Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi.

Arrival at Hanoi airport, the guide and the driver will welcome you and transfer you to the city center.
You will feel the rhythm of the daily hanoienne life entering the old quarters. Although the city is becoming more and more dynamic, active and modern, it still recent past vibrations in the neighborhood of 36 streets: the Kim Ngan Dinh (communal house jewelry), the old house at 87 Ma May, Hoan Kiem Lake, temple of Jade, the Brush tower. Lunch or welcome dinner (according to arrival time) Included meals: lunch r  dinner. Note: Check in time at the hotel: 2pm

Option: If you don’t want to visit the city right after because of the long flight, we will suggest you a massage. You will have one hour to relax, extra cost of 25$ per person will be ask.

Day 2: Hanoi. Visit of the city

After breakfast, stroll through the residential area where there is the former Palace of the Governor General of Indochina, the house and the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda; visit the  of the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum  .

Then continue visiting the many monuments and cultural relics thousands of years that are deeply connected to the history of Vietnam and its legends like the Literature Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda … They are representatives of the Vietnamese belief. We believe the real or unreal geniuses as the heroes of the country, famous people, or even the geniuses of the earth, the mountains, the river, the tree … This genius system varies by ethnic group to another and each region. Lunch in a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Ethnographic museum where is retraced the life of ethnic minorities in Vietnam. The objects, houses, clothes, documents … actually found in the museum. You will have the opportunity to enter in the long house of Ede, Jarai the Rong house or home in land of Ha Nhi … A visit of all the ethnic groups… By late afternoon, you will attend a water puppet show. This is a traditional Vietnamese art that combines folk music and actions of wooden puppets. Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight at the hotel. Included meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Note: For nightly Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday you will have the opportunity to watch the Ca Tru show and have the opportunity to try the Vietnamese musical instruments.

Day 3: Hanoi – Ba Be (220km/ 5 – 6h journey)

At 8:00, the guide and the driver will wait for you at your hotel and take you to Ba Be. The journey takes about 5 – 6 hours; you’ll get to pass through magnificent landscapes. Imagine your carriage glides over the mountains, the clouds! It will be amazing! You will be able to make small stops in the shade on the road with the aim to admire the beautiful landscapes of the northern forest. From above, you will have a beautiful view of the valleys: there are homes that are hiding in the hills, minority women who are working…  Lunch on the road, and continue to Ba Be Lake

Arrival in Ba Be, instead of taking the van to enter into the village, you will make a motor boat cruise on Nang River. We guarantee you that you will be alone to invade this natural space made of limestone rocks looking like natural bonsai floating on the water. You will arrive at the homestay where you will spend the night in a house on stilts typically local. For you, this is an opportunity to experience the daily life of residents Tay. In the evening, you will prepare dinner with the people who are open to tourists. This will be the perfect time to better understand their daily lives. Tasting traditional dishes, the boss will invites you to taste his corn alcohol and he will tell you the story of Tay people. Dinner and overnight at the homestay (basic comfort) Included meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 4: Visit of Ba Be

Ba Be Lake – Lake of Three Seas, is in the middle of a national park, it is considered as a pearl of the nature lost in the forests of Bac Kan. It is a site that attracts many visitors with its exceptional biodiversity. The Ba Be Lake is one of the 20 largest freshwater lakes in the world.

Breakfast on the terrace with views on the nature will give you the strength to discover the beauty of the lake. The cruise will last approximately 5 hours during which you will be able to admire breathtaking views. From above, the boat is as beautiful as a sliding sheet of jade water. The An Ma temple, the fairy pond, Puong cave, the Dau Dang waterfall are the visiting sites mentioned in the walk. In addition, you will be closer to the people entering the village of Cam, another place where live the Tay. Get your camera ready! Lunch and dinner with the locals. Overnight at the homestay. Included meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 5: Ba Be – Hanoi. (220km/5-6h journey)

After breakfast, you will do a bike ride to discover the village and the surroundings. The sound of insects, leaves, sources dominate all pure spaces. Visit the Hua Ma cave. Then you will take the road to Hanoi. There will be several stops in order to relax your legs, take pictures, or talk with villagers. Back in Hanoi, transfer to hotel. Lunch on site, dinner in town and overnight at hotel in Hanoi. Included meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 6: Hanoi – Perfume pagoda – Giang Mo(70km + 90km / 1h + 1h30 journey)

After breakfast, you will leave for the Perfume pagoda (located about 70km southwest Hanoi) – a Buddhist pilgrimage high place in the region. On the way you will stop at the Chuong village (or Vac town), one of the two villages which makes the best known conical hat of Hanoi, visit the village market. Here you will find the best models of symbolic Vietnamese hats. You will continue the road to the Perfume Pagoda.

Speaking of “the most beautiful cave in Vietnam,” we immediately think of the “grotto of Huong Tich ” part of all Perfume pagoda. Discovered in 1770, it now becomes one of the largest Buddhist centers in Vietnam. This legacy consists of several temples, pagodas. It attracts visitors not only through legends, typical sculptures, but also by the beauty of its landscapes as a multicolored picture.

Arrive at the Pier Duc, you will make a rowing boat trip amid stunning scenery on the river Yen (Yen means salangane) bordered by rice fields and limestone peaks. During the cruise, you will hear legends about the dragon and the elephant around the cave. It is a really mysterious and interesting space for travelers. As you walk into the cave, you will pass by the stairs, the more you climb, the more you will feel touching the sky. When you find yourself in the middle of “Perfume Cave”, you will be surprised by its natural beauty. The air filled with incense smoke, you can see and reach unreal worlds – a world encouraging the man to do charitable works and tolerant. Lunch. Back at the pier. Road to Giang Mo. Dinner and overnight at the homestay.

Note: If you do not want to do the walk, we offer the cable car with an extra cost of 7 USD per person one way or return. This will help you save time and allow you to contemplate the landscape from the sky. Included meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.                                                                 

Day 7: Giang Mo – Mai Chau (86km/ 2h journey)

Mai Chau is located in the southwest of Hanoi is an ideal destination for those who are looking for outdoor trips or hiking to villages of ethnic groups in the valleys. Mai Chau is also considered as the cradle of Thai minority inhabitants and Muong. So far they have kept their customs, traditions … Visiting Mai Chau, you will have the opportunity to learn about the life of ethnic groups in the mountains.

After breakfast, visit the Muong Museum (located 2km from the village of Giang Mo).  Then you will continue the road to Mai Chau, you will have the chance to admire the beauty of the mountainous region with rice fields terraces lined with banana groves. Sometimes you will see the homes of Thai and Muong hiding under trees. Arrive at Mai Chau. Lunch with the locals.

In the afternoon, you will make a nice bike ride to visit the villages Poom Coong, Nhot, Na Phon, and Lake Van and observe the daily activities of local people. Dinner and overnight at the homestay (basic comfort).

In the evening: you will participate to a folk music show of the Thai inhabitants, dancing with khene (traditional flute of the minority ethnic groups), and taste rice wine.  Included meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 8: Mai Chau – Kenh Ga – Hoa Lu – Tam Coc (150km/ 3h30 journey)

At 95 km of Hanoi in Ninh Binh province, there is a large number of rich historical heritages of Vietnam, as it was the ancient capital of the country according to the 11th century. Ninh Binh attracts visitors with its historic highness, and culturally rich destination. At Ninh Binh, visit the most authentic sights of this beautiful province Kenh Ga (natural hot springs), Thung Nang (Sun Valley) with a portion of the terrestrial Ha Long Bay, Tam Coc (three caves also named the Bay of Ha Long terrestrial), Thai Vi temple, Pagoda Bich Dong. After breakfast, you will go to Ninh Binh.

Arrival at Nho Quan where you will make a boat trip to the floating village of Kenh Ga, in the middle of a vast flooded area. Visitors are attracted by the peaceful landscape and the authenticity of the isolated life of local residents. During the cruise, you will see locals growing rice or seeking small shells in the mud at the bottom of the river. Arrival at Kenh Ga, you can ask the guide to stop an hour to enjoy the source (with Jacuzzi) at your expense. Back on board, lunch in a local restaurant then drive to Tam Coc. Arrive at Tam Coc. Installation at the hotel. Then you will go to the pier Thung Nham where you will take the bamboo sampan to discover Ha Long Bay land in 2 hours. Thung Nham has a tranquil natural beauty. You will have the opportunity to chat with the locals, observe their daily life: fishing, farming. Then you will visit Bich Dong Pagoda (Bich Dong means Cave Jade) is known as the second most beautiful cave in Vietnam. At the entrance, a staircase carved in the same rock and dotted with shrines increasing to a cave where the three Buddha enthroned on lotus. A magnificent pagoda on holy ground. When leaving the pagoda, you will return to Tam Coc, you will continue the bike ride to the temple of Thai Vi – a beautiful stone temple. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Included meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 9: Ninh Binh – Hai Phong – Cat Ba (130km/ 2.5h journey 1h boat ride)     

After breakfast, drive to Hai Phong via Nam Dinh and Thai Binh; two territories rich in cultural traditions of the Red River Delta. Arrive in Hai Phong; flamboyant city in a French colonial style. Visit the Du Hang Pagoda; an ancient pagoda of the city that has undergone a long process of construction and development since the dynasty of Le Anterieur. Lunch on site then you will take the ferry to the island of Cat Ba. Arrival in Cat Ba, installation and free time. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Included meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 10: Cat Ba Island

The Cat Ba Archipelago has nearly 200km2 of sea and not less than 366 islets and islands studded with fabulous beaches and caves. At 20 km from Hai Phong, bordered on the west by the Gulf of Tonkin and in the east by the Ha Long Bay, the main island of the archipelago, the island of Cat Ba occupying an area of approximately 354 km2 offers fantastic landscapes alternating hills covered with lush forests, mangrove swamps and freshwater lakes, waterfalls and reefs … After breakfast, take the road to go to the natural reserve of Cat Ba where you will have a walk in the forest to the top of Ngu Quan, Kim Giao. From above, you get a panoramic view of the island. Back at the hotel, lunch at local restaurant. In the afternoon, you will have free time. Dinner. Overnight at hotel. Included meals: breakfast and lunch.

Day 11: Cat Ba Island – Ha Long

In the morning, you will explore the fishing harbor and the market for Cat Ba fish before boarding at the port of Gia Luan (27km north of the island of Cat Ba). Ferry cruise to Ha Long Bay to reach the junk where you spend the night. The Halong Bay is known as the 8th wonder of the world for its beautiful scenery, magnificent caves, rich and pure air of biodiversity. Having a 1500km2 area, more than 3,000 limestone islands of Ha Long Bay is truly a surprising destination. Arrival around noon and will board a traditional junk. Lunch with seafood and exceptional ride junk in Ha Long Bay, “8th Wonder of the World” with its thousands of islands, islets emerging from the water by taking fantastic shapes according to route of the ship. Dinner and overnight on board. Included meals: breakfast lunch and dinner

Day 12: Ha Long – Hanoi – Return flight (180km/ 4h journey)

If Hanoi was Thang Long, The Rise of the Dragon, the Ha Long Bay was the Descent of the Dragon. The surreal chaos of the Rocky Mountains is the result of the antics of the dragon, the master of waters.

These hills with strange shapes seem to float on the surface of the water as if they were eaten. The silence of the calm sea is sometimes broken by the cry of a bird. The cruise continues. Then you will have the opportunity to relax on the beach. After lunch of seafood. Back to Ha Long wharf then return to Hanoi. Transfer to Noi Bai Airport for departure flight. Included meals: breakfast and lunch

END OF THE TRIP.