Private journeys and custom trips across Vietnam
5 daysHanoiHa Long BayLan Ha BayCraft villages
Five days in the north: a water puppet show, an overnight cruise through Lan Ha Bay, Hanoi's lakes and Old Quarter by cyclo, and a day in the incense, conical hat and pottery villages.
Your journey at a glance
Overview
The north in five days, with more time in the villages around Hanoi than a standard itinerary allows. You arrive in the afternoon, see a water puppet show, an art form that grew out of the rice fields, and have the evening free.
The cruise sails into Lan Ha Bay rather than the busiest part of Ha Long, with kayaking and swimming at the Ong Cam area, a sunset party on the sundeck, and the Dark and Bright Cave by local rowing boat the next morning. Back in Hanoi there is time for the railway cafes at Phung Hung, where the tables sit beside the working track.
The fourth day is the one people remember: Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake, a cyclo through the guild streets, Tran Quoc Pagoda, then Quang Phu Cau incense village, conical hat making, and the wheel at Bat Trang pottery village where you throw and paint your own piece.
Highlights
Day by day
5 days, 4 nights, in the order we usually run them. Timings, hotels and activities are adjusted to your dates and interests when we plan it with you.
Customise this journeyDay 1, Hanoi
Met at Noi Bai airport in the afternoon and taken to the hotel. At 17:00 you head out to a water puppetry performance, a traditional art born from the rice civilisation, then dinner and a free evening.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2, Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay
Leave at 08:30 for the bay and board at Tuan Chau marina around midday. Lunch of seafood as the boat sails through the Con Vit islets. At 16:00 the cruise moves into Lan Ha Bay, a quieter arm of the bay, for kayaking and swimming at Ong Cam. Sunset party on the sundeck with local wine and fruit, dinner on board, then fishing, a film or the bar.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3, Ha Long Bay and Hanoi
Sunrise and tai chi on the sundeck at 06:00, light breakfast, then the Dark and Bright Cave and the islets by local rowing boat. Back on board to relax, brunch at 10:00, and ashore by 11:00. In Hanoi, the Phung Hung railway coffee corner, where the cafes sit on the edge of the track. Dinner, then a massage and a free evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4, Hanoi
Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake at 08:00, then a cyclo through the guild streets of the Old Quarter, Hang Ma, Hang Bac and Hang Gai, past the Opera House and the old post office. Tran Quoc Pagoda at 10:00, the oldest Buddhist temple in the city, with its eleven storey Lotus Stupa. After lunch, Quang Phu Cau incense village, conical hat making in a village house, and Bat Trang, where you throw a piece on the wheel, paint it and have it fired.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Day 5, Hanoi
Breakfast of Hanoi specialities, then the local market for whatever you want to take home. Lunch, then the transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Where you'll stay
Stays are chosen for character and location, and confirmed with you before anything is booked.
1 night
Hotel or villa room, two to three people per room, per the programme.
1 night
Cabin on an overnight cruise boat, with all meals on board.
2 nights
Hotel or villa room, two to three people per room, per the programme.
The route
Map is schematic and not to scale for travel times.
Good to know
Tips are not included in the price. The programme suggests 2 USD per day for the guide and 1 USD per day for the driver, and it stays at your discretion.
This programme is quoted at two to three people per room. Tell us your group and we will confirm the room split before you book.
Yes. The sequence of sights can shift with weather, traffic or opening hours, but the full list of included sights stays the same.
A list of everyone travelling with full names, passport photos and gender, so hotels and any domestic flights can be booked.
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Destinations on this journey: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay
Tell us your dates and we'll shape the Hanoi, Ha Long Bay & Craft Villages around you.