HIGHLIGHTS OF HANOI TOUR

Descriptions

Operation : Daily

Duration : 5 days / 4 nights

Tour route : Hanoi - Halong - Hoa Lu - Tam Coc - Hanoi departure

Brief description : The north of Vietnam is home to beautiful landscape, Hanoi, the ‘Paris of the Orient’, Halong bay is one of seven natural wonder of the world, Tam Coc is nice to see the limestone mountains, which will run along their riverway for several kilometers and Hoa Lu is very near to Tam Coc, is the relics of the ancient capital Hoa Lu – the remains are the temples dedicated to King Dinh and King Le, the two heroes who lived in 10th century and chose Hoa Lu to build the citadel of the capital city. This tour takes in all of these in just 6 days, the perfect way to experience Northern Vietnam at its best.

Ho Chi Minh Complex: Completed in 1975 the complex contains Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace and One pillar pagoda.The Temple of Literature: Originally built as a temple to Confucius, this is the site of Vietnam’s first university dating back to 1070. Inside are the stone steles mounted on the backs of turtles, inscribed with the names of the university’s graduates. The complex is divided into five courtyards with different paths that would originally have been reserved for the Emperor and his mandarins. One of the courtyards contains the statue of Confucius guarded by two beautiful bronze storks standing on turtles. The temple highlights the importance influence that Vietnamese society has placed on education.

Museumof Ethnology: This museum is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam’s 54 Ethnic minority peoples. As well as the comprehensive array of exhibits inside, there are also traditional tribal houses reconstructed within the grounds.NgocSon Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake: The Ngoc Son temple is set on a tiny island on the Hoan Kiem Lake, with history dating back to the 13th century. The temple is reached by crossing the Huc Bridge which literally means the ‘Place Touched by Morning Sunbeams’. The Hoan Kiem Lake is the local point of the city and the source of many legends. One legend has it that in the 15th century Emperor Le Thai To vanquished the invading Chinese with the help of a magical sword. Whilst rowing on the lake an enormous turtle seized the sword from his grasp. The Emperor took this to mean that peace had returned and the sword had been given back to its guardian spirit. In honour of the event he renamed the lake ‘Ho Hoan Kiem’ – Lake of the Restored Sword.One hour cyclo tour through the Old Quarter - a must for any visitor to Hanoi! A cyclo (pronounced see-clo) is a Vietnamese version of a cycle rickshaw, originally used as the main form of transportation in Vietnam, it has now been overtaken by motorbikes, but still very much remains at the heart of Vietnamese culture. Sit back and relax as you witness the hustle and bustle of Vietnamese life from the comfort of your arm chair! The Old Quarter, also known as the 36 streets, is a bustling area of narrow streets home to literally thousands of small businesses, shopkeepers and street vendors, selling everything from bananas to books. Originally each of the 36 streets names’ were related to the products being sold there. Hence you can walk from Fish Street to Tin Street to Bamboo Street. It’s a great place to explore and the slow pace of a cyclo will enable numerous photo opportunitiesHalong bay is one of seven natural wonder of the world, located in the Gulf of Tonkin, covers an area of 1500 square km. with more than a thousand limestone peaks soaring from its crystalline emerald water. The calm sea provides an ideal location for sea kayaking as we paddle through a maze of islets amid dramatic natural scenery. With our modern kayaking equipment, we are able to maximize on speed and maneuverability as we paddle through the open sea and explore the many hidden lagoons and stalagmite caves that are difficult to access by any other means. After a day of paddling we unwind on our boat and enjoy dinner. As with our other Kayak tours, this tour offers flexibility in activity levels while still combining the best of sea kayaking. Designed with this in mind it is a good tour for both novice and experienced Kayaker alike with a little more time to spare

Tam Coc means three caves, which takes about two hours driving from Hanoi (110 km) to the South, and visitors may say that distance is not a matter after seating in a boat rowed by one or two local persons in Hoang Long river and see the first limestone mountains, which will run along their riverway for several kilometers. The boat will be rowed, through three caves on the river, all created by wind and water from a legend time, while the sea had occupied this area. The tide-mark is still on the rock about 2m above the water, and in higher mountainwall the erosion have carved some strange shapes that now filled of green grass, delicious foods of the goats that local people breed everywhere. If you are lucky, sometimes you can see mischievous monkeys. The river trip is wonderful for photo hunters, especially when local people come to harvest the water rice planted along the river, or when they transplant some seedling for the next crops. The tourists often compare the place with Guilin – China, or more closely, to the limestone islets of Halong Bay in the Tonkin Gulf for their similar geological structures and shapes.