Tour:

  DISCOVERY OF NORTHERN VIETNAM HANOI - NINH BINH / HOA LU ANCIENT TOWN - HALONG BAY --- (6D/5N) --- Day 1: ARRIVAL IN HANOI (by A/C car) Arrival in Hanoi, warmly welcome to everybody, a moment of courtesy meeting of the tour guide in the meeting point's Noi Bai Airport. Hanoi - its legendary beginnings from 1,010 to 15th century then before the World War II, after 1954 as well, is the cradle of Red River Delta civilization with green rice-fields, its Old streets and colonial Quarter, its calm lakes, the shaded boulevards, its verdant public parks and sunny smiles with truly Far-East Asian faces ...Our experienced tour guide will transmit you the most lovely aspects of Hanoi - the ancient city of 1,000 yrs, during 45' by coach from the airport to your hotel in the centre city. Please note that standard check in time is 14.00, check out at 12.00. Early check in or late check-out is subject to room availability. Hotel would probably guarantee early check in or late checkout as an extra surcharge on depend to the rooming’s status at that time. Transfer to hotel for check in and free at leisure for your own activities. Overnight in Hanoi. Day 2: HANOI - Full Day Tour (by A/C car, rickshaw) After breakfast, enjoy a full day tour of Hanoi, let’s experience the basic concepts of political Vietnam currently by visit to the Chairman Palace area, there are Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, Ba Dinh National square, Stilt House; One Pillar Pagoda, a nice group picture should photo in the parade yard of Ba Dinh National square with the great back view of Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. Continuing to visit Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple are located on an islet of West Lake, then the Temple of Literature, is a classic Confucianism temple from the category "Confucianism", was founded as a Confucian Temple and a huge statue and alter to Confucius remain there today, the first university in Viet Nam was founded here and many rows and rows of big stone slabs that sat on the backs of stone tortoises. These slabs are actually the stele of the school's successful doctorate candidates. Afternoon, you visit to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology where contains more than 10,000 objects which depict all aspects of life, customs, and habits of the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam. You will enjoy later an interesting tour by traditional Pedicabs, the best and most stylish way as far more charming to see Hanoi and to take in the sights and sounds of the Old quarter is by Cycle ( a tricycle ), your people will enjoy 1 hour cycle tour the Old Quarter and shopping streets to watch the daily lives of the people living on and around the busy areas, the small rickshaws will carry you strolling around the Old Quarter and shopping streets, to relax and view to daily-life surrounding or communicating is a good way to have a full impression of the city, catch the spirit of Vietnam. Rickshaws will return back at the Garden of Hoan Kiem Lake - the Return-Sword Lake, to visit Ngoc Son – Heroic Temple, But Tower, where you will be fascinating with legendary stories from 600 years that a turtle stole a king's sword and took it to the bottom of this lake. A moment free in Garden of Hoan Kiem Lake to enjoy the lovely Hanoi landscapes in the sunset until the time of water puppet show, a unique art form of Vietnamese, at Thang Long Water Puppet Troupe, and you will also experience more about a specific culture in South-East Asia coming from agriculture of wet rice during the performance. Back to hotel and free leisure at night. Overnight in Hanoi. (B) Day 3: HANOI - NINH BINH (by A/C car 90km, boat) After breakfast, you will departure to Hoa Lu – Ninh Binh, where people commonly call “Halong Bay on Land”, to enjoy its marvellous nature, the poetic delight views of lush rice paddies and lime-stone shapely mountains. There is really Historical & Cultural Vestiges, a most ancient land and first capital city of the monarchical Vietnam – Hoa Lu Ancient Royal Capital. Visit Dinh Temple worships King Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Temple worships King Le Dai Hanh, they were built in 17th century. Proceeding to Van Lam Village, take a rowing boat alongside streams through the rice-fields to admire the picturesque views, into beautiful landscapes with channels meandering between rocky hills, grottoes and gaze with veneration at gigantic sceneries of three caves Tam Coc to be adorned with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites shapely and colourful. Later, enjoy an interesting tour along the peaceful country road to visit Bich Dong Pagodas hide itself on the slope’s rocky hill range, built on Ngu Nhac Mountain, is divided into three levels: lower pagoda, middle pagoda and upper pagoda. On the mountain peak stands the statue of a scholar Mandarin looking at the horizon in hope of viewing the spectacular landscapes of Hoa Lu. From the upper pagoda, one has the most magnificent view of Bich Dong, which is romantically charming in terms of architecture and history. The location for this pagoda was chosen in year of 1428 after two monks were charmed by the view of the river and the mountains. Later, King Le Canh Hung wrote a poem in honour of the beautiful pagoda and landscape, who said that Bich Dong Pagodas was the second nicest pagoda in Vietnam, after the Perfume Pagodas. After interesting time of wallowing in marvellous nature, you will be free in the hotel. Overnight in Ninh Binh (B) Day 4: NINH BINH - HALONG BAY (by A/C car 186km, boat) After breakfast, drive straight up to Halong Bay, 175 km from Hanoi, the highway is smoothly and cost you of 3.5 - 4 hours usually, since we have to stop somewhere for the rests or visiting also. Landscapes en route are very interesting with the immense rice-fields, farmers are working in the fields, small and peace villages ....there are the sweet beginnings to talk with then explanation of Vietnam by our tour guide. Upon arrival, transfer to the Marina for a 5-hour cruising tour by a big wooden Junk on Halong Bay, this is a golden time for your voyage – a masterpiece of Nature is dawning in the bright morning sunlight. Ha Long Bay is constituted by 3000 small and big islands of all shapes. In 1994 UNESCO classified Halong Bay as a World Natural Heritage and in November 2000, the World Heritage Committee reconfirmed this classification, your excursion to Halong Bay will re-evaluate the classification of UNESCO to this fairyland In the book intituled “Wonders of the World” published in 1950. The French marshal Lyautey compared it with Venice rocks in the “Letters of Tonkin and Madagascar “ (June 24, 1895). The French novelist Yvonne Schultz did not hesitate to praise the miraculous beauty of this bay: All heights and ten thousand forms; imagination, imitation, pagodas, Hindu temples, menhirs, Chinese towers, pieces of chess-board or true immense mountain. And the extraordinary flows simulating the ruined keeps, the broken down bastions, a succession of palaces with the open belly and tribes of mutilated idols. HALONG BAY is nearly a hidden bay with thousands of limestone islands densely rising from the blue jade water in a sea area of over 1500 square kilometres. Its 1969 green islands enfeeble the strong winds blowing from the ocean to leave the transparent water of the bay often calm in cool and healthy air. From time to time, sailing Junk appearing and disappearing between the islands make the poetic sight more colourful like sparkling pearls or coral reefs found out in the bay. The beauty of the bay is not monotonous, at different positions of viewing; it will astonish viewers with quite different fascinations. In the caves and grottoes of stone islands, visitors will discover and admire how many impressive stalactites and stalagmites. The caves have strange but very accurate names, have their own legends in their names as Thien Cung (Heaven Palace) grotto, Dau Go (Wooden Head) grotto, stop-over to visit the caves, your sailing Junk will continue to visit around the shapely islets of fighting cock, incense-burner and others. Landing in Titop Islet, there is the calm and so clean sand & transparent beaches, somewhat little rocky mountains and a beautiful tall terrace, enjoy sun-sea bathing there that always waits to give you the most wonderful sea bathing in calm, transparent water under the sunlight. We shall suggest you do not miss a romantic lunch with very fresh sea-food on-board, since after visit the floating-rafts/houses of living sea-food, taste the specialties of Halong Bay is quite a life-time experience (see supplement). The Junk sailing back to Marina and free at leisure for your own activities at hotel. (we highly recommend a strolling walk along the shore of Halong Bay while the sun is setting down, enjoy yourself the pure breeze, beautiful view of glow of sunset in the sky… is the perfect compensation to the busy days recently). Overnight in Halong Bay. (B) Day 5: HALONG BAY – HANOI (by A/C car 175km) After breakfast, check out then drive back to Hanoi. On the way, you will visit a handicraft village: Bat Trang pottery village (13 km Southeast of Hanoi) on the outskirts of Hanoi, by the banks of the Red River, well known as traditional professional handicraft village specializing in making all kinds of pottery and porcelain. Watch the artisans forming, painting and glazing their products which are then baked for several days in huge kilns. Transfer to hotel for check in and time of rest. Overnight in Hanoi. (B) Day 6: DEPARTURES FROM HANOI (by A/C car) Today, after breakfast, free at leisure for your own activities until check-out then transfer to airport for a flight back home. Have a safe trip! It’s timely; you have to say good-bye Vietnam. We (Toan Vinh Tours) thank you very much for your choice of our company as your ground handler in Vietnam then may be Indochina countries on further, be sure all our people are your best friends always and beyond. May we will meet and honoured welcome you have other voyages to Indochina in the days coming, continuing to discover, to experience the endless imposing landscapes, and then get the really restful moments in a diversified World and this colourful Sub-region of the Mekong River: VIETNAM - LAOS - CAMBODIA - THAILAND - MYANMAR! GOOD-BYE & DO HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN! (B)

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