5 best day trips from Hanoi

Day trips compared

The day trips

170 km · About 2.5–3 hours each way by road

1.Ha Long Bay

Some 1,600 limestone islands and islets rise from the emerald water of this UNESCO-listed bay, with caves such as Sửng Sốt and kayaking among the karsts. A day trip spends more time on the road than on the water, so an overnight cruise is the better option.

Getting there

Tour bus or private car via the expressway, then a boat

Best for

First-timers, Couples, Families

95 km · About 2 hours each way by road

2.Ninh Bình (Tràng An and Tam Cốc)

Rowing boats glide along rivers through limestone caves and rice paddies at Tràng An and Tam Cốc. Nearby are the ancient capital of Hoa Lư and the Hang Múa viewpoint, about 500 steps up a karst peak.

Getting there

Tour bus, private car or train to Ninh Bình

Best for

First-timers, Couples, Families, Culture

60 km · About 2 hours by road, then a boat

3.Perfume Pagoda

A complex of Buddhist temples and shrines in the Hương Sơn mountains, reached by a scenic rowing-boat ride along the Yến stream and a climb or cable car to the Hương Tích cave. It is very crowded during the pilgrimage season after Tết.

Getting there

Tour bus or car, then a rowing boat and cable car or hike

Best for

Culture, Quiet stays

13 km · About 30–45 minutes

4.Bát Tràng ceramic village

A pottery village on the Red River that has made ceramics for centuries, with workshops, kilns, a large ceramics market and classes where you can throw a pot on the wheel.

Getting there

Taxi, ride-hailing or city bus

Best for

Families, Shopping, Culture

50 km · About 1.5 hours by road

5.Đường Lâm ancient village

A village of laterite-brick houses, communal halls and old gates in the countryside west of Hanoi, where families still live in centuries-old homes and make local snacks such as peanut candy.

Getting there

Car with driver or tour

Best for

Quiet stays, Culture

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• City buses are very inexpensive but slow and signed mostly in Vietnamese. The airport bus 86 links Nội Bài with the Old Quarter and Hanoi railway station.
• Hanoi railway station is the northern end of the North–South line and has trains to Ninh Bình, Huế and Lào Cai for Sa Pa.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask