Hanoi and Halong Bay

Upon arrival in Hanoi airport, meet your local guide and driver at the arrival gate and transfer to the hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Hanoi Food Walking Tour

In the evening, your guide will pick you up and proceed to the Old Quarter for a walking tour. As we walk in the streets, we listen to the presentation about the architecture, culture, and lifestyle of the locals. We stop by the food stalls or restaurants to contemplate and try typical Vietnamese foods and drinks that are well-known and most popular for Hanoians. Your guide will talk about the recipe and the historical backgrounds of the dishes.

Overnight hotel in Hanoi.

Walking tour to Huu Tiep Lake and the downed B52

Start the tour in the northern part of the city at a colorful market that sells herbs, spices, sea products, and many other local and exotic ingredients. Stroll alongside the lake till Tran Quoc, the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, located on a small island near the southeastern shore of the West Lake. Carry on past the peaceful Quan Thanh, a Taoist temple and the Presidential Palace to the Botanical Gardens, the green lung of the capital. Wander through the maze of narrow streets and crowded alleys until you emerge at a small lake containing the wreckage of a crashed B52 from the Vietnam War. Enjoy a coffee at a small local shop nearby the lake and continue by walk to Ngoc Ha Street, where the car will transfer you back to your hotel.

Sightseeing in Hanoi

Although it is the modern-day capital of Vietnam, Hanoi still retains the mystery and charm of past centuries. Narrow lanes and traditional shophouses invite an exciting exploration by walking, while it's many beautiful public spaces. Lakes, parks, tree-lined boulevards and monuments give the city an air of elegance and harmony with nature unique among Asian capitals.

Visit the Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature has a peaceful series of walled courtyards and graceful gateways, and this monument is one of the best-preserved examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture. Founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, this was also the site of Vietnam's first university. In one courtyard, giant stone tortoises bear stele on their backs, listing the accomplishments of graduating scholars.

Visit the Old Quarter

The Old Quarter holds over a thousand years of history and remains one of Vietnam's most lively and unusual places. Here one can buy anything from a gravestone to silk pajamas. Explore by walking to the maze of back streets with fascination wonderment at every turn, and there are endless things to buy from wool clothes, cosmetics, gold and silver jewelry, silk clothes, and herbal medicines.

Transfer to/from a restaurant.

Overnight in Hanoi.

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(114 miles, 4 hours)

After breakfast, leave your hotel for Halong Bay. The road is well paved. We board the cruise in Tuan Chau Marina Port. The crews will serve welcome drinks amidst briefing about the cruise ship and safety.

Enjoy buffet lunch while the cruise sails passing by magnificent sceneries of the World Heritage site. In the afternoon, explore Sung Sot cave, hiking up and down 600 steps to the beautiful limestone formations of the biggest and most marvelous cave in Halong bay. Back to the vessel and participate in La Vela cooking class under the instruction of the cruise's chef.

Dinner on board. Overnight on board.

In the morning, participate in the Tai Chi session on the Sundeck. Enjoy light breakfast with tea or coffee. Explore the Pearl farm to witness the process of making a perfect pearl.

Return to the cruise ship La Vela, enjoy buffet breakfast and disembark at Tuan Chau Island. 

Now, you are transferred back to Hanoi airport for your trip to the next destination.

Service ends.