THANK FOR YOUR INTEREST
We will contact you soon. How shall we contact you?
Or
Leave us you email
We will contact with you soon. How can we contact you?
HIGHLIGHTS
- Complete discovery of North Vietnam
- Local immersion
- Exploration of exceptional natural sites
- Balanced pace
- Charming accommodations
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi
Stops: Hanoi
Self-guided – With transportation
Welcome at Hanoi Airport by your driver who will be waiting for you in the departure hall with a sign with your name on it, then transfer and check-in at the hotel. (Rooms available from 2:00 PM)
(OPTION: Early Check-In, subject to availability)
Hanoi is a veritable museum of colonial architecture on the banks of the Red River. As the capital of a unified Vietnam, Hanoi has retained the old-fashioned charm of the French colonial era. The modernization of the city undertaken by the French starting in 1882 continued until 1955, and the face of Hanoi today has not changed much.
Remainder of the day free at leisure.
Meals at your leisure.
Overnight at BBespoke Trendy Hotel Hanoi
Day 2: Hanoi at your own pace
Stops: Hanoi
Without an English-speaking guide – Without transportation.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Free day to relax and enjoy activities at your leisure.
Meals not included.
Overnight at BBespoke Trendy Hotel Hanoi
Day 3: Hanoi – The Capital’s Must-Sees
Stops: Hanoi
With an English-speaking guide – With transportation.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Early wake-up call for a unique insight into local life at dawn. Walk (approximately 2 km) with your guide from your hotel to the Restored Sword Lake. Enjoy a typical breakfast at a street restaurant to taste the famous Pho, a rice noodle soup made with beef or chicken broth. Then, finish your tour with another must-try: Cafe Trung (hot coffee served with egg foam).
Then, enjoy a pedicab ride through the bustling streets of the old guild district, around the Lake of the Restored Sword.
You will continue with a visit to the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius and scholars, which was Vietnam’s first university.
A typical lunch of Hanoi specialties at a local Bun Cha restaurant.
In the afternoon, you will continue your discovery of Hanoi with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (exterior) with its stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda.
Then, continue your orientation tour of the city, including the must-see attractions: Ba Dinh Square, the Presidential Palace, the Ambassadors’ Quarter, the Opera House, Long Bien Bridge (formerly Paul Doumer Bridge), the Flag Tower, and the remains of the ancient Citadel.
At the end of your visits, enjoy free time for shopping at Dong Xuan Market.
Dinner at your leisure.
Overnight at BBespoke Trendy Hotel Hanoi.
Day 4: Ky Son Village
Stops: Ky Son
With English-speaking guide – With transportation. Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure to Ky Son village near Hanoi (approximately 1:00-1:30). Arrival at the village and Moon Garden Lodge. Green tea tasting as a welcome drink.
Introduction to local cuisine with a cooking class led by your chef. Lunch of dishes prepared by you.
Take time for a walk or bike ride through the surrounding villages (approximately 2.5 hours) to meet the locals. Depending on the season and harvest, you may be able to participate in agricultural activities with the farmers (plowing the soil, planting rice or corn seeds, harvesting, etc.). Then, return to your lodge. Relax and unwind with a cup of tea while soaking your feet in a hot bath made with medicinal herbs and plants.
Dinner on site.
Overnight stay in a traditional house with a private room (Moon Garden).
Day 5: Mai Chau – a region of great beauty
Stops: Mai Chau
With English-speaking guide – With transportation. Breakfast at the lodge.
Check-out then departure for Mai Chau (approximately 140 km, 3.5 hours), located in Hoa Binh province; a region of great beauty, with lush crops and great biodiversity, stretching southwest. The region is blessed with rich forests, limestone landscapes offering vast panoramas, and magnificent terraces, sites of surprising life. It’s ideal to explore it by hiking through enchanting hills and picturesque villages of the Thai or Muong ethnic groups. Arrival at the Mai Chau Ecolodge.
Asian Menu lunch served by hotel staff.
In the afternoon, enjoy a bike ride or a walk with your guide, crossing rice fields and hillsides dotted with stilt houses. The itinerary can be customized according to your wishes and your guide’s suggestions: visit the villages where the White Thai minority live; an opportunity to meet the local people. These people live in bamboo or wooden stilt houses surrounded by hurdles or planks. Agriculture plays an important role in daily life. They plant rice, corn, sweet potatoes, cotton, indigo, cucurbits, beans, and more on terraced fields.
Then free time.
Asian menu dinner served by hotel staff.
Overnight at Mai Chau Ecolodge
Day 6: Between Rice Fields and Nature
Stops: Pu Luong
With English-speaking guide – With transportation. Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure for the Pu Luong Nature Reserve.
A region of incredible beauty with lush green landscapes (depending on the season) and rich biodiversity, stretching from Mai Chau in the northwest to Cuc Phuong National Park in the southeast. The region boasts rich forests, limestone landscapes offering vast panoramas, magnificent terraces, and surprising scenes of life.
Upon arrival, transfer directly to your host family’s home for a local lunch served on site by members of your host family.
In the afternoon, embark on a beautiful hike of approximately 3 hours. You will begin by taking a pretty path through the rice fields (depending on the season) to reach the villages of Ban Uoi and Ban Don. Halfway along the way, enjoy breathtaking views of the rice terraces. Then, continue for about twenty minutes to reach the picturesque village of Kho Muong.
NOTE: For this activity, wear suitable walking shoes.
Return to your host’s home for the evening in their traditional stilt house.
Dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight at Pu Luong Natura Bungalows.
Day 7: Halong Bay on Land
Stops: Ninh Binh
With English-speaking guide – With transportation. Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure for Ninh Binh, also known as “Halong Bay on Land.”
The road is lined with mountains and rice fields. You then enter one of the most bucolic landscapes in northern Vietnam. Ninh Binh province is nicknamed “Halong Bay on Land” due to its similarities to Halong Bay. It is home to several sites, including Trang An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Arrival at Tam Coc village in Ninh Binh province.
Lunch at a restaurant with a tasting of local specialties featuring grilled goat meat. Visit the Bich Dong Pagoda (Jade Pagoda), a sanctuary built into the heart of the rock. It houses three small, ancient pagodas built in the early 18th century on three different floors. From the top, you’ll enjoy a magnificent view of the fields and surrounding countryside.
Transfer to the hotel in the mid-afternoon and check-in to your room to enjoy the swimming pool.
Dinner at your leisure.
Overnight at Hidden Charm Resort.
Day 8: Ninh Binh and Surrounding Area
Stops: Ninh Binh
With English-speaking guide – With transportation. Breakfast at the hotel.
A day dedicated to exploring the marvelous “Ha Long Bay on land.” In the morning, free time to relax.
Then, transfer to Van Long village for a splendid scooter ride (you will be driven) along the path that crosses between gigantic karst gables and rice fields.
During the walk, you will visit a local family where you will meet the villagers and participate in daily activities such as working in the fields, collecting eggs, feeding the fish, etc.
Continue the walk to another family where you will be introduced to a cooking class with your chef.
Lunch of dishes prepared by you.
After lunch, continue your tour to the Van Long Nature Reserve where you will enjoy a beautiful 2-hour sampan ride on the clear waters through the marshes to admire this beautiful, picturesque natural setting.
Return to your hotel for a well-deserved break.
Dinner at your leisure.
Overnight at Hidden Charm Resort.
Day 9: Visit to Cuc Phuong National Park.
Stops: Cuc Phuong
With English-speaking guide – With transportation. Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning, depart for Cuc Phuong National Park, one of the most picturesque landscapes in northern Vietnam. Along the way, you’ll cross a road lined with mountains and rice paddies.
Created in 1962 under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh, Cuc Phuong is Vietnam’s first national park. It is home to exceptional biodiversity, with a wide variety of flora and fauna, as well as traces of human habitation dating back 7,000 to 12,000 years. Today, it plays a key role as a research and conservation center for endangered species.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, depart for a walk through the jungle, where you can discover:
- A medicinal plant nursery,
- Trees with precious wood,
- The primate rescue center, dedicated to the protection and rehabilitation of endangered species.
You will then continue your tour of the national park with your guide before returning to your hotel in the mid-afternoon.
Dinner at your leisure.
Overnight at Hidden Charm Resort
Day 10: Lan Ha Bay
Stops: Lan Ha Bay
With local English-speaking guide – With transportation. Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure for Lan Ha Bay.
Lan Ha Bay is one of the most beautiful bays in Vietnam. It is located south of its sister island, Ha Long Bay, and east of Cat Ba Island, the largest island in the region. It is a calm, arc-shaped bay. It is home to 400 islands and islets emerging from the sea, creating several beautiful coves. The scenery is breathtaking. Some people consider Lan Ha Bay even more magnificent than Ha Long Bay. Unlike Ha Long Bay, all the islands and islets in Lan Ha Bay are covered with a very rich layer of vegetation.
While there are very few beaches in Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay has 139 almost deserted ones. Board your junk around noon and settle into your cabin. Welcome drink followed by lunch on board.
Visit a natural cave. Superb panoramic view of the bay at sunset. Possible activities on board the junk:
You can try your hand at squid fishing. You’ll feel like a real fisherman. The junk crew will give you some tips, and then you can enjoy the squid cooked after fishing.
Relaxation and relaxation on deck: Relax on deck admiring the beauty of Halong Bay or watching the dawn and dusk over the bay. Sunrise and sunset over the bay will be unforgettable moments.
Kayaking is available (1 kayak for 2 people) depending on the weather. The water in the bay is quite warm even in winter, so kayaking is a pleasant experience all year round. Try to keep your balance and move around; it’s a beautiful adventure amidst a magical landscape.
Dinner and overnight stay aboard Peony Cruise
Day 11: Cat Ba
Stops: Cat Ba
With local English-speaking guide – With transportation
Breakfast on board
Tai Chi initiation on board at sunrise, a Chinese martial art that helps increase strength and muscle tone and reduce stress.
Continue your cruise and enjoy brunch on board, equivalent to your lunch.
NOTE: The itinerary and bay tours are subject to change according to the schedule of each confirmed junk, depending on the tide and weather conditions.
Disembarkation and transfer to Cat Ba.
You will arrive in Cat Ba in the early afternoon and settle into your hotel. Your stay in Cat Ba begins.
Meals at your leisure.
Overnight at Flamingo Cat Ba Resort.
Days 12 to 13: Free time in Cat Ba
Stops: Cat Ba
Without guide – Without transportation. Breakfast at the hotel.
Free day to explore Cat Ba and its beaches or participate in excursions offered by the hotel (additional charge).
Meals not included.
Overnight at Flamingo Cat Ba Resort
Day 14: Departure from Hanoi
Without guide – With transportation.
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the afternoon, depart for Hanoi via Hai Phong.
Then, you will head to Hanoi Airport for your return flight (flight and time to be indicated). End of service.
| DAY | ITINERARY |
| Day 1 | HANOI |
| Day 2 | HANOI |
| Day 3 | HANOI |
| Day 4 | HANOI |
| Day 5 | HUYEN MAI CHAU |
| Day 6 | PU LUONG |
| Day 7 | NINH BINH |
| Day 8 | NINH BINH |
| Day 9 | NINH BINH |
| Day 10 | NINH BINH |
| Day 11 | BAIE DE LAN HA |
| Day 12 to 13 | CAT BA |
| Day 14 | HANOI |
Q&A
Official Language: Vietnamese
Capital: Hanoi
Surface: 330 967 km2
Population: 97 338 579 (in 2020)
Political System: Republic Single-party communist state
Currency: Đồng (VND)
Telephone code: +84
The specificity of Vietnamese cuisine is based on mixtures of herbs and spices that are not found anywhere else, as well as on cooking methods and a set of eating habits specific to the Vietnamese people. Vietnamese cuisine is a little-known cuisine compared to other Asian cuisines such as Chinese, Japanese or Thai cuisine. The cuisine offered by the Vietnamese hostess must be both an expression of her respect for the guests and a demonstration of her propensity to work.
Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia, surrounded to the west by Laos and Cambodia and to the north by China. It is bordered by the China Sea, Gulf of Tonkin and Gulf of Thailand. It has a surface area of 331,212 km2. Its maritime border is 3,260 km long. Vietnam is made up of three large regions, called Bộ:
In the North (Tonkin or Bắc Bộ), with Hanoi and Hai phong as main cities
In the Center (Annam or Trung Bộ), with Hué and Danang (former Tourane) as its main cities;
In the South (Cochinchina or Nam Bộ) with Hô Chi Minh City (former Saigon) and Can Tho as its main cities
No vaccination is required. However, it is recommended to protect yourself against hepatitis A and B (ask your doctor for advice). We advise you to bring your own:
of a broad-spectrum antibiotic;
of your usual medications if you are undergoing treatment;
an anti-diarrheal and an intestinal antiseptic (Intetrix, Immodium…);
a protective cream against mosquitoes;
moisturizing sunscreen, lip stick;
a healing ointment and a local antiseptic.
Water is not drinkable in Southeast Asia. Avoid tap water, require bottled water. It is harmless and safe to brush your teeth, but do not drink it.
Vietnamese (in Vietnamese: Tiếng Việt) is the official language of Vietnam. It belongs to the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austro-Asian languages. It is the Austro-Asian language with the most speakers (about ten times more than the second, Khmer). It is an insulating and monosyllabic language, with a 6-tone system. It is the mother tongue of about 85% of Vietnam’s population2, as well as of about two million migrants. Some 1,000 years of Chinese occupation have led to the adoption of a large number of words transcribed from Chinese and the old sinogram writing (the Chữ nôm now abandoned).
MINI GLOSSARY
Hello : Xin chào
Good Bye : Tạm biết
Thank you (so much): Cảm ơn (nhiều)
Can i have the bill ? : Tính tiền
How much does it cost ? : Giá bảo nhiều ?
I don’t understand : Tôi không hiểu
My name is : Tôi tên là …
Where are the toilets? : Nhà về sinh ở đầu ?
220V with several possible socket types: two flat plugs, two round plugs or three plugs. Plan to bring a universal adapter. Power cuts are frequent, but most hotels have their own generators.
On your way, you will often have the opportunity to meet local people. Wherever you are, be discreet and humble. The multiplicity of cultures and traditions means that certain attitudes are perceived differently in different countries. To avoid being disrespectful, take the time to understand the people you meet, take the time to make connections. There too, listen to the advice of your guide! He knows better than anyone the behaviors to avoid or adopt.
For example, if you want to take a picture of someone, always ask them for permission. The best way for acceptance is to have established a prior contact. Similarly, do not distribute gifts at all … This often encourages children to beg, to avoid this kind of drift, it is better to refer to the local structures competent (donate to school, hospital, village chief etc.). Finally, be careful not to wear too light clothing (short shorts, cleavage …) and avoid exuberant behavior.