Vietnam Adventure tours

Vietnam Adventure Tours - 9 Days /8Nights

Duration: 9 Days/ 8 Nights

Depart From: Hanoi

Destinations: Hanoi – Duong Lam – Halong Bay  

Description:

Brief Itinerary

Tour Dates	Destinations	Meals Included	Transportation
Day 1	Arrival Hanoi		Car pick up
Day 2	Hanoi – Ky Son – Moon Garden	B, L, D	By car
Day 3	Ky Son – Duong Lam – Hanoi	B, L	By car
Day 4	Hanoi City Tour – Lao Cai	B, L,D	By car + train
Day 5	Sapa – Cat Cat Village	B, L	By car
Day 6	Sapa – Bac Ha – Lao Cai – Hanoi	B, L	By car + train
Day 7	Hanoi – Halong Bay	B, L, D	By car + cruise
Day 8	Halong Bay – Hanoi	B, Br	By car + cruise
Day 9	Hanoi Departure	B	By car

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Hanoi

Upon arrival in Hanoi we will be met by our guides and transfer to our hotel then we are free time to relax. Overnight in Hanoi

Day 2: Hanoi - Ky Son – Moon Garden (B/L/D)

Today we will leave Hanoi at 8am to Moon Garden Homestay.

10:00 Arrive at Moon Garden Home stay in Ky Son village. Welcome drink with local fresh green tea. Free time for discovering Moon garden Home stay and Ky Son village by yourself (local market, kindergarten)

11:00 Cooking Class

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Hand Spa- Enjoy having your fingers dipped in a fragrant lime bowl and the traditional herbal hand massage

 Then, free time for relaxing or further conversation with the host family about local snacks, sharing cultures, and learning about traditional customs. If you want to learn Vietnamese, one of the family members can teach you.

15:00 Take a bicycle ride to discover the Ky Son, Tam Son, Van Minh, and Cham farming communities and stop at any home you like for a cup of tea. Visit the kindergarten (if open). Chat with local people about their daily life and farming.  You  can  help with  plowing  or  making  rice  beds, transplanting  seedlings,  harvesting  rice  (or cassava, corn, sweet  potatoes...) depending  on the  harvest season,  collecting tea  and all  medicinal herbs needed for your steam bath later in the afternoon and the foot “spa” in the late evening. 

17:30 Return to the Moon Garden for happy hour.  While waiting for your steam bath to be prepared, you can enjoy our  local  drink  and  taste  some  of  the  local  products  such  as  maize,  sweet  potato,  cassava,  peanuts…(depending on season) or some traditional desserts.

18:30 Traditional, refreshing steam bath with fragrant herbs (Lemon grass, pomelo leaves, holy basil leaves).

19:00 Observe the evening Buddha worship.

19:30  Dinner  then  enjoy  your  foot  bath  in  warm  water  with  ginger,  salt  and  mugwort  medicinal  herbs  before bedtime, which brings you a deeper sleep. Stay overnight in Moon Garden Village

Day 3: Ky Son – Duong Lam - Hanoi (B/L)

7:00 Joining Yijinjing traditional exercises

7:30 Breakfast

8:30 Bike ride along the ritual paths of Thang thac village with local guide to discover the Ngo Quyen tomb, Phung Hung temple, Duong Lam ancient village, and Mia pagoda. Then return to the house.

12:30 Lunch

13:30  Free time:  You  can  make yourself  at  home  relaxing on  the  hammock  in our  garden,  taking  pictures with Vietnamese traditional cloths and chatting with people or further discovery of the Ky Son village and around until your departure time for Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi

   

Day 4: Hanoi City Tour – Lao Cai (B/L/D)

We start our one day city tour from the lobby of the hotel at 8:30am with our tour guide & driver pick -up. We will drive to Ho Chi Minh Complex, where we will spend a couple of hour to visit: Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, his Former Stilt-house Residence, the Presidential Palace and One Pillar Pagoda. Keep going to see the Temple of Literature: Originally built as a temple to Confucius, this is the site of Vietnam's first university dating back to 1070. The temple highlights the importance that Vietnamese society placed then and now on education. Lunch will be at a fine local restaurant in Hanoi.

In the afternoon, we will visit one of the most interesting museums in Vietnam, Museum of Ethnology, which is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam's 54 Ethnic minority people. Following by that we will wander around the city by car to see the real life of Hanoi as well as the difference parts the city.

After that we get back to city center where we take one-hour cyclo around the Old Quarter, known as the 36 streets, this bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Before we have dinner, we will have chance to enjoy the unique Water Puppet show to hear to know Vietnamese traditional instruments and singing from the live musicians who play throughout the show. Finally we go to railway station for the train to Lao Cai. Overnight in Hanoi  

Notes:              
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum opening time: Open from Tuesday to Thursday and weekends from 8am to 11pm. Closed on Mondays and Fridays. The mausoleum is closed for two months of the year, usually October and November, when Ho Chi Minh’s body is maintenance.   Ethnology Museum is closed on Mondays.

Day 5: Sapa - Cat Cat Village  (B/L)

The tour guide will meet us at railway station and transfer us to have breakfast at a local restaurant. After having breakfast we are ready to explore Sapa town. We embark on a lovely walking tour to the hill tribe village of Cat Cat, home of the H'Mong hill tribe minority people. As we walk to the villages nestled in the valley below Sapa we will meet some of the local minority people on their way to and from Sapa. Here we have the opportunity to share cultural experiences with families that live in the area. Overnight at hotel in Sapa

Day 6: Sapa – Bac Ha – Lao Cai – Hanoi (B/L)

We have breakfast before travelling to Bac Ha, a small charming town characterized by its mild climate.

Depending on the date of arrival, visit Bac Ha market on Sunday, Can Cau market on Saturday or Sin Cheng market on Wednesday.

The markets feature local scenes that have been going on every week for generations, where cattle, buffalos, pigs, chickens, horses, goats and dogs as well as a variety of traditional goods like saddles and plowshares, along with elaborate textiles, handbags and other trinkets are bought and sold by the Flower Hmong.

In the afternoon, enjoy a trek through Ban Pho villages, located a few kilometers from the hotel. These villages are nestled into a cozy valley with a fascinating landscape. Finally we go to railway station for the train to Hanoi. Overnight on the train to Hanoi

Day 7: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B/L/D)

The tour guide will meet at railway station and take us to hotel to relax and have breakfast.

Our ourney to Ha Long Bay, the 8th wonder of the world at 8am. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the bay, filled with thousands of limestone karsts and verdant, monolithic isles, is truly a magical locale. Along the way, take in the rolling paddy fields and dramatic landscapes of the Red River Delta.

12h00: Arrive at Tuan Chau Wharf – Break and photo opportunities

12h30: Board Glory Cruises for departure. A welcome drink will be served

13h00: Lunch is served while cruising through the bay

15h30: Visit exciting Cua Van fishing village, the village is free from busy roads and streets, electric lights, houses and high rise buildings. Instead, there are only herds of little boats and rafts. You will have the chance to discover the traditional culture and customs of the fishermen.

Enjoy kayaking or swimming (if the weather permits).

16h30-17h00: Return to the boat and join cooking class by Glory Cruise’s Chef.

19h00: Dinner is served.

21h00: Leisure time to enjoy a chat around the bar or enjoy night fishing.

Relax and spend a romantic night on Glory Cruise

Day 8: Halong Bay - Hanoi (B/L)

06h30: Coffee, tea and breakfast pastries served in the dining room.

7h00: Enjoy Tai Chi instruction on the sundeck (duration about 30 minutes).

08h15: Visit splendid Sung Sot Cave

09h00: Check out and enjoy a fantastic cruise on the bay, passing Dinh Huong Island, fishing villages, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island and Sail Island.

09.30: Buffet brunch (breakfast/lunch) while cruising back through Halong Bay to the pier

11h30: Arrive at the pier. Time to say goodbye to the crew

12h00: Drive from Halong to Hanoi.

14h00: Stopover in Dong Trieu town to visit a Ceramics workshop.

16.00: Arrive in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi

Day 9: Hanoi Departure (B)

We have time at leisure to do some last minute shopping before we bid Vietnam goodbye and transfer to the airport for our flight home. End of services!

Price Inclusions:

• Entrance Fees: To scenic spots as listed in the itinerary.
• Meals: Vietnamese Normal Food - All meals as specified in the itinerary.
• Private Transfers: Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing by private air conditioned vehicle with a driver and English-speaking guide (as listed above).
• Guide: As outlined in the itinerary an English-speaking guide and driver will be provided in each city they will remain with you throughout your time in that city.
• Hotels: Hotel fees are based on two people sharing one room with Double/Twin beds.
  All hotels as listed in the above itinerary serve daily Western or Vietnamese breakfast. All rooms are air-conditioned with private facilities unless specified.
• Boat cruise 2 days 1 night
• Ticket train Hanoi – Lao Cai – Hanoi
• Homestay in Moon Garden
• Daily bottle of mineral water
• Service Charge & Government Taxes

Price Exclusions:

• Excess Baggage Charges. Passengers holding an adult fare or half fare ticket are entitled to a free baggage allowance of 20kg, for economy class. Total weight of carryon baggage for each passenger may not exceed 5kg. The size may not exceed 20x40x 55cm.
• Personal Expenses: Expenses of a purely personal nature such as laundry, drinks, fax, telephone calls, optional activities, sightseeing or meals which are not included in the tour itinerary.
• Domestic & international flight with tax airport
• Single Room Supplement