Chao Ban! Welcome to Hanoi, we meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel for check-in. Today is free at your leisure to rest or explore, discovering your own first impressions of Vietnam (depending on what time you arrive). Overnight in Hanoi.

We pick you up at 8:00 AM for a short transfer outside of Hanoi, where we have this morning to learn about Hanois’ village life and its traditions and customs. 

We walk and cycle along the villages, visit local markets, some old houses, their worshipping temples and communal houses. Then, we have a small food demonstration before our lunch at one of the local family’s houses here. 

In the afternoon, we catch your van for a short drive to Lien Mac, a beautiful area of immaculately tended vegetables and flowers. Here you hop on the bike again and get a close-up look at the colourful fields and have the chance to chat with some of the local people out caring for their crops.  Stop by a “tofu family” to explore how they make tofu and you can try their fresh products. Bid your farewells, and catch the van back to your hotel in Hanoi at around 4:30 PM.

Free to have dinner until 8:30 PM, our guide picks you up for night train to Lao Cai. Boarding is at around 9:40 PM.  You are in a shared AC soft sleeper cabin. 

(Our tour guide shows you prearranged hotel near the train station which you have a shower and breakfast before going on Ha Long on Day 5). 

Today morning at around 6:30 AM, you are welcomed by our driver at the train station to transfer to Sapa. Breakfast served at a Hmong hotel upon arrival then you set out on your challenging trek along the most beautiful valley in Vietnam, over meandering streams, tiers of paddy terraces, and through villages of the Hmong. Along the way you learn more about theregion, culture and agriculture process of the locals.

Our welcoming host greets you after your trek, then a local Hmong woman teach you the art of batik, a traditional handicraft of the Hmong that creates a pattern with beeswax and is dipped in indigo.

You continue to connect with the family as you enjoy dinner and an overnight at their home.

Trekking Distance: 13 km (6 hours)

Trail Difficulty: 4/5

After breakfast at 8.00 AM, you are guided for a round trip of a more relaxing walk to two more villages of the Hmong, pay a visit to some of their homes to learn more about their lives. Lunch is savoured at a local Hmong restaurant overlooking the river and rice terraces.

After lunch you are driven back to Sapa for some shopping, coffee and a shower before the van takes you back to Lao Cai station for the train to Hanoi.

Trekking Distance: 5-6 km 

Trail Difficulty: 3/5

Inclusion: Train ticket, transfers in Sapa, local Hmong guide (just in Sapa area), breakfast, lunch, water, shower.

Safely back in Hanoi at 5:00 AM please find your way on foot back to a prearranged hotel near the train station. Shower, short rest and basic breakfast. 

Departure for Ha Long Bay is around 8:00 AM in a shared van. Arrive at the port around 12:30 PM. Welcome on board, you are taken to your cabin before the trip briefing while you cruise to Bai Tu Long Bay and admire the fascinating formations. Visit Thien Canh Son cave. Then relax at our secluded island-beach or explore by kayak. Later you return back to the boat just in time to watch the beautiful sunset from the top deck before enjoying the bay’s freshest seafood dinner.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide on boat, morning shower, entrance fee, kayak, boat / junk, all meals, permits.

Early risers can enjoy the sunrise and the quiet breath-taking beauty of Bay’s landscape with towering limestone. You have breakfast at around 8:00 AM before our short rowboat by the locals of the bay.

Lunch on the boat as we slowly cruise back to boat pier. Hit the road before arriving back to Hanoi around 5:30 PM.

Hotel then pick up around 6:30 PM for the night train to Hue. Boarding is at 7:30 PM. You are in a shared AC soft sleeper cabin.

Arrival in Hue at around 9:00 AM. Station pick up then transfer to a prearranged hotel. Shower, short rest and breakfast.

Departure from your hotel for our morning explorations to visit the Imperial city to learn all about the royal kingdom here in the past. We then visit Thien Mu Pagoda and learn more about Buddhism in Vietnam. Have Lunch at the restaurant. 

After lunch, you embark for a beautiful boat ride downstream with pleasant viewing along the Perfume River to reach Tien Non pier. Our afternoon start with biking to visit the flower village of Tien Non, it’s just lovely to be among different types of flowers, then cycle a bit more to visit Thanh Tien paper flower making village, you can try to make one by yourself. After that, we visit Sinh village where they make traditional folk painting, more ride through the beautiful and peaceful countryside of Hue before hitting the road back to your hotel for about 5:00 PM.

Cycling Distance: 14 km

Trail Difficulty: 2/5

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, morning shower, breakfast, lunch, local boat, bike & helmet, water, hotel. 

After breakfast at your hotel at around 8:30 AM, we go on a relaxing 1 hour Vietnam cyclo ride to visit Dong Ba market then explore the Royal Tombs, choosing only to visit the best ones, as we have lots to do today. Visit Ming Mang and KhaiDinh Royal Tombs. Back to the hotel for a shower, check out at 12:00 PM then followed by our lunch at a local restaurant. 

In the afternoon, leave Hue city at 2:00 PM for ALuoi town (about 60 km). Along the way you can see the life and daily activities of the Ko Tu and Ta Oi hill tribes. 

After 2 hours, you reach A Luoi town and then to Aka Chi village through windy roads. You have time to walk around the village to discover its attractions for daily life, their handicraft of textile, weaving, grow dry rice on hill. Then, spend your leisure time at A Roang Hot Spring to enjoy yourself. Have dinner in their traditional stilt house and try local delicacies, as well as enjoy a cultural show. Overnight at the traditional communal house.stilt-house homestay.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, all meals, water, traditional music show, homestay with permit. 

Wake up early morning and enjoy the fresh air and peaceful mountainous area. Breakfast is served at our homestay. You start your half day trekking through A Roang forest to get more discovery of primary forest with the diversity of ecological system with valuable trees and flora and fauna. After that you cycle around the villages to see and discover more of natural beauties and local people in Aluoi before leaving A Luoi and drive to Prao along Ho Chi Minh trail on distance 80km. Have lunch at local restaurant.

This afternoon you go on your journey to Hoian and pass through Ho Chi Minh Trail. And you arrive in Hoian ancient town around 5:00 PM, our guide & driver drop you off at your hotel. 

Tip: This is a very good chance for you to get great tailor-made clothes at reasonable prices. Hoianis well known for its tailoring. 

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast & lunch, water, bike & helmet, hotel. 

At 8:00 AM, we meet you at your hotel for a very short transfer to the boat docks. Today, we go to a fishing village where you see and experience the life of the fisherman. You do some fishing-related activities such as preparing the fishing tools. Afterwards, we have a short basket boat ride along the village full of lush water coconut trees. We then cycle on the country road through the rice paddy and corn fields as well as alongside numerous coconut trees to a vegetable village. On arrival, you are welcomed with friendly smiles and special welcome drinks: “E” water or local tea. Take part in cooking class with the local family, and under the instruction of preparing ingredients, you cook Hoian special foods and enjoy lunch here.

Our afternoon is continued with sightseeing to the famous cultural sites around Hoi An. We end our trip at around 5:00 PM at your hotel.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, local bike, local boat & fishing tool, breakfast & lunch, water& snack, hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel then transfer to the airport in Da Nang for an early morning flight to HCM City. Airport pick up and then straight to 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 fighting strategies during the war. Crawl through 50 to 100 meters of the 200 km tunnel system if you dare. Today you also visit a local rice paper workshop, and see beautiful rice paddy fields.  

In the afternoon, you visit the bustling Cho Lon Market and a hidden Chinese pagoda, the Notre Dame Cathedral and historic Central Post Office and photo stop in front of the old French style City Hall. Drop off at your hotel around 5:30 PM. Dinner on your own. 

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, water, domestic flight ticket, hotel.

At 7:30 AM, you depart for Cai Lay (about 2 hour drive) where you collect your bicycles and enjoy a leisurely, two-hour bicycle ride on peaceful country lanes and quiet roads that pass through local villages and along canals. This offers you several stops on the route, seeing seasonal fruits at the tropical plantations such as rambutan, durian, longan, jackfruit, etc., perhaps watching farmers harvesting peanuts, visiting a coconut candy factory, a puffed rice factory, stopping at a market to buy fruit, etc.. We have a great photo opportunity at Cai Be Catholic Church, built in 1929-1932, with its unique steeple atop. We board our boat for a cruise over the mighty Mekong river (about 1.5km wide), past waterfront villages and the Cai Be floating market, pausing for lunch of local specialties on Binh Hoa Phuoc island. 

After lunch, we start a short cycling on small paths under the green canopy alongside water, mostly shared with just pedestrians, other local cyclists and scooters, to explore the orchards and daily life of farmers. Crossing Dinh Khao ferry, we are transferred to Cai Ngang where we start two hours riding on immense rice fields, through numerous rural riverside villages, visiting Khmer Pagoda en route. If time permitting, we have a climb up to Can Tho suspension bridge over the mighty Mekong river (Tonle Bassac – Hau Giang river), see panorama sunset view of the mekong. We continue cycling toward Can Tho or transfer by van. 

Cycling distance: 30-50km

Level: 2/5

The sounds of morning village life might wake you up early. Join your host family in some of their activities like cleaning the house, gardening or preparing breakfast. After breakfast we take a morning boat trip to the chaotic Cai Rang Floating Market and up a quiet canal for more cruising on winding. Later we are back on the bikes cycling backcountry roads (for about 2 hours) enjoying the beautiful Mekong Delta scenery and meeting the locals (many on bicycle too).After lunch in a local restaurant in Can Tho town, we head back to HCM City. 

Trekking Distance: 25 km

Trail Difficulty: 2/5

Breakfast at hotel. Depending on your flight you may have some more time for shopping. Then we transfer you to the airport for your flight home. Goodbye, and hope to see you again soon!

Inclusion: Transfer, breakfast.