Things to do in Northern Vietnam
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Hanoi Jeep Tour: Red River Countryside & Train StreetA half-day Hanoi jeep tour combines Red River countryside and city backstreets in a single outing, with pickup from your Old Quarter hotel and lunch included. You ride in a Vietnam Army Jeep with an English-speaking guide, cross Long Bien bridge to island farms, visit a local family home, explore West Lake villages, pass B52 Victory Museum and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, navigate the Old Quarter on foot, and watch trains pass at train street from a trackside café.Is it for me?Book the Small Group option if you want to keep the jeep under a smaller headcount year-round; choose Best Of Winter or Best Of Summer if you prefer to travel during the season that suits your schedule. Tip and gratuity for the guide and driver are optional at checkout on all options.
Hanoi: Michelin Street Food Walking Tour & Egg CoffeeYou’ll wander Hanoi’s buzzing streets with a local guide, sampling legendary chicken pho, crispy eel noodles, smoky bún chả at Michelin-nominated spots, then finish with creamy egg coffee overlooking Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Expect laughter over language slips and new flavors that linger long after you leave.
Hanoi to Ninh Binh: Hoa Lư, Tam Coc & Mua Cave Full DayThis full-day guided tour from Hanoi covers three landmarks in Ninh Binh province: the ancient capital of Hoa Lư (where you cycle through village life), a 1.5-hour bamboo boat ride through the cave system and paddy fields of Tam Coc, and a climb to the top of Mua Cave for views back across the landscape. Hotel pickup, buffet lunch with Vietnamese dishes, an English-speaking guide, and all entrance fees are included; the day runs 9 hours door to door.Is it for me?The 9-hour commitment means you leave early and return by evening, so a full day of sightseeing fits inside a single calendar day without eating into a second one. The fixed itinerary—pickup, three sites, lunch, return—removes the work of building the day yourself, which matters if you're new to the region or traveling solo.
Hanoi: Street Food & Market Tour with Train Street & DinnerYou move through Dong Xuan Market and the Old Quarter's hidden alleys with a former chef guide, eating at family-run spots and street vendors. Lunch, dinner, snacks, and all drinks are included, with the tour adjusted to what interests you. You end the day on Train Street with a drink before heading to a restaurant for a final meal. Everything — food, beverages, and the guide — is included in one price.Is it for me?Book this if you want to eat what Hanoi actually cooks for itself, not what's on a tourist menu, and you'd rather have a guide who knows the city's food history than figure it out alone. The private format and included meals mean you're not stopping to negotiate prices or hunting for lunch — you're just eating and learning.
Hanoi Highlights: Private Guided City Tour with Student GuidesYou’ll walk Hanoi’s tangled streets with a student guide who knows all the shortcuts—see Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, touch ancient stones at Van Mieu, feel the chill of Hoa Lo Prison, and end up lakeside where locals unwind. Expect laughter, honest stories, and moments that stick with you long after.
Hanoi: Knife-Making Class with Female Blacksmith in Da SyYou design and forge your own knife under the guidance of a master artisan with 44 years of experience, using traditional hammering, heating, and shaping techniques. The class includes a rare tar-based sharpening method passed down through her family, and you take home the finished blade. All tools and safety gear are provided at the workshop in Da Sy village, just outside Hanoi.Is it for me?This class is for anyone who wants to learn a real craft and leave with something they made themselves, not a class for people who want to watch someone else work. The hands-on pace and the heat of the forge mean you're active the whole time, which is what makes the knife feel like yours when you walk out.
Phu Tho: Japanese Onsen Retreat & Wellness Stay with Private BathsYou’ll wake up to riverside air in Phu Tho and spend hours soaking in real mineral-rich Japanese onsen baths—private if you want them—then wander food streets or relax with a massage. Try local dishes at one of three restaurants or sip sake at an izakaya pub before drifting off in your own suite. The whole stay feels like pressing pause on city noise for a while.
Hanoi Tea Workshop: Learn 3 Signature Teas & Traditional BrewingA hands-on tea and coffee workshop in Hanoi where you learn traditional brewing techniques from a Cultural Storyteller in a quiet garden villa. You craft three signature Vietnamese teas—Daily Tea, Lotus Tea, and Fusion Tea—then brew three iconic Hanoi coffees, tasting each one while discovering the cultural stories and rituals that shape Vietnamese daily life. The workshop runs 2.5 hours and includes a welcome herbal drink, guided tastings, and a tasting of homemade Vietnamese fruit liqueurs. Certificates are available on request, and you receive a PDF guide for brewing lotus tea at home.Is it for me?Choose the 3 Teas option if you want to focus on Vietnamese tea culture and the stories behind each cup; pick the full 3 Teas, 3 Coffees & 3 Liqueurs experience if you're curious about how Hanoi's entire beverage culture—tea, coffee, and homemade liqueurs—fits together. The Lotus Tea Ceremony stands alone if you want to go deep on a single tea and its ritual.
3-Day Ha Long & Lan Ha Bay Cruise: Balcony Cabin, Kayak, CavesYou’ll drift between Halong and Lan Ha Bay’s limestone peaks, kayak into quiet coves, try your hand at Vietnamese cooking with locals guiding you, and relax each night in a private balcony cabin. Expect laughter over shared meals, sunrise Tai Chi if you’re up early enough, and small moments of calm you might not have planned for.Is it for me?Everything flows seamlessly from caves and kayaking to village cycling and cooking classes—one itinerary handles all the logistics so you experience Ha Long Bay's full range without coordinating transport or activities yourself.
Lan Ha Bay: Full Day Boat Tour with Kayak & Cooking ClassYou’ll travel from Hanoi or Cat Ba to Lan Ha Bay by bus and speedboat, kayak through silent caves, swim off white beaches, visit a floating village, then roll your own spring rolls as the sun sets over limestone peaks. It’s a day you’ll remember for its small moments—like laughter with locals or salt drying on your skin.
Hanoi Bicycle Tour: Long Bien Bridge & Local Life Half DayA half-day bicycle tour of Hanoi with hotel pickup, professional guide, and lunch included. You ride across the 1902 Long Bien Bridge, through Red River Island's farms, past the Hanoi Flag Tower and Opera House, along the century-old Reunification train track where locals live steps away, and stop at a local family's home in Ngoc Ha Flower Village to learn about their life and Hanoi's history. The guide translates conversations and the tour ends with egg coffee before returning to your hotel.Is it for me?This tour works best for travelers who want to see Hanoi beyond the main tourist sites and aren't looking to rush through a packed itinerary—the pace is set by the group, and the stops at a local family's home and the farms give you time to actually talk and listen instead of just passing through.
Ninh Binh Day Trip from Hanoi: Hoa Lu, Trang An & Mua CaveYou leave Hanoi in the morning, explore the temples and history of Hoa Lu with a guide, take a boat through the Trang An caves and limestone peaks, climb five hundred steps up Mua Mountain for a panoramic valley view, and eat lunch at a local restaurant — all with pickup, drop-off, entrance fees and water included. The full day out means you see three distinct sites without arranging transport or tickets yourself.Is it for me?Right for travelers based in Hanoi without a car who want to see the limestone landscape and history in one day without arranging transport or tickets. The full day out — around ten hours — is what lets you fit three separate sites and still have time to linger at the Mua summit view.
Hanoi: Cooking Class & Market Tour with LunchYou get picked up from your hotel, tour a working Hanoi market with a local guide, then spend a few hours in a cooking class learning to make four traditional Vietnamese dishes from a professional chef. Lunch or dinner is included, along with drinks and fruit, and you eat what you've made before heading back to your hotel.Is it for me?Book this if you want to learn how to cook Vietnamese food properly and understand where the ingredients come from, without spending a full day or arranging your own transport — the market tour and hotel pickup handle both of those for you.
Ninh Binh Day Tour from Hanoi: Hoa Lu, Boat Ride & Mua CaveA full-day guided tour from Hanoi to Ninh Binh's main sites, departing early morning and returning by evening, with a maximum of 9 travelers per group. You visit Hoa Lu (Vietnam's 10th-century capital), take a bamboo boat ride through either Tam Coc or Trang An (a UNESCO World Heritage site), and hike Mua Mountain to its summit for panoramic views of limestone peaks and rice paddies. The tour includes hotel pickup in Hanoi Old Quarter, an English-speaking guide, all sightseeing tickets, Vietnamese lunch, and bottled water; drinks at lunch are your choice.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want to see Ninh Binh's main sites in a single day without arranging transport or tickets yourself—the small group size (maximum 9 travelers) and fixed itinerary mean you move through Hoa Lu, the boat ride, and Mua Cave without gaps or decisions left to make.
Sapa Trekking Tour: Cat Cat, Ta Van & Cooking Class from HanoiYou’ll trek from Hanoi through Sapa’s villages with a local guide, sharing meals and laughter with H’mong families, learning to cook Vietnamese dishes at a homestay, and waking up surrounded by mountain mist. Expect muddy shoes, warm welcomes, and moments you’ll want to replay long after you’re back home.
Halong Bay & Lan Ha Cruise: Kayak, Caves & Cooking ClassYou’ll wake up surrounded by Halong Bay’s limestone towers, kayak through Lan Ha’s quiet waters, taste fresh seafood at lunch, and try your hand at Vietnamese cooking with locals guiding you along the way. From sunrise Tai Chi to drifting through caves by bamboo boat, every part feels personal—like being let in on something locals have known forever.
Ha Giang Loop motorcycle tour 4 days: Ma Pi Leng PassA four-day motorcycle tour of Ha Giang Loop in Northern Vietnam with a local English-speaking guide, small group of around 10 riders, and three nights in homestays along the route. You ride through the Dong Van Karst Plateau, climb to Lung Cu flag tower at Vietnam's northernmost point, traverse Ma Pi Leng Pass—one of the four biggest and most dangerous passes in the north—and take a one-hour boat ride on the green waters of the Nho Que river to see Tu San canyon, the deepest in Asia. Protective gear, raincoat, gas, meals at local restaurants and family homestays, and a guide fluent in English are included; travel insurance is optional at checkout.Is it for me?If you have ridden before or are willing to learn on the road, a small group of ten riders removes the isolation of solo travel through remote mountain villages while keeping the pace manageable—you move at the speed of the slowest rider, and the easy riders manage the technical sections so you focus on the landscape and the stops.
Hanoi: Market & Cooking Class in Garden Villa with PickupYou pick ingredients at a Hanoi market, cook two or three iconic Vietnamese dishes in a spacious garden villa, and eat what you made for lunch. The guide speaks English and trained under a Sofitel head chef. Pickup from Old Quarter is free, and you get luggage storage, welcome tea, seasonal fruit, and a homemade fruit wine tasting included. The whole experience runs about four to five hours depending on your pace.Is it for me?Right for travelers who want to cook actual Vietnamese food, not watch a demo, and don't want to arrange their own market visit or transport. Plan for a full morning or afternoon out—that's what gives you time to shop, cook without rushing, and sit down to eat what you made.
Hanoi Countryside Bike Tour: Long Bien Bridge, Bonsai & Co LoaYou’ll pedal quiet roads beyond Hanoi, cross Long Bien Bridge with local chatter in your ears, sip tea with bonsai gardeners, and try egg coffee after lunch. Expect muddy shoes and honest smiles — this half-day bike tour lets you feel both city edges and rural calm in one ride.
Lan Ha Bay floating village: Kayak and cook at sunsetYou get picked up early from Hanoi or your Cat Ba hotel, spend the morning kayaking through Lan Ha Bay's lagoons and visiting a floating fishing village, swim at Ba Trai Dao Beach, eat fresh seafood lunch on the boat, visit a local fish farm, and take a cooking class at sunset before heading back. Transport from Hanoi, all entry tickets, kayaking gear, lunch and the cooking class are included in the price.Is it for me?Book this if you're based in Hanoi or Cat Ba and want a full water day without arranging separate transport, tickets and timing — the fixed schedule handles all three, and the smaller group size means you're not competing for space on kayaks or at the cooking station.
