8:00 am Pick up at your hotel for full day tour of Hanoi, a blend of the modern with the mystery and charm of past centuries, Hanoi offers an air of elegance and harmony with nature. Today’s sightseeing begins with a visit Ba Dinh Square to see Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the museum to his life and the simple cottage where he lived and worked. Then visit Presidential Palace and One Pillar pagoda or Chua Mot Cot originally built in 1040 A.D. on a pillar constructed of a single large tree trunk. Continue visiting Westlake with Tran Quoc Pagoda.

Then also visit Van Mieu or Temple of Literature, which dates back to 1070 and is dedicated to the cult of Confucius. Continue visit Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi offers an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam in an effort to preserve cultural heritage and promote socio-cultural diversity within the country. Visitors are welcome to browse some of the vast research on offer at this public museum which is also a centre for ethnographic research. Continue visiting Hoa Lo Prison, known by U.S airmen as “Hanoi Hilton”. Then visit the Huu Tiep area to see an American B-52 that was shot down during the Christmas bombing in 1968 (1972) sits rusting in a small pond.

Visit beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake, known as the Lake of the Restored Sword. It is closely linked to the legend of Le Loi the hero, who asked the heavens for help in resisting the advance of the Chinese in 1418 A.D. Take a cyclo ride through theHanoi’s Old Quarter, a network of narrow alleys and shop houses also known as “The 36 Streets.” This is a wonderful place to watch the local life, and peruse items from fabrics to crafts to exotic medicines. Later this afternoon enjoy the delightful water puppet show, a fascinating art form that originated in northern Vietnam.