Hanoi City Stay - 3 days

Welcome to Vietnam and the start of your mini adventure in the charming city of Hanoi. Upon your arrival at the international airport you will be met by our local representative and transferred to your hotel for check in (from 2pm onwards - early check in available at additional cost) with the remainder of the day at leisure.

Depending on your arrival time today you may wish to spend the evening watching a traditional water puppet show or sampling the city's colonial heritage in the form of excellent French cuisine.

Today explore Hanoi with a local English-speaking guide. After breakfast head out to Ba Dinh Square where you'll visit the squat Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilts and the nearby One Pillar Pagoda. Next up visit the Temple of Literature – Vietnam's very first university built in the 11th century. Gain fascinating insight into the country's ethnic groups at the Museum of Ethnology with plenty of interesting displays on traditional customs and ways of life. The highlight here is the large, beautiful outdoor area featuring genuine stilted houses and compounds as built and used by the many different ethnic groups throughout Vietnam.

In the evening take a walking tour of the city to discover the unique flavors of Vietnamese gastronomy. In the atmospheric Old Quarter sample Hanoi’s local specialties such as Bun Cha - grilled pork and noodles, Banh Cuon - a crepe-like dish filled with meat and veg, and Che Sen - a sweet dessert type soup. Make your way through the bustling streets to the “international corner” where you can enjoy a glass of “bia hoi” (draught beer made in Hanoi) among the crowd of locals and tourists sitting on tiny plastic chairs – a very typical nightlife scene in Hanoi and perfect for a spot of people watching.

Today marks the end of your touring arrangements and you're free to make your own way to the airport after hotel check out.