Halong Bay was formed by dragons who used their tails to gouge out valleys and crevasses, and spat out jewels that turned into islands. Or so the Vietnamese believe. Whether true or not, this is an otherworldly landscape. On a traditional wooden junk we'll drift through a fairyland of sheer limestone islands that rise from the emerald water. We'll pass by unique rock formations and discover caves in the rocks.

Surrounded by mountains and situated along the Kinh Thay River, this village offers typical insight into rural Vietnamese life. Upon arrival, take your seat and watch a wonderful water puppet show performed by local artists. With the puppets exquisitely crafted from the jackfruit tree, the puppeteers enact rural scenes of rice growing and harvesting, evoking a strong sense of agricultural tradition and culture. You will then be warmly greeted into the homes of local villagers and experience aspects of their everyday lives. Learn about their farming methods, harvesting and planting vegetables, fishing, and milling and pounding rice. Bid farewell to your hosts, then return to your hotel.

Arrive in Hai Phong city, enter the local Do Market, founded in the 19th century and restored to its former glory in 1972. Here, you will find all manner of goods ranging from produce to clothes and electronics. Walk down Ky Dong Street and try a tasty local specialty—crab noodle soup—before heading to the Hai Phong Opera House, a colonial-era, neoclassical building from 1904. Drive to the neoclassical Opera House and Queen of the Rosary cathedral for photo-stop before boarding your coach and take a short drive to Du Hang Pagoda, a Buddhist temple first built about 300 years ago; despite several renovations, it has retained its traditional Vietnamese architecture.

Yên Tử Arrival – Journey of Conquering Yên Tử Mountain – Hoa Yên Pagoda Station (Cable car and walking). Travelers arrives Khai Tam Gate and get your own tickets of cable car line 1 to the mountain. From the ticket counter, you get on buggy to the cable car station 1 in 8 minutes. There are highlights in this journey: Hue Quang Golden Stupa (Huệ Quang Kim Tháp): This construction is a group of towers that contain the ashes of the famous monks of the Tran and Le dynasties. Hoa Yen Pagoda (Chùa Hoa Yên): The next destination on your journey discovering Yen Tu Mountain is Hoa Yen Pagoda. Built in the Ly Dynasty, this pagoda is the largest one in the system of pagodas and temples on Yen Tu Mountain. Then drive to the foot of Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen Monastery and study about Truc Lam Buddhism Zen Sect. After successfully leading the Tran Dynasty to it final victories over two Mongol invasions, King Tran Nhan Tong gave the throne to his son and went to Yen Tu in 1299 to create the Truc Lam Buddhism Zen Sect, which had a significant impact on the development of Vietnamese Buddhism.