4-Day Hanoi and Lan Ha Bay Tour with Cruise and Water Puppets

• Meet your tour guide and driver, who will pick you up from Noi Bai Airport.
• Enjoy a 45-minute drive to the city centre (Hanoi Old Quarter), with a brief introduction to the city's most visited spots, culture, traffic, and cuisine. Arrive at your hotel, check in, and have a rest. (Hotel check-in time is 14:00.)
• Continue the day with a walking tour. Start with a small pagoda named Ba Da, quietly located in a small alley only a few steps from Hanoi Great Cathedral, which was built during French colonial rule in the 19th century.
• Go to typical streets of Hanoi, such as Lan Ong Street, known for traditional medicine, and Lo Ren Street, where metal items are produced.
• Stop to visit Dong Xuan Central Market, the largest market in Hanoi.
• Walk to the famous area for night activities and street food - Ta Hien Street - where you can experience the vibrant atmosphere and see many amazing local foods and drinks. Try some for an unforgettable experience.

End at your hotel.

Note: 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.

• Get picked up by your tour guide at 9:00 a.m. to visit the Temple of Literature, built under the Ly Dynasty in the 11th century for the worship of Confucius and the education of royal children.
• Enjoy a walk through the garden to the city's symbol, Khue Van Cac. You will then visit the World Heritage stone steles, which show the names of outstanding students.
• Continue to explore Quoc Tu Giam, considered the first national university of Vietnam.
• Stop at the Ethnology Museum (closed every Monday), which offers deep insight into Vietnamese culture through traditional costumes, tools, musical instruments, and traditional houses of many ethnic groups. It takes around two hours to fully explore this museum.
• Visit the French Quarter in the afternoon. It is a "little Paris" in Hanoi, with tree-lined boulevards, government offices, and a large square. Visit Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum from outside before taking a leisurely walk through the botanical gardens to the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh's house on stilts, where he used to live and work. Continue to the unique One Pillar Pagoda, one of the city's symbols. It takes from 1 to 2 hours to explore this complex, depending on the number of travellers.
• Come back to the city centre and have a rest before enjoying a water puppet show, a unique performance form that first appeared in the 11th century. These shows portray the daily life, culture, and beliefs of Vietnamese people through puppets performing on water. The show usually also includes a traditional music performance.
• Return to the hotel.

Meal: B

• Start from your hotel at 9:00 a.m. and enjoy a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay on National Highway No. 5B. Your journey will pass a series of villages and rice fields in the Red River Delta. Stop for drinks and restrooms along the way.
• Continue driving to the harbour around noon and receive a warm welcome at the cruise reception.
• Travel from the wharf through the bay to board the craft at 12:30. Fresh welcome drinks, cold towels, and a special lunch of fresh food and an assortment of appetizing delicacies will be served.
• Set sail for Lan Ha Bay, a member of the World's Most Beautiful Bays.
• Visit the Dark and Bright Cave, famous for the pristine natural beauty and poetic, attractive seascape of Lan Ha Bay. Here, you can take photos of the romantic local scenery. This is also the best time to enjoy bamboo boats and swimming, an interesting way to discover the truest beauty of the limestone mountains and the blue sky of Lan Ha Bay. Afterwards, immerse yourself in the emerald-green water of Lan Ha Bay with exciting swimming activities, or enjoy the mini pool with a jacuzzi on the cruise. (15:30)
• Return to the cruise by 17:30 and enjoy a sunset party on Lan Ha Bay. It is an ideal time for photography enthusiasts to capture the stunning sunset.
• Enjoy a romantic dinner at the cruise restaurant (19:30), then take in the nightlife of the bay from the top deck.
• Immerse yourself in music, enjoy a cocktail from the bar, watch famous films, and relax on the cruise. Otherwise, you can fish for squid with the sailors or simply relax in your room and watch the bay from the balcony. (21:00)

Overnight on the cruise.

Meal: B, L, D

• Have breakfast served at the cruise restaurant (6:30 to 7:30 a.m.).
• Arrive at the Frog Pond area at 8:00. Here, you can go kayaking and relax freely in the four-season mini pool on Lan Ha Bay, a silk ribbon made of green mountains, blue seas, and diverse fauna and flora.
• Check out of the room at 9:30. Have lunch in the restaurant and pay any extra fees at the reception while travelling to the port.
• Disembark and return to the port. (11:15 - 11:30) You will arrive at Tuan Chau International Marina Station.
• Receive a warm welcome and then enjoy a 2.5-hour journey back to Hanoi on the new highway (No. 5B), crossing the Red River Delta and villages.
• Drop off at your hotel in the Hanoi Old Quarter.

Note: The private driver will pick you up from the hotel lobby in the Hanoi Old Quarter for the approximately 45-minute transfer to Noi Bai Airport, either the international or domestic terminal according to your request.

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

Meal: B, L