HA NOI – HA LONG – BAT TRANG – DONG HO – DONG KY

(5 Days/4 Nights by coach & boat )

Feature Itinerary:

Today, Hanoi is emerging as an elegant, cultured, and affluent city, where museums and galleries coexist with chic shops and fashionable restaurants. One can wander, in a few minutes, from the narrow streets of the Old Quarter to the imposing mansions and buildings lining the leafy boulevards of the former French Quarter. Hanoi’s past has also ensured a superb culinary legacy, where French and Chinese cuisines blend marvelously with the Viet traditions. The same is true of Hanoi’s lively arts scene, which is among the most sophisticated in Southeast Asia. This day trip is designed to show you centuries of handicraft works of Vietnamese villages like Bat trang ceramic village, Dong Ho painting village, Dong Ky wood carving village and more about the wet rice culture & Buddhism affect life as well as Ha Long Bay – a UNESCO natural heritage. To make things more interesting, it provides you a short break out of Hanoi, fresh air, tranquil scenery of villages admit rice-paddy fields.

Outlined Itinerary:

Day 1	Hanoi Arrival	Dinner & guide
Day 2	Ha Long Bay	Breakfast, lunch, dinner& guide
Day 3	Ha Noi City Tour	Breakfast, lunch, dinner& guide
Day 4	Hanoi – Bat Trang – Dong Ho- Dong Ky	Breakfast, lunch, dinner& guide
Day 5	Ha Noi departure	Breakfast & guide

Day 1: Hanoi arrival (Dinner)

Upon arrival in Noi Bai international airport, you will be met by your escorted and driver who will transfer you to your hotel in the city center. Take one-hour cyclo (if time permits) around the Old Quarter, known as the 36 streets, this bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Originally, each of the 36 streets names' was related to the products being sold there. After having a delicious dinner in local restaurant at Hanoi Old Quarter, the guide will take you to see Vietnamese water puppet show for nearly 1 hour. The rest of day will be free at own leisure. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Hanoi Old Quarter.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour (Breakfast, Lunch)

Morning:After having breakfast at your hotel, we will pick you up and take you to Tran Quoc pagoda- Hanoi’s oldest pagoda in the 16^th century and thenHo Chi Minh complex with Ho Chi Minh mausoleum – reopen until November 6^th, 2012 due to the usual restoration, his simple stilt house where he lived and worked and the museum dedicated to his memory. A short drive to The Temple of Literature – the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century to admire the beautiful construction and learn about Royal court and Vietnamese talents. Have lunch in the local restaurant.

Afternoon:Short time to relax before driving ahead to Thang Long Imperial Citadel where you can seem the architectural relics consist of the foundation, the base of pillars, sections of brick walls, road sections, and brick/gravel tiled floors, a water drainage system, water wells, and traces of lotus lakes. The new discoveries have revealed the magnitude and scale of the Thang Long Citadel that could not be manifested through written documents or ancient maps. After that, visit Viet Nam Ethnology museum to get over view information about Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups and overview information about ethnic groups over Vietnam through the well organized display both in indoor and outdoor exhibition. At night, have refreshment by Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake)with Ngoc Son temple. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Hanoi Old Quarter.

Day 3: Ha Noi -Ha Long Bay(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

After breakfast, drive to Ha Long (03 hours road trip) via Dong Trieu Pottery Villageen route. Settle on your private boat and start cruising on Ha Long Bay - World Heritage with lunch on board and visit Thien Cung Grotto, Dau Go Cave, Dinh Huong Islet, Ga Choi Islet. Then, spend rest of your time on board to enjoy Ha Long scenery, which is crammed with stalactites and stalagmites. Dock back to Ha Long pier and drive back to Hanoi. You have chance to go some shopping in the Dong Xuan Market or in other streets near old quarter by yourself. Free at leisure and dinner at a local restaurant. Stay overnight in Hanoi.

Day 4: Hanoi - Bat Trang – Dong Ho- Dong Ky (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Morning: Our car and guide come to pick up you at your hotel, it take you about 45 minutes going along the Red River to reach Bat Trang pottery village. You will walk around the village, visit families that have the workshop of making the pottery. See how the villagers find the mud, how to make the potteries and draw on them...You also can do pottery for yourself for souvenir. Visit the pottery market beside the river where you will see numerous kind of pottery products in many beautiful colors. After that, the car takes you through the rice field to get to “Dong Ho" painting village. Here, you will find the special paints made by the artists.

You will know about the way they make the paper, the way the paint and also talk with the old painters. Have lunch in the local restaurant.

Afternoon: visit the Carpentry village - Dong Ky village. This is the most famous carpentry village in Vietnam. They make many beautiful products with carving nice pictures on them. You can buy some small products for souvenirs here. Come back to Ha Noi in the late afternoon. Have delicious dinner and stay overnight in Ha Noi again.

Day 5: Ha Noi departure (Breakfast)

After breakfast at the hotel, be free leisurely at your time when our car takes you to the airport again. Fly back to home. The tour & service end.

Tour price: Basing on USD per person:

Ranges	Hotel or similar	2	3 - 4	5 - 6	7-10	11-14	15 up + 01 FOC	Single supplement
Ranges	In Hanoi	2	3 - 4	5 - 6	7-10	11-14	15 up + 01 FOC	Single supplement
3*	Ha Noi Legacy	441	371	318	286	250	260	80
	Le Belle Vie	451	381	328	296	260	270	90
	Doice Vista	461	391	338	306	270	280	100
4*	Lan Vien	521	451	403	370	334	349	160
4*	Silk Path	541	471	423	390	354	369	180
5*	Moevempick	591	521	473	440	404	424	220
5*	Melia	601	531	483	450	414	434	230