Hanoi Ninh Binh and Sapa 6D5N

Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport. Complete customs and meet your private guide and driver. Transfer to your hotel in Hanoi (approximately 45 minutes) and check in. Free time to settle in before the evening.

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

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Ninh Binh. Visit Bai Dinh Pagoda, a vast temple complex famous for housing the largest bronze Buddha statue in Vietnam. Explore the sweeping grounds filled with ancient towers and serene courtyards. Tram transport around 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 dramatic karst limestone caves, past emerald rice paddies and towering limestone peaks reflected in the still water. Boat ticket included.

Dinner at a local restaurant. Return to Hanoi. Explore the night market or join an optional night tour of the city. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out. Visit Hoa Lo Prison, built by the French in 1896. Once a notorious detention centre for political prisoners and later for American POWs during the Vietnam War, the site offers a sobering look at its harsh history. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Depart for Sapa along Vietnam's longest highway, covering 250 km of highland scenery. On the approach to Lao Cai, stop at Kilometre Marker 102 to visit and photograph the Lao Cai International Border Gate. Continue up into the mountains to Sapa, the hill town the French once called the summer capital of Tonkin.

Check in to your hotel in Sapa. Overnight in Sapa.

Breakfast at the hotel. Walk to Cat Cat Village, about 7 km from Sapa town (approximately 3 hours round trip). The village is home to the Black H'Mong people and sits among terraced rice fields, waterfalls and mountain scenery. Browse traditional handicrafts and watch cultural performances by the villagers. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Head to Sun World Fansipan Legend. Board the Muong Hoa luxury train, the most modern mountain train in Vietnam, and enjoy panoramic views of the Muong Hoa Valley through its wide transparent windows. At Hoang Lien Station, board the Fansipan cable car, which holds two Guinness World Records, for the ascent toward the summit. Continue on the Do Quyen mountain train, whose winding track passes through a tunnel near the Great Buddha statue.

Hike up to Thanh Van Dac Lo and Bich Van Zen Temple before reaching the summit of Fansipan. Visit Tam Thanh Mau Temple and the Lower Pagoda, and take photos at the Fansipan flagpole. Train tickets, cable car, and mountain train are all included.

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

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out and begin the drive back to Hanoi. Lunch at a local restaurant along the way.

Stop at Duong Lam Ancient Village on the outskirts of Hanoi. This well-preserved traditional Vietnamese village is known for its centuries-old stone houses, communal temples and quiet rural lanes. Stroll through the village, visit local homes, and take part in farming activities or simply enjoy the peaceful countryside atmosphere.

Arrive in Hanoi. Free time to explore the Old Quarter, browse the night market, or join an optional night tour. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out. Free time until your scheduled departure. Transfer to Noi Bai International Airport for your flight home.