9 Days North Vietnam Explorer Tour & Halong Bay Cruise

9 days8 nights
Tour Type
Private
This tour can be taken as a private tour following our set tour itinerary. Select your own travel dates to suit your personal group of family or friends.
Custom
You can customize any of our small group or private tour itineraries. You can do that by completing a booking for a specific tour and letting us know what else you want included in your China tour to custom design it.
Destinations
Hanoi
Mai Chau & Pu Luong
Ninh Binh
Halong Bay
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9 Days North Vietnam Explorer Tour & Halong Bay Cruise

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  • Tour Name
    9 Days North Vietnam Explorer Tour & Halong Bay Cruise
  • Tour Type
    Small Group
  • Travel Date
    2025-08-08
  • Accommodation
    Luxury
  • Adults
    5
  • Children aged 2 to 11 years
    5
  • Infants aged 0 to 23 months
    5
  • Rooms
    5
  • Extra beds
    5

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  • Highlights
  • Itinerary
  • Accommodation
  • Inclusions/Exclusions
  • Important Info

Highlights

Hanoi
Mai Chau & Pu Luong
Ninh Binh
Halong Bay

Enjoy the serenity of breathtaking scenery, the wonder of ancient culture and the stimulus of vibrant emerging cities as you take in the sites, sounds and tastes of North Vietnam.

Take home wonderful travel memories from this 9 day guided tour of North Vietnam’s main destinations and highlights. Ideal for a first time traveler to Vietnam, this tour is ideal for gaining firsthand experience with locals in the markets and ethnic minority villages, understanding the ancient religious and political histories reflected in architecture and significant buildings, and discovering the natural scenic wonders that inspire movies, as you savor the flavors of local cuisine. Inclusive of 8 nights accommodation in four or five star hotels, all in-country transfers, knowledgeable local guides, free choice of the diverse local cuisine at lunch and dinner, and much more. Stop dreaming and book your Vietnam tour now!

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Hanoi

Upon arrival at Hanoi Airport, you will be met by our local guide and transferred to the hotel, where you are free to relax or venture into the city.

Meals included: None

Day 2 - Hanoi

In the morning, spend some leisure time on Ba Dinh Square, site of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Later, visit Ho Chi Minh’s House on Stilts, the nearby One Pillar Pagoda and Vietnam’s Confucius Center and first university, the Temple of Literature. In the afternoon, proceed to Hoa Lo Prison (called the Hanoi Hilton by American POW soldiers), followed by the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the best place to learn about Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups from the rich collections of objects, photos, video tapes and cassettes. Pay a visit to a local craftsman’s house to learn how the water puppets are made and enjoy a unique water puppet show, a favorite experience for all visitors to Vietnam and the highlight of any Vietnam tour.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on Fridays and Mondays and most museums are closed on Mondays. Your guide may adjust the itinerary accordingly.

Day 3 - Hanoi - Mai Chau

After breakfast, begin a 3-hour drive to Mai Chau, passing along scenic rural landscapes, ascending gradually to medium altitude to mountainous and valley panoramas. On arrival in Mai Chau around noon, you’ll be ready to enjoy lunch prepared by a local family in a traditional stilt house. It’s a great chance to exchange ideas with Thai minority family and learn about how they live. Take an afternoon stroll to neighbouring villages inhabited by the White Thai ethnic group in Northern Vietnam. There you will able to admire the alluring landscape of the mountainous valley and agricultural plantations, observe the local life, and learn about their culture and customs. Have dinner at local house before enjoying a very welcoming Thai folk dance performed by local villagers. Enjoy a peaceful night’s rest in the eco accommodation situated on the top of a private hill.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 4 - Mai Chau - Pu Luong

Before breakfast, seize the golden hours and take a walk around the countryside when the air is fresh, the sunshine is still soft, and villagers are already on working in the fields. After breakfast, a drive of around 1.5 hours will bring you to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, which harbors a variety of flora and fauna, with over 1000 listed plant species and many bird species. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to Chien Lau Bridge for a leisurely hike of 5 km (3 miles) to admire the water mills along Cham River and take pleasure in the natural scenery. The walk will end at Tan Lap Bridge where the transport will be ready to take you back to the eco garden, a mountain retreat, where you can chill-out, treasuring the stunning sunset over rice terraces and mountains.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 5 - Pu Luong - Ninh Binh

Descend into the valley on a leisurely walk along trails leading through rice terraces near the Don Village, through corn fields and past some small villages, before heading back to the lodge for lunch and then drive to to Ninh Binh. Balance of the day is spent at your leisure after arrival.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 6 – Ninh Binh

Enjoy your breakfast before visiting to Hoa Lu, the ancient capital city of the Dinh Dynasty and location of the Bai Dinh Pagoda, the largest pagoda complex in Vietnam. Afterwards, take a boat trip to experience the amazing geological, biodiversity and scenic wonder of the Trang An grottoes. Over 30 valleys, 50 cross-water caves, 600 kinds of flora and over 200 kinds of fauna can be found in the area. Relax in your free time after returning to the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 7 - Ninh Binh - Halong Bay

Enjoy breakfast before heading out for a scenic drive to the World Heritage site of Halong Bay. Over 1,600 limestone karst islands dot the bay, traditional sampans and junks sail the glittering waters, grottos, thick forests, and hidden coves complete a movie-magical picture. Check in for the cruise at midday, in time to be served the lunch, before embarking on a memorable adventure. Along the way a variety of optional activities like kayaking, swimming, diving can add to the fun of this trip.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Note: This itinerary provides general information that may change, depending on the boat chosen.

Day 8 - Halong Bay - Hanoi

Get an early start today if you want to join a Tai Chi lesson with other passengers on the deck, or just soak in the beautiful view of limestone islands, charming beaches and amazing grottos. The cruise will pass by the Bai Tu Long Bay later and continue until disembarkation after brunch at approximately 11:00am. Our guide and driver will meet you at the pier for the drive back to Hanoi, arriving at the hotel around 3:00pm. You are then free to enjoy the rest of the day.

Meals included: Brunch

Day 9 - Depart from Hanoi

You will be at leisure till our guide and driver escorts you to airport for your return flight. The tour concludes today.

Meals included: Breakfast

Accommodation

Hanoi
Mai Chau & Pu Luong
Ninh Binh
Halong Bay

Inclusions / Exclusions

Inclusions:

  • Admission fees: to sightseeing spots and activities specified
  • Accommodation: hotels based on double/twin occupancy as specified
  • Meals: as specified in the itinerary
  • Tour guide: excellent private English-speaking guide
  • Transportation: cruise on Halong Bay
  • Transfers: land transfer with drivers as specified
  • Travel Agency Liability Insurance during the tour
  • Government taxes and fees.
  • The water puppet show entrance fee.

Exclusions:

  • International flights to/from Hanoi
  • Visa fees
  • Gratuities to guides and drivers and any expense of a personal nature
  • Our tour package does not include travel insurance. Please purchase travel insurance before your trip to provide for any unforeseen circumstances.

Important Information

Inclusions:

  • Admission fees: to sightseeing spots and activities specified
  • Accommodation: hotels based on double/twin occupancy as specified
  • Meals: as specified in the itinerary
  • Tour guide: excellent private English-speaking guide
  • Transportation: cruise on Halong Bay
  • Transfers: land transfer with drivers as specified
  • Travel Agency Liability Insurance during the tour
  • Government taxes and fees.
  • The water puppet show entrance fee.

Exclusions:

  • International flights to/from Hanoi
  • Visa fees
  • Gratuities to guides and drivers and any expense of a personal nature
  • Our tour package does not include travel insurance. Please purchase travel insurance before your trip to provide for any unforeseen circumstances.

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Debbie W
Debbie W
Reviewed on July 4, 2025
Tripadvisor score Beautiful China!

June 2025 • Family

We absolutely had a wonderful time and would highly recommend Chinatours.com to assist travelers to build their itinerary. Our itinerary was well outlined to include many wonderful historical sites, fun outdoor markets and beautiful gardens. We were guided by very knowledgeable and friendly tour guides. We especially liked Lee. She was accommodating, knowledgeable about the history of China, introduced us to the many wonderful things about the culture, recommended very good local restaurants, and assured confirmation and safety of our transportation. Chinatours booked us very nice hotels and the transport between cities was seamless. We really enjoyed our time in China and wished we could have stayed longer.
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Daniel R
Daniel R
Reviewed on July 3, 2025
Tripadvisor score Great Time In Beijing!

July 2025 • Solo

Really enjoyed by first trip to Beijing! Our tour guide, Nancy, was terrific. She was very informative and kept things very well organized and on schedule. I would definitely recommend China Tours to anyone who wants to visit China.
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Sherin E
Sherin E
Reviewed on July 3, 2025
Tripadvisor score Fantastic tour guide in Beijing!

July 2025 • Family

Our trip in Beijing was absolutely amazing. We had an excellent tour guide, Nancy. She was very knowledgeable, supportive and always ready to help us to make our stay enjoyable. We highly recommend her.
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Ivan J
Ivan J
Reviewed on July 3, 2025
Tripadvisor score Beijing tour group

July 2025 • Couples

Great Beijing tour, the small group works great. Excellent tour guide Nancy - good English, fun and loads of knowledge. Accommodation was great!
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Genoveva G
Genoveva G
Reviewed on June 24, 2025
Tripadvisor score Great tour with Linda in Beijing

June 2025 • Friends

This is our second tour with China tours, and it was fantastic. Linda was our guide in Beijing. She was great! She was very knowledgeable about history and culture and a very kind person. Our group was a mix of young and old, and she made our days in Beijing interesting for everyone. We highly recommend Linda and China tours!
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Tofta2010
Tofta2010
Reviewed on June 23, 2025
Tripadvisor score Very interesting and inspiring days!

June 2025 • Friends

Linda did an excellent job to explain and teaching us all about Chinese history and give us a good insight to all the places she showed us. We were a diverse group and even got our three children interred along the way. Thanks Linda!
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Gavin M
Gavin M
Reviewed on June 19, 2025
Tripadvisor score 100% fabulous experience

June 2025 • Family

The trip with China Tours was 100% fabulous. Everything about it was exactly as described. The tour guides were all wonderful, the hotels, and transfers (two bullet trains, two domestic flights) were amazing, everything went exactly as planned, and we had a great first trip to China. We did the 13 Days China Wonders & Pandas tour in June 2025. The balance was perfect between sightseeing with the guides and having free time to explore this amazing country at each destination. The high quality of the five guides along the way really made the trip. They were wonderful people without exception: professional, courteous, very knowledgeable, and friendly. The team at China Tours did truly great work in arranging everything, down to the last detail. Thank you very much for making this trip a really great experience!
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Susan B
Susan B
Reviewed on June 19, 2025
Tripadvisor score The only way to visit China!

June 2025 • Couples

This is a fantastic tour. The tour guides are amazing- so knowledgeable and extremely helpful. The experience of visiting the historic sites has been made far richer than it would’ve been on our own. We have left China with a greater understanding of Chinese history, culture and its people.
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