Vietnam Adventure

VIETNAM ADVENTURE

Day 1      Arrive in Hanoi

Arrive in Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi, you are meet and warm welcome. Transfer to the centrally located hotel for check-in and free at your leisure. Accommodation in Hanoi

Note: Early check in is due to the availability of hotel. Normal check in time is at 14.00

Accommodation: La Dolce Vita Hotel/ Superior room

Day 2 Hanoi visiting and street food tour

Breakfast – Lunch

This day tour is our first introduction to the history of Vietnam. We spend the morning visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and learn more about the historical and cultural events at the peaceful Temple of Literature. In the afternoon, we visit the Ethnologic museum, followed by an hour cyclo tour through the bustling Old Quarter. A walk through its exciting streets is a fascinating introduction to the different lifestyles of Vietnam, and an opportunity to shop for bargains. After that, we attend the performance of the unique water puppetry. End your day by a street food tour and enjoy street foods tastings experience starts with many of Hanoi’s specialties. We are open for you to discuss with our guide about the kinds of food based on your interests. At the end of the tour, you can enjoy a Vietnamese egg coffee or a glass of draught beer. Free at leisure for the remainder of the afternoon and accommodation in Hanoi

Accommodation: La Dolce Vita Hotel/ Superior room

Tips: Hochiminh Mausoleum is closed on Monday and Friday and from September to November

All Museums are closed on Mondays

Day 3      Hanoi – Hoa Lu – Trang An World Heritage Site – Hanoi

Breakfast + Lunch

We leave Hanoi by road for Trang An Wolrd Heritage Site. It takes around 3 hours to arrive in Trang An and you have a good chance to see the landscapes along the road. Upon arrival at Trang An boat operation station, you will get on a small sampan boat and enjoy 3 hour row on a little river which goes through many small limestone caves. This is a very interesting discovery! The scenery is spectacular as you are rowing in between the towering karst formations of this newly recognized Unesco’s heritage. After the row, your lunch is served at a local restaurant where you will enjoy a Vietnamese meal with the local specialties.

After lunch, we take a bicycle through picturesque landscapes of rice fields, limestone mountains and countryside’s villages to Hoa Lu which is the Ancient Royal capital of Viet Nam. Here you will visit two temples dedicated to Dinh and Le Kings. Finish your day tour and transfer back to your hotel in Hanoi

in the evening, we will transfer to the station to take the night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train

Accommodation: La Dolce Vita Hotel/ Superior room

Day 4      Hanoi – Sapa – Lao Chai – Ta Van village

Breakfast + Lunch

After breakfast at your hotel, our guide and driver will pick you up and transfer to Sapa. It takes around 5 hours by driving from Hanoi through the nice landscape. Arrival in Sapa, check in hotel and have lunch at local restaurant.

After lunch, continue on your trip with Muong Hoa valley. This is the biggest valley and it offers the best scenery of rice terraces. We trek deeper into the mountains to Lao Chai village where you can see H’mong minority dressed in the traditional costume that is unique to the Northern region. Witness a truly simple but traditional way of life that exists as it has done for centuries. We tour their villages and traditional houses surrounded by the unspoilt beauty of nature as well as enjoying the hill tribe hospitality. Continuing on, we visit Ta Van village – the village of Zay minority. Get picked up after 2, 5 hour at Ta Van village and drive uphill back to the town for free time and accommodation at hotel in Sapa

Day 5 Sapa – Bac Ha Sunday Market – Hanoi                                  

Breakfast + Lunch

Take the early morning drive to attend Bac Ha colorful market on Sunday. This market is organized by and for minority people in this mountainous areas where people come to sell, buy, meet friends and even find their partner. Here, you’ll see the Flower Hmong, the Phu La, the Dao, the Tay, the Nung… Many hill tribe groups gather around. It is an awesome experience of seeing colors, understanding traditions and feeling the atmosphere. The market offers a variety of local products includes colorful embroidery, handicrafts and all types of daily necessary stuffs. Here is also available with animal market where people sell and buy or barter animal such as dogs, pot-bellied pigs, cows, buffalos and so on. Take time to walk to some nearby villages and enjoy the daily life of local people. After lunch, we will drive back to Hanoi. Accommodation in Hanoi

Accommodation: La Dolce Vita Hotel/ Superior room

Day 6      Hanoi – Ha Long Bay (overnight cruise)

Breakfast + lunch – Dinner

Arrive in Hanoi Station in early morning and meet our guide and driver and then transfer to a mini hotel for refreshment and breakfast. Then, we will depart for Ha Long Bay, listed as a World Heritage Area of outstanding natural beauty. Driving through the heart of the Red River Delta where you will see many farmers tilling their green fields, stop on route to admire the landscape picture, you might take picture of buffalo. Ha Long Bay means “Dragon descending to the sea” as it is known in Vietnamese, picturesque Ha Long bay has more than 1.000 limestone islets rising from the sea, many of them containing beautiful grottoes.  Arrive in Ha Long and board the cruise. You will have a full day activities on Ha Long Bay include visiting the floating village, nice cave, demonstration cooking class… Dinner and overnight on cruises.

Note: Each cruise will have the different itineraries. The itineraries of cruises may be changed due to the weather and the water condition

Accommodation: V’Spirit Cruises

Day 7      Ha Long Bay – Hanoi

Breakfast – Brunch

Weak up in early morning and you can enjoy in the Taichi Exercise. Han a light breakfast with cake, tea and maybe noodle. Continue to explore Ha Long Bay following the program of cruise. Back to cruise, check out and have brunch. Disembark the cruises and take the private car back to Hanoi. Have free time at your leisure to do some last shopping there. Accommodation in Hanoi

Accommodation: La Dolce Vita Hotel/ Superior room

Day 8      Hanoi – Quang Binh – Phong Nha

Breakfast

Pick up from your hotel in Hanoi and transfer to airport by a private car to take a short flight to Dong Hoi  – Quang Binh Province. Arrival in Quang Binh, you are warm welcome and transfer to hotel for check in. Free at your leisure and accommodation in Phong Nha

Day 9: Phong Nha – Hang Nuoc Nut – Hang Va Jungle Camp

Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

For your convenience, we will pick you up at your hotel in Phong Nha between 8:00 – 8:30 AM and drive to the meeting point. From here, you will collect your gear and listen to a tour briefing before driving 45 minutes through the National Part to the trailhead.

From the trailhead, we will enter the jungle and hike to the entrance of Hang Nuoc Nut. Here we put on our Petzl helmets and Hope Technology 1500 lumen head lamps. Once inside the low opening the cave enlarges dramatically and we explore the high level series with excellent photographic opportunities. We have a picnic lunch with ice cold drinks provided before setting off in the cave for around 2 kilometres. Enjoy the beautiful formations, enormous passage and Underground River, again with many photographic opportunities.

Leaving the cave you will trek on a jungle path which though short is on a tough and difficult terrain. The jungle campsite is located at the base of huge cliffs next to the entrance of Hang Va. Camp will be set up and tea/coffee will be supplied as well as a delicious dinner served by our local chef. This is a true jungle camp and a great experience around camp fire listening to the jungle noises.

Day 10: Hang Va – Phong Nha

Breakfast + Lunch

That day is the highlight of the expedition. Before experiencing this fantastic cave, Hang Va, you will have a delicious breakfast at around 8:00 am.

First, you will have to climb down the steep entrance of Hang Va. It can be quite slippery, so move slowly and with care. To ensure your safety, we will have a rope for you to clip into with a harness which will be provided for you. You will continue to wear the harness at all times inside Hang Va Cave.

After that, if we are early, there is a chance to swim in a downstream pool inside Hang Va before heading upstream. You will walk most of the time in water flowing through the river passage, climb up and down, and squeeze between the rocks. The water level of the river passage can be as high as chest level, so be ready to be wet for about 4 hours.

When you reach the end of the wet passage, you will need to use the harness again to carefully climb up to the high level passage. You will be amazed with this high level area because of its stunning formations, really rare throughout the world. In this area, we will have a lot of time to take beautiful images with the support of Hope technology and extra lights prepared specifically for photography in Hang Va Cave.

Finally, we will head back to the camp, enjoy lunch and at around 2:00 pm, walk back to the road by a different route to the pick up point. Our driver will take you back to your hotel in Phong Nha by about 5:00 pm. Free t your leisure and overnight at hotel

Day 11: Phong Nha – Dong Hoi – Hanoi

Breakfast              

Free at your leisure until time transfer to airport to take a short flight back to Hanoi and then you can connect to your departure flight to your home. End of our service

Take note:

• Adventure Level: Moderate (level 4) for physically active guests
• Availability: 3 departures / week
• Small Group Tours: 2 – 8 people
• Minimum Age: 16 years old

Included:

– 10 nights accommodation (8 nights at hotel and 01 night on cruises, 1 night on Camp) as noted with daily breakfasts

– All meals as indicated in program (excluding drinks)

– Private modern transportation throughout the tour.

– Boat cruises in Trang An

– Entrance fees as stated in the tour program.

– Local good and experience English speaking guide

Complimentary:

– Approval visa letter to entry Vietnam (not included the visa fee at 25.00/ pax which will be paid directly at the airport)

– Mineral water and tissue during day-tours

Excluded:

– International ticket in/ out Vietnam

– Domestic tickets Hanoi – Dong Hoi – Hanoi

– Any meals, drinks other than specified.

– Tip and personal expenses.