All Northern Vietnam Tours & Excursions in 2026
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What are people saying about Northern Vietnam
Marina_K, Oct 2026
We had a wonderful time...
We had a wonderful time on our Ninh Binh tour! The scenery was absolutely beautiful, with stunning mountains, peaceful rivers, and lush green landscapes. It was a great opportunity to experience the natural beauty and culture of Vietnam. The tour was enjoyable and memorable, and we loved every moment of it. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Vietnam!
John_B, Oct 2026
Great day in Hanoi
Pete our guide was great. Our driver was also fantastic. No way I could have drove to all the spots we went to in that traffic. Pete was very knowledgeable and flexible. Due to construction causing some traffics delays in the area, he adjusted our schedule quickly so we still made it everything we wanted to see and still had enough time at every stop. We really wanted to experience train at and he had us at a very good cafe with time to enjoy a coffee before the train passed.
Rahima_S, Sep 2026
Fantastic tour especially for people that like to be active
Our guide Sunny and driver Tian gave us a fantastic day trip to Ninh Binh. I am so glad I went with this company because I noticed there were a lot of other large bus tours but ours was timed so perfectly specifically to avoid crowds and impending rain.
I was so worried about the weather I almost cancelled but I'm so glad I did not. The overcast sky made the boat ride much more enjoyable. Our guide and driver made sure we had multiple bathroom stops and places for drinks and snacks.
The tour does, as mentioned, have biking and hiking components but if you're not physically able to, both locations have places to sit, relax and have a food or drink. As for the lunch, it was buffet style and about half the table was vegetarian options. They also had fish, goat, chicken, tofu and I believe beef options as well, so something for everyone.
For a tip, everyone goes to the left side on the hike to get to a higher viewpoint with a dragon. If you have time, do both, but if you're not able to or want to have better pictures, take the right hand turn to go up the mountain side with the pagoda. Less people go up that side and there's not a major difference in viewpoints but you can have more space to enjoy the top with less people.
Also, bring an umbrella if you're doing the boat ride on a sunny day. The hat helps, but that sun is a killer. And have small bills on hand for small purchases like water, ice cream, tips and such.
Nancy_B, Sep 2026
Ninh binh tour
I love the boat tour and the 500 stairs to the top of the mountain. The ancient temple was just ok, Tony explain very well the history of the King and why they move the temple. Good history and not too long. The extra tip to the boat driver should be include in the price. The van was clean and great temperature. Tony was a great guide
Lukasz_W, Aug 2026
Hiu was a fantastic guide...
Hiu was a fantastic guide for our Ninh Binh day tour. Punctual, friendly, and full of knowledge about the area — he made the history come alive and knew all the right timings to beat the crowds. Great English, great photos, and he took us to a wonderful local spot for lunch. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Highly recommend!
E_B, Jun 2026
Arrival in Hanoi
Someone met me with my name on a sign as I was walking towards immigrationion. He steered me towards the far entry gate and I walked right up to the Officer. I showed him my passport & visa, got the stamp of approval and passed thru... It probably would have taken an hour to have taken the regular line as lots of other planes seemed to arrive at the same time. And It was after 10pm. Fortunately I just had carry on luggage. Though the pick-up guy would have assisted with that step as well. We then proceeded to the taxi office where another guy took over and got ahold of my ride.... after being completely worn out by having just flown nearly 24 hours between air time and layovers it was nice to have this last leg of the trip be quiet seamless. The taxi driver spoke pretty good English too. If you are in a rush or just want to get to a shower and in bed at your hotel this was a good purchase.
bpook1960, Jun 2026
Scenic and Awesome Day!
This was an awesome trip. The buffet was excellent and delicious. There were so many dishes to chose from especially in the seafood section. The tour was well organized. The views were awesome. It felt like you were on a regular cruise. Drinks were not included but sold at a decent price. Fantastic Tour!
Linda_A, May 2026
Memorable day on Ha Long Bay
A great day-trip from Hanoi (total excision was ~9 hours). Boating through Ha Long Bay was beautiful & opportunities to explore caves on foot and by small craft was also fun. An ample lunch served on the boat paired with an excellent and professional guide (Johnny) throughout the day made this private tour a good value. As a bonus we stopped at a pearl factory on the way out which was also quite fun!
Andrew_W, Apr 2026
Lots to see
Our guide Tom and the driver really looked after us all day, we were collected from our cruise ship on time , in an air conditioned comfortable car. We saw so many different interesting attractions during our day, Tom was very knowledgeable about them all. One stop was for an Egg Coffee, really creamy, a must do!
The included lunch was lovely, the restaurant and staff really nice.
The mad traffic is an experience like no other, both fab and mad, our driver did a great job.
Thank you Tom we had a really great day spending just the right amount of time at each attraction.
Beth_G, Apr 2026
Would recommend!
Our trip was great! Our guide Johnny was very knowledgable and attentive for the 7 hour excursion. Easy to find him at the cruise ship port, and quick loading on to the boat. We had 18 passengers, and could have had room for at least 30, so lots of space, which was nice. Clean, available bathrooms. Soda, beer, water available for sale ($1-2 USD), and you do get 1 free with lunch. The itinerary was different than what was on Viator, but it all ended up being great. Went to an oyster & pearl farm, Sung Set Cave, then had lunch (so much food! A set menu, and it just kept coming. After lunch, we visited Luon Cave - we had options to take a bamboo boat (included), kayak (included) or speedboat (~$17 USD), and we had enough time to do 2 of the 3! Finally, we also stopped at Titov Isle - has a viewpoint with about 450 steps, which I didn't do, but we had enough time here to allow that. We stayed at the beach/shops area, which was pretty small. Swimming was allowed, but again, it was very small, so we didn't go in. Johnny was a great guide and the boat crew were wonderful! Great way to see the cool bay area.
Kiersten_L, Feb 2026
Definitely worth it!
What a great excursion! We had a great tour guide for Ninh Binh. Our accommodations that evening were very nice. The cruise ship and accommodations were spectacular. Just wish we could have fit in an extra night! Food was great and the service was exceptional. They helped us book a ride directly to the airport and their communication was top notch. Highly recommend
sridhar_n, Dec 2025
Great way to see ha long bay.
Well organized tour lasting about 24 hours. The staff worked really hard to make everything go seamlessly. They give you an itinerary right at the very start and stick to it throughout the time. The staff were very pleasant and service oriented. The facilities were good just as they look in the photos. The food was great, the scenery speaks for itself, and the boating/kayaking/swimming/cooking class, etc.. were all good things to keep you occupied. There were small just sufficient breaks so it didn't feel rushed.
I also enjoyed meeting other travelers in a setting that was small enough <50 passengers, that you got to talk to people if you wanted to do so.
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