Signature · 10D | 9N
Hanoi, Ha Long & the North
Hanoi at both ends, two nights on a junk in the quieter Bai Tu Long, the inland karsts at Ninh Bình, and the overnight train up to the Sapa terraces.
- Best time
- October to April
- Route
- Hanoi · Ha Long Bay · Ninh Bình · Sapa
Day by day
10 days, planned in full
Hanoi at both ends, two nights on a junk in the quieter Bai Tu Long, the inland karsts at Ninh Bình, and the overnight train up to the Sapa terraces.
Day 1
Arrive in Hanoi
Met at Noi Bai and driven into the old quarter. A first walk round Hoan Kiem lake and bun cha for dinner on a pavement stool.
- Night
- Hanoi
- Meals
- Dinner
Day 2
Hanoi on foot
The Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh complex, the one-pillar pagoda, and the old quarter's thirty-six trade streets after lunch.
- Night
- Hanoi
- Meals
- Breakfast
Day 3
Out to the bay
Two and a half hours east, then aboard a junk in Bai Tu Long — the eastern bay, with a fraction of the boats — and a kayak before dinner.
- Night
- Aboard
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4
A full day among the karsts
Tai chi at dawn, a swim off the back, Thien Canh Son cave, and a floating fishing village where a hundred people live on the water.
- Night
- Aboard
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5
Ashore, and south to Ninh Bình
Off the boat by midday and three hours south to the inland karsts, staying in a homestay among the rice fields at Tam Cốc.
- Night
- Ninh Bình
- Meals
- Breakfast, dinner
Day 6
Tam Cốc and Hoa Lư
A rowing boat — oars worked with the feet — through three flooded caves, then the tenth-century capital and the climb up Hang Múa's 500 steps.
- Night
- Ninh Bình
- Meals
- Breakfast, dinner
Day 7
Back to Hanoi, and the night train
North in the afternoon, an hour in the city, then the sleeper up to Lào Cai in a four-berth soft cabin.
- Night
- Aboard the train
- Meals
- Breakfast
Day 8
Into the Muong Hoa valley
The road up to Sapa at dawn, then a walk down through Lao Chai and Tả Van to a lodge with the terraces below it.
- Night
- Sapa
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 9
Fansipan, or the market
The cable car to Vietnam's highest point at 3,143 m, or the Bac Ha market on a Sunday, then the evening train back to Hanoi.
- Night
- Aboard the train
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
Day 10
Fly home
Into Hanoi at dawn with a day room held at a hotel for a shower before the flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
What's included
- 9 nights — hotels, 2 aboard a junk, a homestay, and 2 sleeper trains
- Return economy airfare from Kolkata, Delhi or Mumbai
- All private road transfers and both Hanoi–Lào Cai sleeper legs
- Junk cruise in Bai Tu Long with all meals, kayaks and cave entries
- Tam Cốc rowing boat, Hoa Lư and Hang Múa
- Guided walking day in the Muong Hoa valley
- Daily breakfast, and a day room in Hanoi on the last morning
Not included
- Vietnamese e-Visa, about ₹2,300 per person
- Lunches and dinners not named in the itinerary
- Travel insurance
- Fansipan cable car, about ₹2,800, if chosen over the market
Other ways to go
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5 other routes through Ha Long Bay, from ₹1,09,900 per person.
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- Ceramic and silk villages in the delta
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Hanoi, Hue & the Imperial North — Ha Long Bay, 12D | 11N, from ₹1,34,900Per person, starting from*
₹1,34,900, reduced from
₹1,91,600
*Per person on twin sharing. Prices move with season and availability — we confirm yours in writing before anything is booked.
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