Explore Hanoi mixing iconic sites and offbeat districts with a pinch of foodie adventure. Hike, cycle, boat the most scenic and diverse landscapes of North Vietnam mountains. Meet locals from different ethnic culture, share some privilaged time with them. Cruise the legendary seascape of Halong Bay on a beautiful wooden junk.
Welcome to Hanoi, 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 for your transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Hanoi
Get ready to see Hanoi as very few others do. This tour is the perfect blend of iconic cultural sites of Hanoi and offbeat districts to sample some genuine local life. The guide meets you in the hotel lobby and off we go. After a short car transfer to the South of Hanoi through a busy urban area, we veer off the main road and enter a very special district. It suddenly feels like stepping back in time, into the 1960’s when Hanoi was a quaint capital populated mostly by modest workers. Wander around these narrow alleys covered in colorful market stalls, feel this incredible vibe and let the guide tell you the story of these funny big yellow blocks. We have a coffee break before transferring to the temple of literature. We visit the little gem of architecture and huge piece of History. For lunch, we suggest to walk to a nearby street food shop. There are several options, our favourite would be the Bun Cha flame-grilled pork meat served with sticky rice noodles. In the afternoon, we continue with the garden of the Presidential Palace, also the place of the one-pillar pagoda and the house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived. Upon exit, we will refresh at a typical Hanoian bia hoi, where locals sip a fresh and light beer made of rice. We return to the hotel afterwards, evening is at leisure.
Departure from your hotel at 8am. We exit the city and head West towards Laos border. It takes about 4 hours to reach the valley of Mai Chau. Welcome to the lands of the White Thai. If your rooms are ready, we will first stop at our beautiful lodge nested in the valley in order to drop the luggage, before traveling a bit further to a secluded sub-valley for lunch. If the rooms are not ready yet, we will head for lunch first and will do the check-in later in the afternoon. Lunch is served at a traditional family ran guesthouse on stilts in a charming little Mai Hich village located about 6 kilometers from Mai Chau town. In the afternoon, we go walking on the backroads of the valley for a first encounter with the Thai culture and its people. The small pathways take us along rice fields and vegetable gardens. We shall meet with farmers on their way to the fields or kids taking the buffalos out. Tread lightly for a while before our car takes us to the lodge. End the afternoon by the swimming pool and have some rest.
We depart from the lodge after breakfast on a short drive (approximately 1 hour) to the heights of Hoa Binh province and the rocky plateau of Hang Kia. The sceneries are changing as we are going up, plum trees and corn fields replace the rice paddies, we enter H’mong ethnic lands, where people are colorfully dressed and living in wooden ground floor houses.
We are welcomed by a local H’mong family, whom we will do a traditional Batik workshop with. Learn ancestral techniques and unveil the secrets of the H’mong fabric. We have lunch at the local home, an opportunity to discover a little more about the H’mong culture through the gastronomy. In the afternoon, we will take a 3-hour downhill hike back to the valley of Mai Chau. The hike is scenic, on single trails and rather easy (can be a bit slipery in wet weather). Walking down offers great views over wild stretches of land secluded between mountains. It ends in a sub-valley of Mai Chau, where our vehicle awaits to transfer us back to the lodge (about 20 minutes). If you prefer not to do the hike, the car will drive you back from Hang Kia to the lodge in the afternoon.
After breakfast, we drive to Ninh Binh, the so-called Inland Halong Bay. It takes about 3 hours to the little village of Tam Coc. Lunch is served at the heart of the village in a beautiful garden house. In the afternoon, we hop on bicycles for a leisure ride across the quaint and peaceful surrounding countryside, exploring the most renowned valley of the region with its towering limestone rocks and beautiful rice fields. Our ride takes us to Trang An natural site. This is a stunning geological system that we will explore on a sampan in the late afternoon, while the gleaming orange lights of sunset beautify the surrounding nature. Note that if you don’t want to ride a bicycle, the transfer to Trang An can also be done by car. In the late afternoon, check-in at your hotel and enjoy a dip in the swimming pool.
Heading out to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On arrival we will join our cruise and head out into the Gulf of Tonkin amongst the huge limestone outcrops and emerald waters. We will spend the rest of the day cruising in our boat around the myriad of tiny islands and exploring the many grottoes created by the wind and the waves. While on board we will have a fresh seafood lunch followed by a swim and exploring one of the limestone caves in this area. Dinner and overnight onboard.
Note: Cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather, tide levels and operating conditions. Swimming or kayaking excursions may be cancelled due to poor weather. Unused services are not subject to a refund.
At dawn, an early Tai Chi session is proposed, coffee and tea are served early as well for the early birds wishing to see the beautiful lights of sunrise. Check out the cabin and we then go visit one of the biggest caves of the archipelago. We return to the boat and a brunch is served as we are cruising back to the dock. We disembark and drive to Hanoi, where you will enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Please note: Cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather, tide levels and operating conditions. Swimming or kayaking excursions may be cancelled due to poor weather. Unused services are not subject to a refund. Our private English speaking guide will not escort clients on board.
Today is at leisure until a driver picks you up in the hotel lobby to drive you to the airport for your flight to the next destination. Check-out time is 12.00 the latest.
Inclusion
Accommodation in twin/double room with daily breakfast at the below indicated room types (see hotel category list below) (check-in and check-out around noontime)
- All transfers and transportation with Air-Con vehicles (types of vehicles depend on the number of pax):
For Vietnam
o1-2pax: minivan of 7 seats
o3-6pax: van of 16 seats
o7-10pax: bus of 25 seats
- Local ENGLISH speaking guides
- Boat trip - as per program
- All entrance fees - as per program
- Meals (B/L/D) (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) as indicated in the program
- 02 bottles of mineral water per person per day on bus - on days of transfer and sightseeing only
- Government tax and service charge
Exclusion
Airfares (international and domestic)
- Meals (other than mentioned in the program)
- Drinks
- Early check-in or late check-out
- Visa - as per country requirements
- Tips
- Additional transfer required due to any emergency situation
- Mineral water beyond that which is supplied
- Personal Insurance
- Optional excursions and activities
- Items of a personal nature (Phone calls, laundry, beverages, etc.)
- Peak season surcharges if any
- All not mentioned above
Note
- The above tour prices are based on our current transportation rates. Increasing petrol rates might affect our transportation and boat fees, in which case we reserve the right to revise our current rates. If any increase should arise we will of course keep you well informed.
- Availability: Please note that if a certain hotel is not available at the time of booking, then we will gladly make alternative suggestions in the same category. We will advise you accordingly with the surcharge if any. As a result, we would highly appreciate it if you could advise us to block rooms soonest possible to guarantee the rooms and rates in period of high and peak season
- All the above points of interest are open for visit based on current updates. In case of closure for construction or any other reason, we will replace with a similar point of interest.
- Above itinerary is based on the current flight schedule. In case of flight changes, the itinerary will be changed accordingly.
- No early check in or late checkout is included except those indicated in the program. Generally, the check in time is 14.00pm and check out time is 12.00pm.
- Visas into Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are required except for countries who have signed the visa exemption contracts. Please contact us for visa information details.
Remarks: Passport must be valid 6 months ahead since the time of departing the visited country
- SURCHARGE Compulsory dinner (PER PERSON IN AUD)
City | Hotel | Date | Amount |
Ha Noi | Mk Premier Boutique Hotel | 24-Dec-2022 &
31-Dec-2022 | 75$Adult; 60$/child (6-11yrs) |
Ninh Binh | Tam Coc Garden | 24-Dec-2022 &
31-Dec-2022 | 138$ |
Mai Chau | Mai Chau Ecolodge | 24-Dec-2022 &
31-Dec-2022 | 75$ |
Mai Chau | Avana Retreat | 24-Dec-2022 &
31-Dec-2022 | 400$ |
Hotel Details
Superior
Ha Noi- Mk Premier Boutique Hotel (Luxury room)
Mai Chau- Mai Chau Ecolodge (Deluxe room)
Ninh Binh- Le Clos Du Fil Boutique Hotel (Standard room)
Ha Long- Bhaya Cruise ( Deluxe room)
Deluxe
Ha Noi- Peridot Grand Hotel & Spa 5* Boutique(Premiur deluxe room)
Mai Chau- Avana Retreat (Bauhinia Mountain Suite Double)
Ninh Binh- Tam Coc Garden (Tonkin Garden Bungalow)
Ha Long- Bhaya Cruise (Premium balcony room)
Note- No bookings will be taken during Vietnamese Lunar New Year-
19/01/2023 - 24/01/2023 & 30/04/2023-01/05/2023
