Option 1: Begin with the Bat Trang pottery village where ceramics are produced in massive quantities. As you wander among the little factories and shops you will see artisans at work, producing everything from kitchy life-sized ceramic dogs to very fine table accessories. You are certain to find something interesting to take home. Later you visit the Co Loa Citadel, Vietnam’s tenth century capital and first walled city. The tiny village a short walk away is very picturesque and representative of rural Vietnamese life.

Option 2: First a visit to Van Phu, a silk weaving village where the narrow streets hum with the clickety-clack of scores of looms. Continue to the Tram Pagoda and the Tram Gian Pagoda. These date to the 12th century and are considered to be among the most beautiful religious structures in Northern Vietnam.

Option 3: Visit the Bat Trang ceramic village, the Dong Ho painting village, Dong Ky, which was once the firecracker capital of Vietnam, where you will see wooden furniture being made. Later you visit either the But Thap Pagoda pagoda with its three-storey prayer wheel or the Dinh Bang Communal House, a complex of very beautiful 18th century buildings constructed from massive local timbers.

Option 4: Visit two pagodas that date to the 12th and 8th centuries respectively: Thay Pagoda, a massive temple complex with its own water puppet theatre, and the Tay Phuong Pagoda, famous for 79 statues depicting classical Buddhist stories. Your guide will escort you through the adjacent village if you like.

Also see: Hanoi Side Trips
 

For guests using one of our Hanoi packages one guest 119 78 59 3,713 each of two guests 64 42 32 1,988 Or NOT using one of our Hanoi packages one guest 149 98 74 4,641 each of two guests 80 52 40 2,484

Where We Shine: Purple Dragon highlights unique and offbeat insights to Vietnamese life that most tourists overlook. Your tour is private, which gives you maximum flexibility and the undivided attention of our local guides. Our guests often remark that the highlight of their holiday was the charming company of our trained guides and their superlative insights into Vietnamese culture.