We start a full day city tour with Ho Chi Minh Complex  which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked, One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars.
Afternoon, come to the West Lake, the largest lake of Hanoi and visit Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest pagoda of Hanoi, built in the 6th Century and located on an islet in the lake. Take a cyclo tour through Hanoi’s downtown to sightsee the Old Quarter of 36 ancient streets, the Trang Tien Plaza shopping center, the colonial French-built Opera House, an elegant architectural landmark of Hanoi modeled after the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris and visit an antique Vietnamese-style house at 87 Ma May Street. End the tour by relaxing over a cup of coffee at a rooftop café and enjoying the full panoramic view of the legendary Hoan Kiem Lake (The Returned Sword Lake whose name comes from a legend of a sacred sword) at sunset.
Evening is hosted dinner, the destination for the evening is in the southwest part of Hanoi, where the lifestyle is a mixture of traditional and modern and the crowded streets are intersected by small and narrows lanes. During the American War (as the Vietnam War is called here), the hosts worked for the Vietnamese army. This neighborhood received the first bomb from the B52 planes, and the area was destroyed. Start with a cup of Vietnamese tea followed by a traditional meal, which will be served on a modern style dining table. After the meal, the host will play a traditional one-stringed musical instrument that he has made himself. At the end of the dinner, return to the hotel
Meal: Breakfast, Hosted dinner at local family.