Upon the arrival, you are met at the Noi Bai airport and transferred to the hotel by our guide. Check-in and relax. In the late afternoon, enjoy the Water Puppet Show, the unique Vietnamese traditional art. This art originates from rural festivals in Vietnam. The artists-men and women-stand waist-deep in the water to manipulate the puppets, making them move about, talk and laugh and even dance on the surface of the water, followed to have dinner at nice local restaurant.

09:00. Dive into the sights, sounds and smells of Hanoi.  Your guide and driver will collect you from the hotel lobby to start your trip with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh complex on the site where he declared Vietnam’s independence in 1945, and see the reverence with which Vietnamese people treat their “Uncle Ho”. Other sites that we will visit with our local guide include: House 54, Stilt House, Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda.

10:00. Continuing on our journey through Hanoi we drive to the Museum of Ethnology, to learn more about the cultural diversity of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities. Established by the Vietnamese government in 1997, the museum provides us with a fascinating insight into the diverse cultures, customs and lifestyles of the 54 ethnic groups that inhabit Vietnam.

12:30. Have lunch at a local restaurant.

13:30. In the afternoon, we visit the Temple of Literature.  Originally built in honor of Confucius by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong in 1070, a university was added to the grounds six years later. The university provided education to the royal family and children of the aristocracy or “mandarins”. The University remained here until Emperor Gia Long moved the countries administrative capital from Hanoi to Hue in the 18th century.

Continue to visit Ngoc Son Temple and Sword Lake before embarking on a cyclo ride around the trading area in the busy Hanoi Old Quarter. Since the cyclo goes at the same pace as walking, you will have a chance to take photos of this beautiful city. Traveling by cyclo, you will have your full attention to just enjoy the scenes around you, instead of worrying about where you are going. So enjoy the variety and drama of daily life in the old quarter.

Exchange your seat on the cyclo for a seat at the Water Puppet Theater to watch an hour puppet show the quintessential Vietnamese art of water puppetry. A complex system of underwater poles, rods, and strings brings these elaborate puppets to life. Puppeteers bring magic to the water’s surface as they spin tales of Vietnamese legends — knights on horseback, princesses, unicorns, and fire-breathing sea dragons. The show ends and you will return to your hotel on foot.

Enjoy your leisure time at hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.