Northern Vietnam · HALF-DAY
Good half-day tours fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Explore Hanoi by wartime Russian Jeep, with street food, Train Street, markets, French boulevards, West Lake, and local life in four hours.
“We had a lot of fun with our guide Ryan. He showed us different sides of Hanoi, was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions , and made sure we felt safe and comfortable throughout the whole tour. I was definitely recommend it!”
See Hanoi’s pagoda, prison, markets, colonial landmarks, and Train Street on a flexible private half-day tour with a local guide.
“My guide Peter met me in the lobby of my hotel with a nice smile and warm handshake. Once we got into the car he outlined the itinerary for me and said he was flexible if I wanted to add or skip something Peter was friendly, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. He have me a briefing on each site we saw and allowed me to have ample time to take photos. His English is very good and so there was no language barrier. One of the highlights was train street. He got us there early so we could have a refreshment and get the perfect seats!!! I highly recommend this tour and…”
See Hanoi’s key sights, from Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum to Train Street, on a private half-day tour with an English-speaking guide.
“Fantastic coverage of prime attractions. Our guide Linh was superb and with full of knowledge. A memorable trip.”
See Hanoi’s key temples, French Quarter, mausoleum, and pagoda in four hours with an English-speaking guide and air-conditioned transport.
“Mike was our tour guide. He came to pick us up at our hotel, he was very nice, enthusiastic and accommodating. He took us to see st Joseph’s church, west lake, pagoda, mausoleum, opera house, mural street, and took us to a coffee shop to finish our trip. We chose to forgo the train street cafe, since we had already done so a couple days prior with another tour. We had chose to do a private city tour plus food tour, this is the perfect combo if you have never done a food tour, if you have done a good tour I already I would recommend skipping the food tour…”
See Hanoi’s Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hoa Lo Prison, and Train Street with a private guide in four focused hours.
“We had an amazing day. Nick, our guide, was quite simply brilliant. Fantastic English, very knowledgeable and totally engaging with a fantastic sense of humour. He even managed to make me look taller in a photo 🤣 We loved Train Street and the various Temples as always, were incredible. Definitely recommend”
Ride a Russian Jeep from Hanoi to Bat Trang, meet local artisans, make pottery, and explore Vietnam’s countryside in four hours.
“Fun tour that got us out of the city and seeing a bit of the countryside. Martin was a great guide who was happy to answer our many questions about Vietnamese culture.”
See Hanoi’s key sights in 4 to 8 hours, from Ho Chi Minh’s complex to the Old Quarter, with a local guide and optional Vietnamese lunch.
“We had a wonderful day with Nelly and our driver. Nelly took us to some wonderful locations and was full of information. Lunch was at a lovely restaurant with a lovely story. Thoroughly recommend”
See Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hoa Lo Prison, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and Train Street on a four-hour small-group tour.
“Amazing experience with our knowledgeable guide Pilko. Got to see a few of the popular sights… Train street was the highlight”
Taste Hanoi’s street food, market produce, and local specialties on a four-hour small-group walk through the Old Quarter.
“This was a very memorable tour. Ha was a great guide, with many stories and comments that made the tour and the food more interesting and personable. We’d do it again kn a heartbeat.”
Ride Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Long Bien Bridge, West Lake, Ba Dinh Square, and Train Street on a guided four-hour bicycle tour.
“The best part about the tour was our guide Charlie, who was full of energy, anecdotes, and information. He really made the tour fun for all of us. My only confusion/complaint was that the tour ended up not exactly what was advertised. The fiRead more”
See Hanoi’s pagodas, Old Quarter, Train Street, Long Bien Bridge, and more on a flexible private half-day tour with hotel pickup.
“Our guide for Hanoi City, Trung, was excellent! He was flexible in terms of the sites we wanted to see most. He took us to great place to eat traditional food and he took us to the perfect spot to have some drinks and watch the train go by on Train Street! We would definitely use him again!!”
See Hanoi by scooter with an Ao Dai-clad guide, visiting the Opera House, Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and more.
“We had an excellent half-day city tour with our teo tour guides Ryan and Phong! They manoeuvred us perfectly with their mopeds through the traffic of Hanoi and knew extremely much to tell at all the stops we visited, had a lot of backgrRead more”
Trek Sapa’s rice terraces and Hmong villages with a local guide, ending at Zizi Mekhoo Homestay for mountain views and optional dinner.
“I twisted my ankle 10 mins before my trek so my guide had to help me a lot during the trip. In the end, I had to cut my trip short at the 3.5 hours mark due to the pain. My guide was nice and helped me book a bike back. am giving 4 stars instead of 5 because of seasonality - there wasn’t much going on in March.”
Review of Sa Pa's Cat Cat Village hike, with H'mong culture, waterfall views, transport details, value, drawbacks, and practical tips.
“I waited 30min in the rain, just to get picked up by a bus of tourist who had just arrived. The first 30minutes was just getting their luggage to different hotels and dropping them off around the city. After finally arriving at cat cat village, there was not much of a hike going on. All in all, it was not how I expected a half day hike to be. The tour guide was really nice though.”
Explore Hanoi by Vietnam Army Jeep, with street food, egg coffee, Train Street, West Lake, museums, and local insight in four hours.
“Ivan has been fantastic. Really enjoyed the tour. They have also shown me the hidden gems of the city. Highly recommend it.”
Pick a bay, a valley or a bowl of noodles.
