ITINERARY IN BRIEF:
DAY 1: GOOD MORNING HANOI
DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR – NIGHT TRAIN TO SAPA
DAY 3: ARRIVAL IN LAO CAI – BACK HA SUNDAY MARKET – SAPA
DAY 4: SAPA – TREK TO HOMESTAY
DAY 5: MORE TREK AND BACK TO SAPA – NIGHT TRAIN TO HANOI
DAY 6: HANOI – HALONG, WELCOME ON THE BOAT
DAY 7: WHOLE DAY TO DISCOVER THE MOST ISOLATED PARTS OF THE BAY
DAY 8: FINAL DAY TO DISCOVER BAI TU LONG BAY – HANOI – FLY TO HOCHIMINH
DAY 9: TAY NINH AND THE CU CHI TUNNELS
DAY 10: DEPARTURE SAIGON, GOODBYE VIETNAM
TOUR PHOTOS
DAY 1: GOOD MORNING HANOI
Welcome to Hanoi, we will meet and take you to your hotel, check-in and today is free at your leisure to Golden Silk Boutique hotel or similar.
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, hotel
DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR – NIGHT TRAIN TO SAPA
Depart at 8:00 am from your hotel by car, we will begin our day by visiting Uncle Ho, learning about his great life at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, and his residential place. Next stop is the nearby Temple of Literature. The site of Vietnam´s first University, built in twelfth century, to teach the royals the Confucius theory. Here we will also have a chance to see a traditional music performance.
Lunch will be served at a local restaurant at your own expense. In the afternoon, choose one from the numerous museums or temples around Hanoi (Museum of Ethnology, Women´s Museum, History Museum or Quan Thanh Temple). A late afternoon walk around Hoan Kiem lake and Hanoi´s fascinating Old Quarter for some great fun, shopping, and street side traditional food, maybe to try one “hanoi bia”.
This is your chance to be part of typical Hanoian style and its traditional Vietnamese culture. We finish our relaxing but informative day by attending a Water Puppet Show, a favorite experience for all visitors to Vietnam. Have dinner on your own
At 8: 15 pm: Transfer from a prearranged meeting spot to the station for your night train to Sapa
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fees, welcome dinner, puppet show tickets, train tickets.
DAY 3: ARRIVAL IN LAO CAI – BACK HA SUNDAY MARKET – SAPA
Arrive in Laocai in the morning (around 6.00 AM), our local tour guide and driver will meet you at the train station and transfer you to a local restaurant for early breakfast. After that, we transfer to Bac Ha, arrive in Bac Ha market at around 09.30Am.
Bac Ha is the largest market in the region, a place where many ethnic groups gather to buy and sell, eat and drink together. There are 10 minority groups in the Bac Ha region. You can buy homemade handicrafts and clothes. Have your own lunch at the market.
In the afternoon we will trek to Ban Pho village (Flower H’Mong people). In the village we can have a look in their house and understand little more about their lifestyle and traditional customs. Especially, we can try homemade wine from corn.
At around 14.00PM, we drive to Sapa. Arrive in Sapa at around 17.00, check in hotel then you are free to relax.
Overnight in hotel in Sapa town.
Inclusion: Hotel, transfer, local English speaking guide, breakfast, entrance fee.
DAY 4: SAPA – TREK TO HOMESTAY
After breakfast, we leave the hotel and start trekking. The first part is on the road but we soon turn to the right and walk on a small path down the valley to Muong hoa river and visit the Black Hmong in Lao chai. Black Hmong is one of the biggest minority group in Sa pa district. They are proud of their culture and keep their traditions way of living. They have their own language, wear traditions indigo blue clothing…
After that you continue go to Ta van village to visit the Zay People. Zay is a fairly small minority group of 38.000.people who live in the mountains in the North West Vietnam. The development has meant that some of their old custom has been lost but many women still wear tradition shits with purple, blue or green colour. The Zay houses are built in wood and bamboo with clay floor. We stay overnight with a local family in Ta van and have dinner there.
Inclusion: Transfer, tour guide, all meals, entrance fees, permit, homestay services
DAY 5: MORE TREK AND BACK TO SAPA – NIGHT TRAIN TO HANOI
After the breakfast we continue to visit Red Zao people at Giang Ta chai village Where we also see a beautiful waterfall. The Red Zao woman have very colorful embroideries and coins on their clothing. On their head they wear a red scarf. Some of the women have shaved off their eyebrows because of a nice Red Zao Legend.
We continue go along small path in the rice fields, cross the Muong hoa river and trek up to Su pan where you meet the van pick you up to Sapa. Have your time in town before we transfer back to Lao Cai station for your night train back to Hanoi.
Inclusion: Transfer, tour guide, breakfast, train tickets
DAY 6: HANOI – HALONG, WELCOME ON THE BOAT
Upon your arrival in early morning, we will arrange a mini hotel (standard one) for you to take a short rest and have breakfast.
At 08.30, we leave Hanoi for Halong. It takes us around 3.5 hours driving and viewing simple country side, rice paddy life. At 12.00, the junk crews welcome you on board at Hon Gai Wharf. Check- in, enjoy welcome drink & cruise briefing. Lunch with fresh local seafood while cruising to Bai Tu Long bay via Indochina film studio, Teapot islet, Blockhouse islet, Goat Head islet. Stop for swimming, visit mysterious Thien Canh cave. Relax at a wild beach, swim & kayak to explore the bay. Back to junk to enjoy relaxing or the sunset. Dinner and overnight on board nearby Vong Vieng village or Trinh Nu cave.
Stay overnight on board.
Inclusion: Mini hotel in early morning, transfer, guide, entrances fee, kayak, private junk, all meals, fishing gear.
DAY 7: WHOLE DAY TO DISCOVER THE MOST ISOLATED PARTS OF THE BAY
07:30 Enjoy the morning on the bay while having breakfast.
08:30 Fish with the local people and learn about local fishing techniques.
09:30 Cruise to Ba Cua Beach for relaxation and swimming. Discover Bo Hung (Dor-beetle) Island by kayak.
11:30 Have lunch in a homestay on Vung Vieng fishing village.
14:00 Visit Vung Vieng fishing village by rowing boat.
15:00 Cruise back to Cong Do for swimming and kayaking.
19:00 Enjoy a deluxe dinner in Thien Canh Son Cave.
Stay overnight on board.
Inclusion: Guide, entrances fee, kayak, private junk, all meals, fishing gear
DAY 8: FINAL DAY TO DISCOVER BAI TU LONG BAY – HANOI – FLY TO HOCHIMINH
Early risers can enjoy the sunrise and the quiet breath-taking beauty of Bay’s landscape. From 7.30 to 10.30, serve on a La-Carte-Menu, you can order any dishes in the menu whenever you want for breakfast and lunch. Around 8.00, start discovering Ba Cua beach where you can enjoy swimming, sunbathing or relaxing.
We will also visit one cave on our way back to Halong city. After cave visit, we are back to our junk, arrange our luggage and check out cabin while cruising back. By noon at 12:00, we will be ashore then hit the road back to Hanoi airport for your two hour flight to Saigon. Check in hotel on arrival then you are on your own time to relax.
Inclusion: Transfers, guide, entrance fee, junk, breakfast, lunch, flight tickets, hotel
DAY 9: TAY NINH AND THE CU CHI TUNNELS
Departing Saigon at 8:00 am from your hotel for a morning excursion to Tay Ninh to the Great Cao Dai Temple (a place to worship a mixture of Buddhism, Confucius, Taoism, Hinduism and Christianity). We see the noon mass at the temple (1 hour). Lunch in Tay Ninh at your own expense. In the afternoon, we visit the Cu Chi outdoor museum to learn about the infamous tunnel systems of the Viet Cong. Take this opportunity to get a unique understanding of the guerillas underground fight strategies during the war and crawl through 50 – 100 meters of the 200 km tunnel system. On the way back to Saigon, local rice paper workshops, and views of Vietnam countryside and paddy fields are pleasant sights. We’ll drop you off at your hotel around 5:30 pm.
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, hotel
DAY 10: DEPARTURE SAIGON, GOODBYE VIETNAM
Breakfast at hotel then we transfer to the airport. End of services.
Inclusion: breakfast.
TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:
- 04 nights’ shared Accommodation in double room with daily breakfast at the above indicated room types (see hotel category list above) (check in and check out around noontime).
- 01 night at homestay with local people.
- 02 nights Deluxe double cabin on Dragon Pearl junk on Halong bay.
- 02 nights on night train Hanoi – Laocai – Hanoi (4 people per cabin). Two people per cabin is available upon request and surcharge.
- All transfers and transportation with air-con vehicles.
- Local ENGLISH speaking guides.
Note:
- For the night train from Hanoi – Lao Cai – Hanoi, our guide will not go with you on the night train
- For the Dragon Pearl junk, our guide will not go aboard on cruise.
- All entrance fees as program
- Domestic flight ticket Hanoi – Saigon
- Meals (B/L/D) (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) as indicated in the program (Vietnamese Local food)
- 02 bottles of mineral water per person per day on bus on days of transfer and sightseeing only
TOUR PRICE EXCLUDES:
- Airfares (international and others not mentioned)
- Meals (other than mentioned in the program)
- Drinks
- Visas to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
- Mineral water beyond that supplied
- Tips
- Early check in or late check out
- Insurances
- Optional excursions and activities
- Additional transfer required due to any emergency situation
- Items of a personal nature (Phone calls, laundry, beverages…)
- All not mentioned above
