Explore the Capital Hanoi

Duration: 11 hours
Start/End: Halong Bay (or Hai Phong) port/Halong Bay (or Hai Phong) port
Highlights: Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison Museum, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, Old Quarter, Water Puppets Show (if time permits)
Tour Customizable: Absolutely! (Tell us your specific requirements in the inquiry form)

Setting off from Ha Long or Hai Phong, your driver will take you to Ha Noi. Upon arrival, visit a famous gallery named Nguyen Art Gallery, which houses many original and quality paintings as well as sculptures. The Gallery’s objective is to promote quality arts, particularly from Vietnam. The gallery focuses on young and emerging artists. We are both enjoying Vietnamese tea or coffee then relax at a nice space of Gallery and seeing the paintings…Talk with the owner and enjoy a cup of Vietnamese coffee in the Café Lounge overlooking the Temple of Literature that you visit the morning.

Afterward, we will visit the Temple of Literature, originally built as a Temple of Confucius, before heading to Hoa Lo Prison Museum where the former US presidential candidate John McCain was incarcerated for over 5 years. Next, learn about Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority people through the extensive display at Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which is widely acknowledged as the best in the country.

After lunch in the city center, your guide will bring you to visit the iconic Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple before hopping on a cyclo for a one-hour ride around the French-inspired Old Quarter. Stroll through narrow streets in the Old Quarter and browse for fantastic deals on almost everything from souvenirs in small shops to paintings at contemporary art galleries. If time permits, join the crowd for a famous one-hour Water Puppet show. As the sun begins to set in this beautiful town, head back to Hai Phong or Ha Long in good time for your cruise departure. Trip ends.