half an hour longer, the boats are fewer and there is swimming from April to October. We often recommend it.
Is six days enough for the north?
For Hanoi, Ninh Binh and the bay, yes. Adding Sapa or Ha Giang needs three or four more days.
Can this start in Saigon?
Yes — many of our travellers fly up from Ho Chi Minh City after the south. The flight is about two hours.
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Or talk to us:+84 766 045 399