This is the compact northern Vietnam trip. Five days, no internal flights, and the same limestone landscape seen twice: from a rowing boat on a river at Ninh Binh, and from a cruise deck at sea in Ha Long Bay. Hanoi tops and tails it. Below is what genuinely needs planning.

Season: October to April, and why

Northern Vietnam has a real winter, unlike the south. The good window is October to April, and October to December is the clearest and driest stretch of the year here. January to March is cool and often misty or drizzly, which suits the karst scenery more than people expect.

What you avoid is July to September, the northern typhoon season, when there is on average at least one storm a month, cruises are cancelled at short notice and the heat and humidity are heavy. If you have seen this route advertised as an April to November trip, the back half of that is the storm season.

Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, falls on 6 February 2027, with the holiday roughly the 3rd to the 11th. Many restaurants and shops close for the core days, some museums shut for the first three, and transport sells out for a week either side.

The Ha Long cruise, and the thing you will search for

You will probably read about the Wonder Sea, which capsized in Ha Long Bay on 19 July 2025 in a sudden squall, killing thirty nine people. We would rather address it than have you find it on your own. Investigators pointed at how quickly the storm arrived and the lack of real time weather warning reaching vessels. Since then the authorities have tightened weather triggered departure suspensions, vessel monitoring and safety equipment requirements.

The practical consequence for you is this: Quang Ninh maritime authorities suspend all departures when the wind gets up, and that decision is made on the morning, not by the operator and not by us. If your sailing day is suspended we substitute a land itinerary and confirm in writing how the cruise component is handled. Any company promising you a cruise will definitely sail is either not paying attention or not being straight with you.

One more useful detail: cruise permits are zone specific. The core Ha Long zone, Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha Bay are separate areas with separate licences, and the latter two are noticeably quieter. Ask us which your boat sails, because "Ha Long cruise" covers all three and they are not the same experience.

Ninh Binh: which site, and the tipping question

Ninh Binh gets called Ha Long Bay on land, and the comparison holds up. There are two boat options and they are different.

Trang An is longer, regulated and standardised, with temples and a series of cave tunnels you row straight through. Tam Coc is shorter and more rustic, and the rowers are local farmers.

The friction point is tipping at Tam Coc, and it is worth knowing the number rather than being surprised by it. A fair tip is 50,000 to 100,000 dong per person. Rowers do sometimes ask mid route, occasionally firmly. It is not a scam, it is how the work is paid, but going in without small notes makes for an awkward twenty minutes. Carry the cash before you board.

The famous golden rice paddies at Tam Coc are a narrow seasonal thing, roughly late May into early June, so outside that the landscape is green or brown rather than gold. Hoa Lu, the tenth century imperial capital, is usually paired as the land stop.

Hanoi, and one thing not to promise yourself

The Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature and Hoan Kiem lake are all straightforward and open.

Train street is not. Organised group tours to Phung Hung street were banned in March 2025, barriers and guards are in place, and access now is only as an individual through the licensed cafés, where you may still be turned away. On top of that, in February 2026 the authorities agreed to cut passenger train frequency on that section. We do not put it in an itinerary and we would treat anyone who does with suspicion.

Crossing the road in Hanoi alarms every first time visitor. The traffic does not stop. Walk slowly and predictably and the riders flow around you. Never stop suddenly or run back. It genuinely works.

The visa, and the site to use

Vietnam opened its e-visa to all nationalities in August 2023, so a Nepali passport holder applies online. Up to ninety days, single or multiple entry, USD 25 or USD 50, officially around three working days but allow five to seven. Passport valid six months with two blank pages.

Use only the Vietnam Immigration Department portal on the .gov.vn domain. Copycat sites charge two to four times the real fee for the identical visa and collect your passport and card data. A quick tell: the government portal takes bank transfer and does not ask for card details. We prepare and submit the application if you would rather not.

There is no direct flight from Kathmandu to Vietnam, so everything connects, usually through Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Some cheap fares route through mainland China, and whether that needs a Chinese transit visa for a Nepali passport depends on the exact airport, so ask us to check before booking.

Money

The dong runs at roughly twenty four to twenty five thousand to the US dollar, so everyone misreads a banknote at least once. Count the zeros.

Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants, often with a three to four percent surcharge. Everything else on this trip is cash: the Ninh Binh tips, Old Quarter street food, market stalls. ATM fees are twenty two to fifty five thousand dong per withdrawal and the machines cap at around two to five million dong, so take the maximum each time rather than making four small withdrawals and paying four fees. US dollars are not accepted as a matter of course.

Health, drones and the motorbike answer

Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Vietnam, and ice at street stalls is sometimes made from it. Sealed bottles, and ice from established restaurants, are fine.

Dengue is present year round, including in Hanoi, and the mosquito bites during the day. Repellent in daylight hours, not just at dusk.

Do not rent a motorbike. Vietnam recognises only the 1968 Vienna Convention international permit, and Nepal is not a party to it, so a Nepali licence and IDP are not valid. Riding anyway voids your travel and medical insurance in an accident regardless of fault. Grab, Xanh SM and Be all work well in Hanoi and the fare is fixed in the app before you get in.

Leave the drone at home. Flying legally needs Ministry of Defence approval applied for at least fourteen days ahead, and unauthorised aerial filming draws fines in the millions of dong. Ninh Binh and Ha Long are precisely where people expect to fly one.

Who this trip suits

Travellers with under a week who want the north properly rather than a sample of the whole country. Everything is within about three hours of Hanoi, so there are no flights, no repacking beyond the cruise night, and no airport days. It works well for older travellers for the same reason, though the Ti Top steps and the Ninh Binh boat both involve some movement. If you also want central Vietnam and the Golden Bridge, our six day Hanoi, Ha Long and Da Nang trip adds them.