Luxury Hanoi Tours

At the heart of luxury Hanoi tours are the city's Old Quarter and the thousand years of history it reflects. A political center since at least 1010, Hanoi remained the capital of Vietnam until 1802. Named Dong Kinh during the Later Le dynasty in the 15th century, it was renamed to Ha Noi, meaning city between two rivers, in 1831. Made the capital of French Indochina in 1902, Hanoi resumed its historic significance.

While many monuments, buildings, palaces, and temples have been destroyed during the course of the 20th century, enough remain to convey to visitors on luxury Hanoi tours an amazing sense of Vietnam's rich and ancient history. The sublime natural beauty of the country, from the soaring inland mountains to the patchwork rice paddies along the coast, has long amazed visitors. It continues to attract them.

Sights to linger over during luxury Hanoi tours include both surviving architecture and scenic points in and near the city. Lake Hoan Kiem--Lake of the Heavenly Sword--is small but beloved by locals. The Co Loa citadel dates to the third century BC, the Mot Cot pagoda to 1049, and the temple of the Trung sisters to 1142. Near Hanoi is Halong Bay, famous for its more than one thousand limestone islands, dramatic rock formations, and many grottoes.

Timing Luxury Hanoi Tours

January is Hanoi's coldest month, and the average temperature then is 74° Fahrenheit. Northern Vietnam's winter is similar to our own, running from late November through March. By all reports, the drizzle that falls in February and March is typical. Summer means heat, heavy rains, and occasional typhoons (the same storms known in the eastern United States as hurricanes). Bear in mind that the Tet New Year's festival falls in late January or February, and can complicate travel plans.