This package tour is specifically crafted to show you the best of the North’s beauty. Start from the historical Hanoi capital then discover the beautiful and exotic cultures of the North with an overnight visit to Mai Chau. Trek through the rolling countryside and immerse yourself in the wonders of the Pu Luong nature reserve. Stay 2 nights in Ninh Binh and explore the Van Long preservation zone as well as the majestic Cuc Phuong National park. End the trip with a relaxing cruise sailing amongst thousands of limestone islands jutting out of the blue water of Halong Bay
Landing at the Noi Bai airport, you are welcomed by professional tour guide and driver at the pickup lobby. Enjoy 45-minute driving to the city center (Hanoi Old Quarter) with city's briefing information about the most visited spots, culture, traffic and cuisine....Arrive in your hotel, check in and have a rest.
Note: Hotel check in time at 14.00
Continue the day with an walking tour. Start with a small pagoda named Ba Da quietly located in a small alley - only few steps from the Hanoi Great Cathedral, built by French colonialism since the 19th century. Your tour guide also takes you to typical streets of Hanoi such as Lan Ong Street selling traditional medicine, Lo Ren Street where metal items are produced ... Stop to visit the Dong Xuan central market - the largest in Hanoi. Continue walking to the famous area for night activities and street food - Ta Hien street, where you can see the vibrant streets with a lot of the amazing local foods and drinks. Trying to taste some for an unforgettable experience.
End at your hotel.
9:00 AM: Get Pick up by tour guide to the Temple of Literature which was built under the Ly dynasty in 11th century for worshipping Confucius and teaching Royal children. Enjoy a walk in the garden to the city’s symbol Khue Van Cac. You will then visit the World Heritage "stone steles” which shows the name of outstanding students. Continue to explore the Quoc Tu Giam which is considered as the first national university of Vietnam.
Next stop at the Ethnology Museum (closed every Monday) which offers a deep insight into Vietnamese culture through traditional costumes, tools, musical instruments and traditional houses of many ethnic groups. To fully explore this interesting museum, it takes you around two hours.
In the after noon you visit the French Quarter – it is a “little Paris” in Hanoi with tree-lined boulevards, government head offices and a big square. Visit (outside) Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum before having a leisurely walk in the botanical gardens to visit the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where he used to live and work. Towards the unique One – pillar pagoda which is one of the city’s symbols. It takes us from 1 to 2 hours to explore this complex, depending on the number of traveler.
Come back to city centrer and have a rest before enjoying the water puppet shows that is the unique performances, first appeared in the 11th century. In these shows, the daily life, culture and belief of Vietnamese people are described by puppets on water. The show usually integrates a traditional music performance as well.
Come back to hotel. End of the day
8:00 AM: Meet tour guide and driver then depart to Mai Chau. On the way, visit a Muong village. Continue to Thung Khe pass where you can view magnificent panoramic views of the valley before arriving in Mai Chau town. Mai Chau is a beautiful valley located 145 km away from Hanoi. It is great place with harmonious landscapes, green mountain ranges, rice terraces and White Thai ethnic villages.
Arrival to Mai Hich, have a rest and enjoy lunch. In the afternoon explore Mai Hich by walking along the trails and concrete roads. You will be seduced by the gorgeous landscapes as the villages, rice fields, mountains and streams are in perfect harmony with one another. Do not miss the opportunity to communicate with the friendly local people who are always willing to welcome you into their house to enjoy a cup of tea.
Continue trekking, passing the rice field and small communities to Xam Khoe, a Thai villages that is still not touristic. Enjoy the harmony of nature's beauty and rich human culture. At the end, get a pick up by driver then transfer back to your accommodation.
8:00 AM: Start a trekking day to discover the Pu Luong Nature preservation and its inhabitants. Transfer 5 km from your accommodation on 15C road on direction to Kho Muong village. Start to trek on the path to the most remote village in Pu Luong, located in the valley and surrounded by the beautiful lime stone mountains and rice terraces. Kho Muong is home to Thai ethnic group. Haveyour camera ready to capture the breathtaking scenery of rice terraces and encounter the locals en route.
Lunch will be served in the homestay at Kho Muong Village. In the afternoon, continue following the trails in the forest and the manioc field to reach Uoi village, a beautiful village home to another Thai ethnic group who still preserve their thatched houses. Keep walking to Lan Ngoai Village before transferring back to your accommodation.
transfer to Chieng Lau, a beautiful rice field area with bamboo water wheels. Walk through the field to the village and encounter the locals to discover their life, culture and customs.
8:00 AM: Depart from your hotel for a 1 hour journey to Cuc Phuong national park. Located in the southwest of Hanoi, Cuc Phuong National Park was officially opened in 1960 as the first nature reserve in Vietnam. It is a tropical rain forest with extremely rich and diverse flora and fauna. On arrival, visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre where the rare primates of Vietnam are reared and rescued. Continue visit to the turtle house project then drive to the park center. Have lunch at the house-on-stilts before setting off on a trek into the park center.
Start a nice and easy trek of 3-4 hours along the tropical jungle for an open view of majestic landscapes, pristine limestone mountains and valleys. Take a rest at a giant ancient tree halfway through the journey. On the way back, have a short trek to the Cave of early man before driving back to your hotel. End of the tour.
Enjoy breakfast and peaceful morning in the countryside. take a 15km bike ride (optional) or walk through the villages. A journey along the dyke will offer you gorgeous landscapes of rice fields, a river and limestone mountains. There are several stops for you to take beautiful photos or encounter the locals then walk to discover Thung La temple, dating back to the 11th century.
Continue to take a sampan boat trip along the stream and among the limestone mountains to discover the beauty of Van Long nature reserve. If lucky, you might get to see white monkeys and egrets on the cliffs. After the boat trip, visit an embroidery village and take part in an embroidery course under the instruction of local craftswoman, Mrs Lam. She will proudly explain the techniques of her traditional craft. This will be a good opportunity for you to practice on fabric like a real craftsman.
End of the day, transfer from Ninh Binh to Hanoi. Enjoy the journey passing Red River delta with a lot of chance taking pictures of rice fields, peaceful countryside.
12:30: You will be taken aboard our support vessel and travel from the wharf via the bay to board our luxurious craft, Peony Cruises. Welcome fresh drinks, cold towels and a special lunch of fresh food and an assortment of appetizing delicacies will be served. You will be enchanted when decadently dining on our luxury junk. Life just doesn't get better than this! We then set sail for Lan Ha Bay - A member of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays.
15:30: We will visit the Dark and Bright Cave - famous for the pristine natural beauty and poetic, attractive seascape of Lan Ha Bay. Here you will take some photos of the romantic, lyrical local see-sights. This is also the best time for tourists to enjoy bamboo boat and swimming - which is an interesting activity to discover the truest beauty of the limestone mountains and the blue sky of LanHa Bay. Afterwards, visitors immerse in the emerald green water of LanHa Bay with exciting swimming activities or enjoy mini pool with jacuzzi on Peony Cruise.
17:30: Return to Peony Cruise. Enjoy sunset party on Lan Ha Bay. It is an ideal time for photography enthusiasts to capture the stunning moment of sunset at Lan Ha Bay.
19:30: Enjoy a romantic dinner at the restaurant on Peony Cruise.
21:00: Enjoy the nightlife of the bay from the top deck. Immerse yourself in music, enjoying a glass of cocktail from the bar, watching famous films and relaxing on the cruise. Otherwise, you can fish squid with the sailors or simply relax in the room and watch the bay from the balcony.
Overnight on the cruise.
6:30-7:30: Breakfast is served at Peony Cruise Cruise restaurant.
8:00: Cruise will arrival Frog Pond area, in here you have kayaking and free to relax in the four-season mini pool on Lan Ha Bay - A silk ribbon made from green mountains, blue seas and diverse fauna and flora.
9:30: Checking out of the room. Then the lunch in the restaurant is ready for you, pay the extra fee (if any) at the reception while traveling to the port. Kindly needed to pay for the costs in charge of the front desk (if any) while traveling to the port.
11:15 - 11:30: Disembark and move back the port.
11h30 – 11h45: You are at Tuan Chau International Marina Station
Welcome by driver at the harbor then enjoy 2 and a half hour travel back to Hanoi on the new highway No5B crossing the Red River Delta and villages. Drop off at your hotel (in the Hanoi Old Quarter).
Kayaking was our favourite part of the trip. Very well organised tour and executed beyond perfection by our lovely tour guide. Very happy with our experience of a guided tour. The tour company went out of their way to make it an amazing experience for us.
Nov 28, 2022