Hanoi Ha Long Bay Ninh Binh and Sapa 7D6N

Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport. Complete customs and immigration, then meet your private guide and driver. Lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to your hotel in Hanoi (approximately 45 minutes). Check in and enjoy some free time to settle in.

Your guide takes you to the Hanoi Old Quarter for a walking tour and a taste of the capital's most famous street food. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel. Begin with the historic Ba Dinh complex: visit Ba Dinh Square, where President Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence on 2 September 1945, then continue to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum (closed Mondays, Fridays, and during October and November; photo stop from outside). Walk to the One Pillar Pagoda, an ancient 11th-century Buddhist pagoda supported by a single pillar and shaped to resemble a lotus blossom.

Visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, and the Museum of Ethnography (open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday). Continue to The Huc Bridge, the Ly Thai To Monument, and Hoan Kiem Lake. Enjoy free time to browse Trang Tien Plaza, the Old Quarter, or Dong Xuan Market. Optional massage or nail spa at your own cost. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Dinner at a local restaurant, or join a street food tour of the Old Quarter. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast, then drive to Ninh Binh. Visit Bai Dinh Pagoda, one of Vietnam's largest temple complexes, renowned for its massive bronze Buddha statue and sweeping mountain scenery. Tram transport within the complex is included. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Board a small sampan for a cruise along the Trang An river, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Glide through towering karst limestone caves, past rice paddies and mountain ranges that rise dramatically from the water. Boat fees are included.

Dinner at a local restaurant before returning to Hanoi. Enjoy the night market or an optional evening tour at your leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast and check-out. Transfer approximately 160 km (around 3.5 hours) to Ha Long City, passing through the countryside and farming villages that define rural northern Vietnam. Take a rest stop en route. Board the wooden junk cruise for a welcome drink and a briefing on the itinerary and safety procedures.

Cruise through Ha Long Bay, visiting Thien Cung Cave, Dog Island, Ga Choi Island, and the iconic Sail Islands. Enjoy a fresh seafood lunch on board. Explore the spectacular Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises), discovered by French explorers in 1901 and one of the most impressive caves in the bay. Kayak through Luon Cave. After approximately four hours on the water, disembark and return to Hanoi.

Free time to shop at Trang Tien Plaza, the Old Quarter, or Dong Xuan Market. Dinner at a local restaurant. Join the Old Quarter Night Market (Friday to Sunday). Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast and check-out. Travel to Sapa, the mountain town the French once called the summer capital of Tonkin, along Vietnam's longest highway spanning 250 km. Stop in Lao Cai to visit and photograph Milestone 102 at the Lao Cai International Border Gate. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit Sun World Fansipan Legend. Ride the Muong Hoa luxury train (included), admiring terraced rice fields through panoramic windows as the valley unfolds below. Transfer to the Fansipan cable car (included), which holds two Guinness World Records, then continue on the Do Quyen mountain train (included) to the summit, winding through a tunnel beside the Great Buddha statue.

Hike to Thanh Van Dac Lo and Bich Van Zen Temple, then reach the summit of Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina at 3,143 metres. Visit Tam Thanh Mau Temple and the Lower Pagoda, and take photos at the Fansipan flagpole.

Dinner at a local restaurant. Free time to explore Sapa's night market. Overnight in Sapa.

Breakfast and check-out. Begin the drive back to Hanoi. Lunch at a local restaurant en route.

Stop at Duong Lam Ancient Village, one of Vietnam's best-preserved traditional villages. Explore centuries-old stone houses, visit communal temples, try your hand at local farming activities, and enjoy the calm of the rural landscape before continuing to Hanoi.

Dinner at a local restaurant. Free time to wander the Old Quarter or join an optional evening tour. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel. Last chance for shopping in the Old Quarter or at a local market.

Lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to Noi Bai International Airport for your departure flight back to Singapore.