VN19A Secret of the North ( 3 days / 2 nights )

Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hai Phong - Ha Long Bay - Hanoi

Day 1 Hanoi – Vuon Thi – Ninh Binh

Drive to Ninh Binh. Upon arrival, you will take delight in a scenic bicycle ride around paddy fields, pagodas, small villages and markets. A visit to Vuon Thi Village will offer you a chance to interact with local people by partaking in their daily activities. Discover the lifestyle, hospitality and friendliness of the Northern people when you prepare your lunch with a local family. Later, work alongside the farmers in the field and learn how water rice is cultivated. Surely be mesmerized by the soaring limestone cliffs while cruising on the Van Long reservoir. Finally, continue to Ninh Binh for the night.
Overnight in Ninh Binh [Lunch]

Day 2 Ninh Binh – Ha Long Bay

Drive through rice paddy fields to Ha Long Bay. Board a junk for a cruise among the hundreds of islets of Ha Long Bay. Enjoy a seafood lunch and a swim (weather permitting). Drop anchor in the late evening for an overnight stay among the dramatic limestone peaks rising out of the sea.

Overnight on a junk [Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Day 3 Ha Long Bay – Boat Cruise – Hanoi

Take a delightful morning cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Ha Long Bay before returning to the dock. Drive back to Hanoi with a stop en route at a ceramic factory. 

[Breakfast]

* OPTIONAL: Water puppet show at the village

While in the Red River delta, take in a traditional water puppet performance at a village. After leaving Ha Long Bay, take a scenic drive to a small village known as the birthplace of water puppetry in the Red River Delta. Take delight in watching an authentic outdoor water puppet performance while sampling local delicacies. Local artisans will then present you with a wooden water puppet as a souvenir. Drive back to Hanoi.