Vietnam Tour from Delhi: Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long Cruise 5 Days & 4 Nights

This 4 nights 5 days Vietnam package from Delhi takes you to Hanoi, a day in Ninh Binh and an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay. A rowing boat carries you through the limestone caves of Tam Coc, you cycle about 5 km on village roads, and you sleep one night on the bay. The other three nights are at a 3-star hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter, about a 5-minute walk from Dong Xuan market. It suits first-time visitors with five days of leave who want water and limestone scenery more than a guided city tour.

Hanoi itself is free time on this plan. Want a guided city day? Ask your agent, or see our Hanoi-focused 4 nights 5 days trip. For other lengths and routes, browse our Vietnam tour packages from Delhi. Travelling as a couple? We also have Vietnam honeymoon packages from Delhi.

Every day of this itinerary can be customised, and you compare quotes from up to 3 of our verified agents before paying anything.

Trip at a Glance

This is not the trip for a beach break, or if Hanoi's museums and temples are why you are going.

Which Delhi Flight Fits This Trip

Ask for an evening flight home. Vietnam Airlines VN981 and VietJet VJ971 alternate through the week, so one of them leaves Hanoi on every Day 5, and you keep your last morning. Going out, you choose between a night flight and a lost first day. All of these are non-stop, about 4 to 5 hours from Delhi to Hanoi.

Here is how those flights line up by the day you land. IndiGo's 12:20 flight works on all seven days.

The Delhi departures above leave at or around midnight, so plan to reach the airport the evening before your Day 1. Timings are the winter schedule, which runs to late March 2027, and airlines change them, so check yours before you pay.

Hotels here usually check in at 2 pm, and early check-in is not included, so a dawn landing needs a plan. Leave your bags at the desk, have breakfast and walk to Hoan Kiem Lake, or ask your agent to price the room from the night before. VN980 lands at 04:55, and AI2391 has you leaving the hotel before 5 am. Both fall in or close to the 12 am to 5 am window when an airport cab surcharge can apply, so ask about that too.

Day-wise Itinerary: Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay

Day 1: Hanoi, Arrival and Free Time in the Old Quarter

After arrival at Noi Bai Airport, our driver will meet and greet you, and you will be escorted to your Old Quarter hotel, about 45 to 60 minutes by road. Check in to the hotel and use the day as you like. Hanoi is only 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of Delhi, so the clock is easy on you, but a night flight will leave you short of sleep. Dong Xuan market is about 5 minutes on foot from the hotel, and Hoan Kiem Lake about 10. If you came in on IndiGo, this is your dinner evening.

Meals: None included

Day 2: Ninh Binh, Hoa Lu, Tam Coc Boat and Village Cycle

After breakfast, our guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel for Ninh Binh Province, known as "Ha Long Bay on land", about 90 km south of Hanoi. The coach takes 2 to 2.5 hours to reach Hoa Lu, the historic capital of Vietnam, where you visit the ancient temples of the Le and Dinh Dynasties. Our bus then transfers you to Tam Coc for lunch around 12:30 pm. After lunch, a rowing boat takes you through Tam Coc to see the karst formations as you pass along their base and row into caves carved through the limestone.

Then cycle for about an hour on quiet roads through villages, rice fields, rivers and rocky outcrops in Tam Coc and Bich Dong, around 5 km in all. Our driver will take you back to Hanoi and drop you at your hotel around 18:00.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Day 3: Ha Long Bay, Board Your Overnight Cruise

After breakfast, check out, leave your large suitcase at the hotel desk and carry an overnight bag, since you return here tomorrow. The road to Ha Long Bay, about 150 km and 2.5 to 3.5 hours, crosses the rice paddies of the Red River Delta. You board at Tuan Chau around midday, and the cruise sets off to explore the limestone rocks and karst grottoes while you have lunch on board.

Later you visit one of the limestone caves in Ha Long Bay. Weather permitting, you can also swim and try kayaking in the bay. In the evening you return to the cruise for an early dinner and can opt for some activities on board. Sleep on the cruise for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4: Ha Long Bay to Hanoi

You can wake up early for a Tai Chi lesson on deck before breakfast. The cruise makes its way past limestone caves full of stalagmites and stalactites, and keeps sailing to the main harbour. From there you are driven back to your hotel in Hanoi, later in the day. Check in again and relax, or take the evening for things to do in Hanoi around the Old Quarter.

Meals: Breakfast. Many boats also serve an early lunch on the way back, and your quote confirms this

Day 5: Hanoi, Free Time and Flight to Delhi

Have breakfast and complete the hotel check-out formalities. How much of today you get depends on your flight. On an evening flight, ask the desk to hold your bags, walk to Dong Xuan market for souvenirs and have lunch in the Old Quarter. Late check-out is not included, so plan your afternoon around that. Our driver takes you to Noi Bai, leaving about 3 hours before departure, for your flight back to Delhi.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotels on This Trip

Note: Our agents will provide you these or similar hotels depending on availability.

Your Night on Ha Long Bay

Most boats from Tuan Chau run Sung Sot Cave and Ti Top Island, and your quote lists the stops for your boat. You sleep in an air-conditioned cabin with a private bathroom. Day boats head back before sunset, so you see the bay at its quietest, with dinner on board and Tai Chi on deck the next morning.

Storms are the one thing nobody can plan around. Authorities can stop all Ha Long sailings before bad weather, mostly from July to September. Ask your agent what happens to your night if that occurs, and get the answer in your quote.

What the Price Covers

What It Costs from Delhi

Your total is the package price plus whatever your quote leaves out.

Fare bands are typical returns, so ask your agent for a live figure. Ask too whether your quote covers GST and TCS on overseas tours.

When This Route Works

October to April is the best stretch for Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay together.

Tam Coc's rice turns gold around late May to early June, if you want that view. Tet falls on 6 February in 2027, and the official break runs 4 to 10 February, when many shops close and seats go early, so avoid that week. See our best time to visit Vietnam guide for more.

Food on This Trip, Including Veg and Jain

Lunch at Tam Coc and every meal on the boat are planned ahead, so a vegetarian or Jain request has to reach your agent when you book, not when you board. Fish sauce goes into many dishes, so say so clearly. The word chay on a menu means vegetarian. Your open dinners are easy, and our list of Indian restaurants in Vietnam covers Hanoi.

Before You Fly

Each traveller needs a Vietnam e-visa, applied for at evisa.gov.vn. A single-entry e-visa costs US$25 and takes about 3 to 5 working days, so apply at least two weeks ahead, with Noi Bai as your entry and exit airport. Your passport needs 6 months of validity. Our Vietnam visa for Indians guide covers each step.

Then fill in the free Vietnam Digital Arrival Card at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn in the 3 days before you land. It is compulsory at Tan Son Nhat and strongly advised at Noi Bai, and it can save you time at immigration.

How Payment Works

You see quotes from up to 3 verified agents before paying, and you pay in easy installments.

Edited by TravelTriangle