Some of the most striking sights in northern Vietnam await on this tour, combining the country's natural beauty and historic grandeur. With visits to the pagodas of Bai Dinh Temple and a voyage through the caves of Trang An by boat, you get to see a whole new side of the land's exquisite scenery.

You meet your personal guide and driver in the morning for the ride out from your hotel, and then leave the city behind as you pass into the countryside of the Red River Delta. Your first stop is at the Buddhist temple of Bai Dinh, one of the biggest pagodas in Vietnam, where you can admire hundreds of statues including a 32-foot-tall (10-m) bronze Buddha that stands over the visitors.

Have lunch at a local restaurant that offers a few special dishes, like goat's meat with elderberry, and then set off to visit the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. When you arrive, board a boat for a voyage through the complex of caves that lie amid the scenery, and then admire the limestone karsts that frame UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay. The spectacular views stay with you as you return to the car for your ride back to Hanoi.