+91 11 4123 4567Send Inquiry
Himgiri Holidays

Vietnam North Loop

5.0 (2)7 days · 6 nightsEasyHanoi & Ha Long Bay, Northern Vietnam

Hanoi → Lan Ha Bay → Dawn → Ninh Binh

Land-only price — international flights are not included

Vietnam North Loop — Hanoi & Ha Long Bay, Northern Vietnam
Vietnam North Loop — Hanoi & Ha Long Bay, Northern Vietnam
Vietnam North Loop — Hanoi & Ha Long Bay, Northern Vietnam
Vietnam North Loop — Hanoi & Ha Long Bay, Northern Vietnam
Vietnam North Loop — Hanoi & Ha Long Bay, Northern Vietnam

Overview

Northern Vietnam in a loop that never doubles back on itself. Two nights in Hanoi at the start, an overnight cruise in Lan Ha Bay, a night in the Ninh Binh karst country, and a last night back in the capital — with the two long transfers broken by something worth stopping for.

We sail Lan Ha rather than Ha Long proper. It is the same drowned limestone landscape immediately south-west of the famous bay, it is a UNESCO-listed site by extension of the Cat Ba archipelago, and it carries a fraction of the boat traffic. The overnight junk anchors in a quiet inlet; kayaks go out at dawn before the day boats arrive.

Hanoi gets two food-led mornings rather than a monument march. Bun cha where Hanoi eats it at midday, pho at a counter that has been running one recipe for decades, egg coffee in a stairwell cafe, and the Old Quarter's trade streets walked before the motorbikes take over. The Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh complex and the Women's Museum fill the rest. Groups capped at fourteen.

Price is land-only. International flights to and from Hanoi are excluded, as is the Vietnamese e-visa — around USD 25 per person, applied for on the government portal, which we will send you the correct link for.

Runs in: October, November, December, January, February, March, April. Outside that window we do not sell the trip rather than run it badly.

Day by day

7 days, in the order you will walk or drive them.

  1. 1Arrive Hanoi — Hoan Kiem and the Old QuarterDay 1
    Met at Noi Bai and driven forty-five minutes into the Old Quarter. Afternoon to rest, then an evening walk around Hoan Kiem lake and over the red bridge to Ngoc Son temple, and a first dinner of bun cha and nem. Briefing on crossing Hanoi roads, which is a genuine skill.
  2. 2Hanoi — the trade streets, the Temple of Literature, a food morningDay 2
    Out at seven with a local guide for the thirty-six trade streets before the traffic — tin, silk, votive paper, herbal medicine — with four food stops built into the walk. The Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university from 1070, after breakfast. Afternoon at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum complex and the One Pillar Pagoda, or the Vietnamese Women's Museum. Water puppets in the evening.
  3. 3Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay — board the junkDay 3
    Two and a half hours east on the Hai Phong expressway to the pier, then aboard by midday. Sail out through the karst into Lan Ha, with a kayak session into a lagoon, a swim stop and a cooking demonstration on deck. Dinner aboard, anchored in an inlet away from the cruise clusters. Squid fishing off the stern for anyone still up.
  4. 4Dawn in the bay, then to Ninh BinhDay 4
    Tai chi on the sun deck at six for those who want it, then kayaks out before the day boats arrive. Brunch as the junk sails back, disembark at midday. Three hours south to Ninh Binh, arriving late afternoon. Evening at the homestay among the limestone towers.
  5. 5Ninh Binh — Trang An by sampan and Mua CaveDay 5
    A two-hour rowed sampan through the Trang An landscape complex — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — passing through nine flooded caves cut under the karst, with temple stops between them. Bich Dong pagoda after lunch, then the 500 steps up Mua Cave viewpoint for the aerial view over the Tam Coc rice valley. Bicycles available in the late afternoon.
  6. 6Ninh Binh to Hanoi — Hoa Lu, then the cityDay 6
    The tenth-century capital at Hoa Lu on the way out, then back to Hanoi by early afternoon, about two hours. Free afternoon for the Train Street area, the ceramic mosaic wall or shopping in the Old Quarter. Final dinner at a restaurant in the French Quarter.
  7. 7Depart HanoiDay 7
    Free morning — the Museum of Ethnology is the best single thing left in the city if you have three hours. Transfer to Noi Bai; the airport is forty-five minutes out but budget more in the evening peak. Trip ends.

Dates and prices

Seat counts are live. A date leaves sale the moment it fills — we do not overbook and sort it out later.

  • 24–30 Oct 2026

    Sat start · 7 days

    7 seats left· filling up
    ₹64,500
    Book now

Talk it through first

A planner calls you back, no obligation.

What is included

What the price covers

  • Six nights — three in a Hanoi boutique hotel, one aboard an overnight junk in Lan Ha Bay, two at a Ninh Binh homestay-lodge
  • Daily breakfast; all meals aboard the cruise; the Old Quarter food-walk tastings; one dinner in Hanoi
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers including Hanoi–Hai Phong and Ninh Binh
  • Lan Ha Bay overnight cruise: cabin with private bathroom, kayaking, swim stop, cooking demo and bay fees
  • Trang An sampan (two hours, rowed) and all Ninh Binh site entries
  • Hanoi walking guide, Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minh complex entries, water puppet tickets
  • Bicycles at Ninh Binh
  • Airport transfers both ways

What it does not

  • INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS to and from the start point — every price shown is land-only
  • Visa fees, e-visa charges and any visa-processing costs, unless explicitly listed in the inclusions
  • Travel insurance — mandatory on all international departures, and we can arrange it
  • Lunches and any meal not listed in the inclusions
  • Personal expenses, tips, laundry, minibar and anything of a personal nature
  • Optional activities and excursions marked as optional in the day plan
  • Costs arising from flight delays, weather, port or border closures and events beyond our control
  • Vietnam e-visa, around USD 25 per person — apply on the official government portal, not an agency lookalike
  • Cat Ba national park trekking extension
  • Drinks aboard the junk

Questions about this trip

Answered from this departure's own numbers. Anything not here, the desk will tell you straight.

How hard is this trip, and who is it for?
We grade it Easy, on a four-step scale of Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Strenuous. That single word is a summary, not the answer — the answer is the 7-day plan above, which says what each day actually asks of you. Read it before you book, and if you are unsure whether it suits you, call the desk and describe your last comparable trip rather than guessing.
How many people will be on it?
Between 2 and 14. 2 is the minimum for a departure to run and 14 is the hard cap — we do not add seats to a date that is selling well. The seat counts on the dates table are live and come straight from the booking system.
When does it run, and why not the rest of the year?
October, November, December, January, February, March and April, and the next date open for booking is 24 Oct 2026. Outside that window we do not sell the trip rather than run it badly — passes under snow, a monsoon crossing or a shut ferry are reasons to move your dates, not to take your money.
Are flights included in the price?
No. Every international price on this site is land-only: ₹61,500 per person covers the ground arrangements listed above, from the start point onward. Your international flights, visa or entry fees and travel insurance are yours to book, and they are itemised in the "Not included" column so there is no ambiguity. Book the flight after your seats are confirmed, not before.
What does an Indian passport need for Hanoi & Ha Long Bay?
Indian passport holders need an e-visa, applied for online through Vietnam's national immigration portal. It is issued in about three working days, costs around USD 25 for single entry, and is valid for up to 90 days. Apply directly on the government site — the lookalike agency sites charge several times the fee. Entry rules change without much notice, so treat this as the position at the time of writing and confirm it close to your departure — the destination page carries the full note, and the desk will tell you what the current requirement is when you book.
Can I hold seats before I pay?
Yes. Pick a date, enter who is travelling, and the seats come off the live count for 15 minutes while you decide. Nothing is charged during the hold, and if you walk away it releases itself and the seats go back on sale.
How do I pay, and what happens after?
Online at the end of the booking flow, or over the phone with the trips desk during working hours if you would rather not pay on the web. Either way you get a booking reference, and the joining pack for your departure follows from the desk.
What if I have to cancel?
There is no blanket policy printed here, because permits, mountain lodges and internal flights are paid forward at different points on different departures — and quoting a single number would be a promise we could not keep on every date. The terms that apply to your departure are in your joining pack, and the desk will put them in writing before you pay if you ask.

2 reviews

Each one is linked to a booking on one of the departures above.

  • I nearly asked to swap the Ninh Binh half for another Hanoi night and I am very glad I did not. Two hours being rowed through nine flooded caves under the karst, and then the Mua Cave steps for the view over the whole valley. The e-visa link they sent was the actual government one, which saved us about three thousand rupees each over the agency sites.
    SRSarthak RaneVerified booking
  • Our junk anchored in an inlet with two other boats in sight. Friends who did the standard Ha Long cruise the same week described a car park. Kayaking out at six before the day boats arrived is the memory I kept. The Hanoi food walk on the second morning was worth the early alarm.
    KSKritika SehgalVerified booking

Trips people compare this with

All trips

From

₹61,500pp

Book now