6-Day Hanoi, Ba Be and Bai Tu Long Bay Tour with Tay Villages

• Meet the tour guide and driver at Noi Bai Airport, where they will be ready to welcome you.
• Enjoy the 45-minute drive to the city centre (Hanoi Old Quarter), with a briefing about the city's most visited spots, culture, traffic, and cuisine. Arrive at your hotel, check in (check-in time: 14:00), and have a rest.
• Continue the tour with a walk around the peaceful Hoan Kiem Lake to the Opera House, stopping at the Statue of King Ly Thai To, the Vietnamese Government Guest House, and Sofitel Metropole Hanoi.
• Walk back to the Old Town and visit some of its main streets before returning to your hotel.

(Option: If your flight arrives late or you are jet-lagged after a long flight, the walking tour will be moved to the city tour day.)

• Meet the guide and driver at 8:00 a.m. in your hotel lobby for the safety briefing, then begin your adventure.
• Start exploring the lesser-known parts of the city, with slices of life in a maze of backstreets, tiny alleyways, local homes, schools, random markets, and black markets, experiencing where and how locals live, work, and play.
• Pass by and stop at the must-see places in the second part of the tour in beautiful Hanoi, such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - the Mecca of Vietnamese people - the 1000-year-old Buddhist and Taoist temples of Tran Quoc, the Temple of Literature, the historical training track, the enchanting French Quarter, the hustling and bustling Old Quarter, the romantic lakes of Hoan Kiem and West Lake, Hanoi Opera House, and the famous Long Bien Bridge.
• Go to the peaceful and alluring outskirts villages around West Lake and Truc Bach Lake in the third part of the tour, enriching your experience of the contrast and harmony of life between the city centre and its outskirts.
• Stop at different authentic restaurants, eateries, and food stalls to savour Hanoi's tastiest dishes, including family heirlooms, secret-recipe dishes, local delicacies, and specialities.
• Return to the hotel.

• Start for Ba Be National Park via Thai Nguyen at 8:00 a.m.
• Drive through the countryside and rural villages. Stop whenever you wish to take beautiful pictures. On the way, visit the Tay community and interact with villagers to learn about their culture.
• Continue to Ba Be, where you will be surprised by the magnificent nature, with mountains gently meeting valleys of rice terraces. Stop for photos whenever possible. Upon arrival in Ba Be, check in at your accommodation in Pac Ngoi village and go cycling through several villages of the Tay ethnic group. Continue along the river and part of the national park to Hua Ma Cave, 5 km from the village. This is an attractive place with amazing formations of stalactites and stalagmites.
• Return to the village in the late afternoon.

• Take a morning walk from the village to the pier and enjoy a boat trip on the lake. It is possible to swim in the lake.
• Stop to discover the Fairy Pond in the middle of the primitive forest. After the lake, continue to the Nang River. Walk along the riverbank, immerse yourself in the beauty of the wild, and reach Dau Dang Waterfall.
• Continue the boat trip in the opposite direction along the Nang River to Puong Cave, home to thousands of bats. The boat will pass through the cave toward Buoc Lom Pier.
• Meet your driver for the transfer to Hanoi.
• Arrive in Hanoi in the late afternoon, check in at your hotel, and enjoy some free time after the mountain getaway.

• Meet the guide at your hotel around 8:00 a.m. and enjoy a three-hour drive from Hanoi to Bai Tu Long Bay. Your journey will pass a series of villages and rice fields in the Red River Delta. Stop for drinks and restrooms.
• Continue driving and arrive at the harbour around noon, where you will receive a warm welcome at the cruise reception.
• Embark on the cruise and enjoy a welcome drink on board at 12:30.
• Cruise through Bai Tu Long Bay and have lunch with a set menu at 13:00.
• Explore Vung Vieng Village. Guests can choose to discover the daily life of the fishing communities by bamboo boat for one hour or go kayaking around the Vung Vieng area for one hour at 15:00. Enjoy swimming, sunbathing, and relaxing at Ban Chan Beach.
• Relax and enjoy a sunset cocktail while the boat cruises to the Cong Dong - Cong Do area at 17:30, where it will dock for the night.
• Have a BBQ dinner at 19:30. Spend a free evening or take part in activities such as board games, squid fishing, or karaoke (on request). Taste a variety of drinks at the luxury sundeck bar (chargeable), including wines, cocktails, brandy, and juices.
• End the day tour by 23:00.

• Join a Tai Chi session on the sundeck at 06:30.
• Enjoy a light breakfast while cruising to the Hon Co area at 07:15.
• Explore Thien Canh Son Cave at 8:00. Located in the centre of the World Heritage Area of Halong Bay, Thien Canh Son Cave offers visitors the wild and mysterious beauty of nature.
• Return to the boat for check-out and relax on the sundeck or watch a fruit-carving demonstration at 09:30. Enjoy the last views of Ha Long Bay over lunch as the boat cruises back to shore.
• Transfer by tender to the pier, relax in the waiting lounge, and wait for the return transportation at 11:45.
• Travel back to Hanoi. Rest along the way and get dropped off at your hotel in the Hanoi Old Quarter.

Note: For international flights, you are required to be at the airport 3 hours before departure time, and 2 hours before for domestic flights.