Book tickets in advance for the best seats for the show at your preferred timing. Skip the lines to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre and experience one of Vietnam's most distinctive art forms live on stage.  See a unique art form that originates over 1,000 years ago in the Red River Delta. In the past, water puppetry showed the daily life of villagers such as farming, fishing and romance. Now, watch plays about ancient Vietnamese legends, myths and history. The world-famous Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi has its roots in an art form that dates back to the 11th century. The tradition of water puppet theater stems from a time when rice paddy fields were flooded and villagers would create entertainment by standing in the waist-deep water with the puppets performing over the water. Using large rods to support the puppets it appeared as if they were moving across the water with the puppeteers hidden behind a screen.

The tour guide will welcome you at your hotel lobby, then start the walking tour in the old quarter '36 streets' to visit some famous and specialized food stalls and local restaurants. Watch as it is made and taste some particular dishes (The company can customize vegetarian food or something for other special requirements). The old quarter in Hanoi is over one thousand years old and today retains much of the old flavor that made the area special in earlier times. Each street was the exclusive domain of one trade (guilds) so there are whole streets of blacksmiths, silver shops, paper shops, headstone makers and more. Originally there were just 36 streets in the old quarter but today there are more than 50. Although many of the streets are short and the area is rather compact. It can be very difficult to find local food on your own in the hidden alleys or sidewalks, certainly the best way to experience street food is with a local. In this special tour learn about Vietnamese cuisine, culture, people and language. You will have a unique experience trying the foods of the local Hanoi people; the food is handled hygienically and comfortable venues are provide for the tastings. The benefit also goes back to the vendors or restaurants / families as the food is bought directly from them. Later, the guide will bring you to enjoy a Water Puppet show which is a unique variation on the ancient Asia puppet tradition and is a Vietnamese tradition dating back to the 11th century. Supported by a large rod placed under the water and manipulated by experienced puppeteers, the wooden puppets appear to be dancing over the water, telling folk tales. It’s entertaining and suitable for all audiences. At the end of your Hanoi tour you are free to continue exploring the area or your guide will assist you with directions or a taxi back to your hotel.

In the morning: 8.00 AM: The bus with the tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in the Old Quarter then transfer you to the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum – the final resting place of the beloved national hero, Uncle Ho – and President Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house where he lived off and on from 1958 to 1969. 9.30 AM: Visit the One Pillar Pagoda, which is actually a group of structures that collectively make up a pagoda built over the water in the middle of a square lake. After that, you’ll have a chance to explore the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the shore of west lake. From there, it’s onto the Temple of literature, which was Vietnam’s first university and is dedicated to Confucius. 12.30 PM: Have lunch at the restaurant in the Old Quarter. Afterwards, visit Hoan Kiem Lake - the heart and soul of Hanoi. In the afternoon: - OPTION 1: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Stop in at museum of ethnology. This superb museum showcases the depth of Vietnamese cultural diversity with an astounding collection of 15,000 artifacts gathered from throughout Vietnam. Maps, displays and dioramas are labelled in Vietnamese, French and English. Displays portray a typical village market, the making of comical hats and a Tay shamanic ceremony; videos show the real thing. You can also check out a traditional Black Thai house reconstructed in the museum. There's also a center for research and conservation where scientists from all over the world study traditional Vietnamese cultures. Take a break to enjoy a water puppet show that demonstrates a well-loved traditional Vietnamese art form. Later, explore the Old Quarter by yourself or get a taxi back to your hotel. - OPTION 2: Monday Depart for Bat Trang ceramic village which is about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) away from Ha Noi, this is a pottery village with a half-milleary historic development. 03.30 - 04.00 PM: Take the car come back the Old Quarter for the water puppet show. Take a break to enjoy a water puppet show that demonstrates a well-loved traditional Vietnamese art form. Later, explore the Old Quarter by yourself or get a taxi back to your hotel. Finish an unforgettable full day in Hanoi Sightseeing!

The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel around 06:00 PM and then you'll get a cyclo to Hoan Kiem Lake, a hotspot for local life in Hanoi and also one of the major scenic spots in the city. Proceed to Hanoi Opera House in the French Quarter, located in central Hanoi, and erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. Just a few steps away is the legendary Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel, a Grand Dame of Southeast Asia, beckoning guests with its unmatched colonial grandeur and timeless elegance. Here, you'll get to experience the opulence of another era.  Around 06:30 PM, stop to enjoy a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show and after that, take a walk on the the streets of the Old Quarter and enjoy traditional Vietnamese food: Chicken noodle and Egg Coffee. At the end of Hanoi tour, you are free to continue exploring the area or your guide will assist you with directions or a taxi back to your hotel.

Enjoy a full-day tour of Hanoi with a private guide and get a local's insight into Vietnam’s mythology, traditions and customs. Visit cultural and historical sites, such as the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, as well as everyday locales such as the houses of the Old Quarter. Following a pick-up at your hotel by your guide and driver, go to the Ho Chi Minh Complex to discover the heart of Viernam at “Uncle Ho’s” Mausoleum. Standing before the mausoleum are 79 cycad trees, symbolizing Ho Chi Minh’s 79 springs of life, while 2 bamboo ranges whistle in the wind to commemorate the former president and Father of the Nation. See the nearby house-on-stilts and quaint One-Pillar Pagoda, built out of wood for the 11th-century Emperor Lý Thái Tông. Continue to the Quan Thanh Taoist Temple, one of the Four Sacred Temples of Hanoi. Journey by eco car (optional) into the Old Quarter and mingle with the locals as they go about their hectic lives. In the afternoon, explore the vibrant eastern sector of Hanoi, including the Museum of History, Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, and Huc Bridge. Journey by eco car into the Old Quarter and mingle with the locals as they go about their hectic lives. End with a unique water puppet show and experience an art form conceived by Vietnamese peasants hundreds of years ago.

Morning Tour The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in the Old Quarter and take you to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which is an important place of pilgrimage for many Vietnamese. A traffic-free area of botanical gardens, monuments, memorials and pagodas, it’s usually crowded with groups of Vietnamese who come from far and wide to pay their respects to 'Uncle Ho'. Within the complex are Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House and the Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda. The next stop is the Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam which was built in the 10th century under the Ly Dynasty and greatly influenced by Confucianism. Then, at the Hoan Kiem Lake, you will have time to take some pictures before joining a 30-minute car tour or 30-minute cyclo tour around the Old Quarter to experience the exciting local daily life. A cup of coffee will be served after. Afternoon Tour The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in the Old Quarter. The tour takes you to some famous highlights and destinations in Hanoi such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh House on Stilts and the Temple of Literature. After taking a rest with a cup of coffee at the hidden coffee shop, the tour continues with: (Please choose one of these options below) - Option 1: 30-minute electric car tour around the Old Quarter to experience local life. - Option 2: 30-minute cyclo tour around the Old Quarter to experience local life. - Option 3: Enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Show to know more about the ancient local life as well as Vietnamese's culture. At the end, the car will drop you off at your hotel.