Full-Day Bai Dinh Pagoda and Trang An from Hanoi

The day begins between 7:30am and 8:30am when your tour guide collects you from your Hanoi Old Quarter hotel: pickup outside this area can be arranged for a small charge. Travel through the pretty countryside for around two hours, enjoying a short break to admire the landscapes of Ninh Binh, before you arrive at the Bai Dinh Pagoda.

This vast expanse of religious monuments, completed in 2014, is Vietnam's largest Buddhist complex. Highlights include a 40-ton (36-tonne) bell, a 32-foot (10-meter) Buddha, a 13-storey pagoda, and an avenue lined with 500 statues.

You'll break for an included lunch at 12:30pm – your chance to sample local specialties including goat meat. 

It's about half an hour's drive to the Trang An eco-tourism complex, and its staggering UNESCO-listed karst landscapes, replete with secret grottoes, towering peaks, and tranquil streams.

Relax on a boat trip through Trang An's spectacular network of caves, archways, and grottoes, including Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, and Sinh Cave. Alternate between darkness and light as you experience stunning views of the mainland's answer to Halong Bay.

It's a 2-hour journey back to Hanoi, where you'll be dropped off at your hotel around 6:30-7:30pm.