Adventures in Vietnam ~ 14 days

Day 1: HANOI ARRIVAL - OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI (D)

Xin chao ! Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam !

Hanoi is one of Asia’s most enchanting cities, full of culture, history and the engaging contradictions of a rapidly developing and deeply traditional society. You are greeted by your guide and driver at Noi Bai International Airport and get transferred to a restaurant for dinner.

20H00: Transfer to Railways Station for an overnight train to Lao Cai

Sleep in Private cabin

Day 2: LAO CAI - SAPA - VILLAGE - SAPA (B/L/-)

Arriving in Lao Cai in the early morning, you will have breakfast at a local restaurant, then be driven to your hotel in Sa Pa to store the luggage. Explore Sa Pa by hiking though villages of ethnic minorities. This is a good opportunity to chat with your guide to learn and discover the lifestyle and customs of different ethnic groups. First, you will be transferred along Muong Hoa Valley and Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range with stunning scenery to Lao Chai village, a Black Hmong ethnic minority village. We will then walk from Lao Chai to Ta Van village where the Dzay ethnic minority hill tribe lives. Here you will be able to rest and enjoy a picnic lunch. After lunch the walk continues through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao ethnic minority village. Taking a rest nearby a waterfall to refresh, we start climbing uphill to a road where the vehicles are ready for your journey back to Sapa. Overnight in Sapa.

Walking duration: approximately 4 hour easy walk

Day 3: SAPA - MA TRA - SAPA - LAO CAI (B/L/-)

Start your day with a short drive to Suoi Ho village. You will stroll through the small village of Suoi Ho, inhabited by the Hmong ethnic minority, of mud-brick houses without windows to preserve warmth in winter. Continue walking through rice fields and spectacular scenery to Ma Tra.

Afternoon is your free time to explore this moutainous town. Free to wander around the town or busy & colorful lifestyle here and learn more ethnic minority’s culture. For those who want to have beautiful panoramic view of Sa Pa town then Ham Rong Mountain is an optional (entrance fee is at your own account)

Late afternoon, get on your vehicle for the journey to Lao Cai station. Overnight on train in a 4-berth cabin, soft sleepers.

Day 4: HANOI ARRIVAL - BAI TU LONG BAY (-/L/D)

4am, arrive at Hanoi Train station, meet our tour guide and get transfer to a facility to freshen up and change.

08:00 – 08:30 Pick-up at your place and start 3 hour-and-a-half drive to Halong International Cruise Port, check in cruise's private waiting hall. 

12:15 – 12:45 Embark on the cruise vessel by transfer boat. Listen to cruise briefing and receive room key.

13:00 – 15:30 Savor a delectable lunch as you cruise further along the limestone islands of Bai Tu Long Bay, heading to Vung Vieng fishing village – one of the largest fishing villages in Halong Bay to see the life of local fishermen.

– Option 1: Take a bamboo rowing boat trip around Vung Vieng Fishing Village

– Option 2: Take kayak and go kayaking by yourself with help and instruction of tour guide around the Village.19:00 – 19:30 Dinner is served. Socialize with other guests, night squid fishing or just laze around. Singing and dancing activities are available till 22h00.

– Overnight on board at Cong Do Area

Day 5: HA LONG BAY (B/L/D)

06:30 – 07:00 Start your day with Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck. Enjoy a cup of coffee or refresh yourselves in Bai Tu Long majestic Bay.

07:00 – 08:00 Have breakfast in the restaurant.

08:30 – 15:30 Discover Bai Tu Long bay by one-day itinerary on our professional day boat.

 – Cruise toward Tra San, Vung Ha Island where tourists can go kayaking, and catching beautiful sights and enjoy the wild, bewitching nature with many limestone islands, lovely small beaches.

– Have lunch on our day boat at Vung Ha area.

15:30 – 17:30 Transfer back to your Cruise. Have dinner and night activities on board.

– Over second night on board at Cong Do area.

Day 6: HALONG BAY - HANOI (B/L)

06:30 – 07:00 Start your day with Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck.

07:00 – 09:00 Catch morning view of seascapes with a cup of tea or coffee, have breakfast while cruising toward Thien Canh Son Cave

– Visit Thien Canh Son Cave – the medium size and less visited cave in Bai Tu Long Bay

09:30 Check-out room. Luggage can be delivered to the reception area.

09:30 – 11:00 Head back to the Harbor. Have early lunch on board.

– Disembark cruise at around 12h00.

12:00 – 16:30 Transfer back to Hanoi and trip finishes at the hotel around 16h30

Day 7: HA NOI – LANG SON – CAO BANG (JOINT TOUR) (L/D) 

7:30-8:00am, transferring you to Lang Son. We will start by driving in the direction of the Chinese border for about 3 hours, before stopping at Chi Lang Pass - a 20-km-long gorge created from a narrow valley between two mountains. This place occupies an important position in Vietnamese history, being the place of many victories against various Chinese invasions over the centuries and millennia, as far back as 981AD. As such it bears the reputation of Vietnam’s strongest citadel and bastion. Here you will have roughly an hour to walk around and explore the area around the Quy Mon Quan Gate, which translates as “The Gate of Monsters”, named for the many invasion forces that would spill through the pass over the course of history only to be beaten back by stalwart Vietnamese defenders. After lunch at a local restaurant in Dong Dang, you will continue your trip into the pass, stopping to visit Mother’s Temple and Dong Khe – an important historical site where The Battle of Dong Khe was fought during the First Indochina War. In fact, this was the very first battle of the Indochina Wars, and the fighting here took place through September and October 1950, ending in a resounding victory for the Viet Minh. In the evening you will get to enjoy dinner and overnight rest in a local homestay owned and operated by a local Nung family.

Day 8: CAO BANG - BAN GIOC WATERFALL (B/L/D)

After enjoying breakfast at the homestay, you will depart for Trung Khanh which lies right on the border with China. Here you will have another chance to meet and interact with the local Nung people living in the village of Phuoc Sen, a mountainous village famous for its traditional blacksmithing. The farming tools made here are an integral part of the lifestyle which is evident in the surrounding rice paddies and fields. Nestled amongst these amazing landscapes is the breath-taking Ban Gioc Waterfall which spans over 300 meters, split half and half between Vietnam and China. You’ll get some time here to simply take in the amazing atmosphere surrounding the falls, which presents an excellent opportunity for some fantastic photography. Once you’ve finished at the falls, it’s time to head over to Nguom Ngao Cave, for a very different, but no less impressive natural wonder. The cave stretches for 2,144 meters underground and is brimming with incredible stalactites and stalagmites. You will then return to Cao Bang town and head down the “snake pass” to Ba Be Lake, where you will stay overnight in a homestay constructed in traditional Tay fashion and owned and operated by a local Tay family. Here you can relax and unwind from the day and enjoy a delicious and authentic home-cooked meal.

Day 9: BA BE LAKE - HANOI (B/L)

After breakfast we’ll kick the final day of the tour of by boarding a boat and setting off onto Ba Be lake. It’s up to you how to spend your time on the boat, whether it’s relaxing and enjoying the views or going for a swim in the cool waters to refresh yourself. The views consist of stunning karst formations all around you covered with patches of wild vegetation and a rich wildlife. The boat will then continue along the Nang River, giving you a chance to explore the caves of Puong Grotto where you can marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites created through river erosion, as well as observe the thousands-strong bat colony that lives here. Now that you’ve reached the end of your tour, you’ll be driven the roughly 230 kilometres back to Hanoi, with a stop at a tea plantation nestled among rolling hills. Once we arrive in Hanoi, it is time to say farewell, having made lifelong memories and connections.

Overnight in Hanoi 

Day 10: HANOI - CON DAO (B)

Breakfast at hotel 

Meet the driver at hotel and get transferred to the airport for flight to Con Dao Island

Upon arrival, Take the shuttle to the resort in Con Dao

Day 11: CON DAO (B)

Breakfast at hotel 

Free time at leisure for your relaxing time on beach 

Overnight in Con Dao 

Day 12: CON DAO - SAI GON DEPARTURE (B)

Take the shuttle to the airport for flight SGN. Meet the driver at SGN Airport and get transferred to the hotel.

Day 13: DEPARTURE (B)

Meet the driver at hotel and get transferred to the airport for flight

End of services.