Group of Enrico de Conto

They are very professional and they’ve helped us well arrange the trip.

Lam and his co-workers have well-organizing skills about the country and can also suggest where to go if you want to escape from the confusion and avoid the great crowds of tourists.

Lam let me to drink a beer in Hanoi, talking to him is very enjoyable. If you are passion with photography, he will also be able to give you many interesting tips.

Group of:  Mr Enrico De Conto

Travel Date: 19/7/2014 – 13/8/2014

DETAILED ITINERARY 

Day 1:  HANOI  ARRIVAL  (-/-/-)

Upon your arrival, your guide and driver would be ready to welcome you right at the arrival lounge of Noi Bai international airport. Your guide would debrief for you about the whole trip itinerary, and eager to respond to all of your wonderings.

Day 2: HANOI  VISIT  (B/-/-)                                                                         

Breakfast at your hotel.

You would have the full day to explore the charm of Vietnam’s capital.  

Morning:

9 am: Your guide and driver would wait for you at the lounge of the hotel.

You would be taken to highlight sites of Hanoi: the Presidential Palace (formerly Palace of the Governor-General of French Indochina), Ho Chi Minh house-on-stilt, One-Pillar Pagoda. You may also have chance to visit Vietnam’s very first university dated back in the 11th century. It is well-known in Vietnam for a combination of Confucian sanctuary and academy clearly proved by stone tablets which you may see.

Afternoon:

After having lunch at a nice restaurant, upon your request, we would plan to visit Hanoi History Museum or the Museum of Ethnology – the space just for you to spot past events and turning points of Vietnam people along with the identity of 54 recognized ethnic groups of this S-shaped country.

Following by the Old Quarter Walking tour, you would have time at Café Giang  for some bitter sweet coffee, enjoying the local life at the oldest home-made coffee brand in Hanoi.

The day ended up with a Water Puppet Show which had been maintained there in Vietnam for around 1000 years.

Day 3: HANOI – MAI CHAU  (B/L/D)                                                      

Pick up at your hotel and leave at 8:00 this morning. The road from Hanoi to Hoa Binh on highway 6 has been upgraded. The pretty landscape is dotted with churches, pagodas and villages. You will stop to visit the Muong tribe en-route, then another break at Thung Khe Pass for the spectacular view of Mai Chau valley. Overnight in Mai Hich

Have lunch in Mai Chau. Spend the afternoon for trekking away from the tourist track, close to Song Ma River. Here, you will discover the beauty of this valley and the culture of Thai people who is living in this area. 

Day 4: MAI CHAU – PU LUONG (-/L/D)

Breakfast at homestay and transfer to Pu Luong for trekking

Day 5: MAI CHAU – BIKING – HANOI (B/-/-)

Breakfast at homestay and you will visit local market

Day 6: HANOI FREE TIME – TRAIN TO LAO CAI(B/-/-)

Free time in Hanoi.

In the afternoon transfer to Lao Cai to catch your train to Lao Cai.  

Day 7: SAPA– Y LINH HO – LAO CHAI– TA VAN (-/L/D)

Arriving in the early morning at Lao Cai station, you would be on a scenic drive to Sapa after the short breakfast at the downtown. You may be catching some wow moments along the way by witnessing spectacular views of rice-terraced mountains besides with hill tribe people (Black H’Mong and Red Dao) walking along the side with unique colorful wares. Then checking in at the hotel, there would be a short walking tour to the market to catch up with the local life of ethnic people from faraway villages converging there. Lunch would be at your own arrangement.

Your guide would wait to see you to start the trekking along the vast Muong Hoa valley with terraced fields lying on, heading to Lao Chai and Ta Van villages of H’mong and Tay people. Here, there are 3 options for you: the soft trek (at only 3 km), medium trek (around 6 km) or long trek (nearly 12 km). For each, you would have chance to imbue the well-preserved unique culture and traditions of the north ethnic minorities.

Day 8:  TA VAN – GIANG TA CHAI – SU PAN – SAPA (-/L/D)

14 km to visit 2 villages of  Dzao and H’mong ( Giang Ta Chai & Su Pan) .

Day 9: BAC HA MARKET – STATION – TRAIN TO HANOI

Breakfast at hotel and transfer to Bac Ha (100 km – 3h). You will visit Bac Ha market which is held only on Sundays. At the market, ethnic minorities Mong Fiore, Dzao Nero and Nung gather to exchange goods. After that you will be waiting for a boat ride along the Chay River to admire the beautiful and exciting landscapes. A brief trekking to Ban Pho and return Lao Cai to catch train to Hanoi.

Day 10: HANOI ARRIVAL – FREE TIME

Tour photo Hanoi with Mr Lam

Day 11: HANOI – PROFUME PAGODA – HANOI (B/L/-)   

Our guide & driver will pick you up at your hotel in Ha Noi Old Quater, Then take 2 hours road trip. Then you take row-boat trip to go visit that land on the Yen stream “romantic time” about 1 hour to Thien Tru harbour. Then you will enjoy time to trekking go up and down visit the main cave so nice~ step by step you will arrive Huong Tich cave on the top of the mountain. To see Golden-Silver tree~ rice stuck….One hour down. Have lunch at bottom mountain in restaurant beside. After lunch time, you will see the Heaven Kitchen pagoda and to know about Buddhism ancient architectural at Le Dynasty. Then you will come back by row-boattrip and 2 hour road trip to Hanoi and arrive at about 18h00. 

Day 12: HANOI – HA LONG BAY  (B/L/-)    

Morning

Your driver and guide would see you at the station then take you to an restaurant for breakfast, before setting out on a 3.5 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay. Then you would have 24 hours on a traditional style Vietnamese Junk Cruise which would set sail at noon and board your junk. Lunch with diversified fresh seafood would be served on board.

Afternoon

Aboard the cruise, you would take time to visit several highlight locations:

• 3 largest caves: Thien Cung, Dau Go, Sung Sot
• Titop beach for swimming (weather permit) or being on the deck for sunbathing
• Nearby summits where you can take short trekking to watch over the bay from the high.

Back on the junk, the stunning sunset time is on your view and a dinner awaits with cocktails available for purchase from the bar. Passing the night on your junk, the gentle rocking of calm waters will lull you to sleep.

Day 13: CAT BA NATIONAL PARK – MONKEY ISLAND  (B/L/D)

Breakfast at your hotel.Transfer to Cat Ba National Park for trekking.

Day 14: CAT BA –BAI TU LONG – HANOI (B/L/-)

Breakfast at your hotel.Transfer to Cat Ba village. Dopo il pranzo, you will return to Hanoi

Day 15: HANOI – HOA LU – TAM COC – HANOI (B/L/-)       

Often referred to as “Inland Ha Long Bay ”, the area of Tam Coc and Hoa Lu is characterised by the limestone geology that gives rise to the towering karsts that make this picturesque area so unique. On this enjoyable day trip, the atmosphere is relaxed as you casually pedal and paddle your way past green rice fields, along waterways and through underground passages.

8.00 AM leave Hanoi by coach to Hoa Lu (2.5 hrs). Visit the historic capital of Viet Nam and the famous ancient temples of Le and The Dinh Dynasties. Bus transfer or cycle for an hour on picturesque quiet roads through villages, rice fields, rivers and rocky outcrops to Tam Coc (12km) for lunch. 

Boat trip to visit TamCoc to see the beauty of the karst formations as you pass along their base and row into one of the many caves carved through the limestone. Dive back to Ha Noi. Tour ends around 6pm.

 Day 16: HANOI FREE TIME – BUS TO HUE  (B/-/-)                            

Free time in Hanoi and transfer to Hue by bus.

Day 17: HUE ARRIVAL – FREE TIME (B/-/-)        

Free time in Hue

Day 18: HUE FREE TIME – HOI AN  (B/-/-)                           

Free time in Hue and transfer to Hoi An in the afternoon.

Day 19: HOI AN FREE TIME (B/-/-)                            

Free time in Hoi An

Day 20: HOI AN FREE TIME (B/-/-)

Free time in Hoi An

Day 21: HOI AN – DA NANG – FLIGHT TO SAIGON (B/-/-)

Free time in Hoi An and transfer to Da Nang for your flight to Saigon.

Day 22: SAIGON – TAY NINH – CU CHI TUNNELS (B/L/-)

Morning depart for Tay Ninh, the head quarter of Cao Dai religion. On arrival we will have time to visit the impressive Holy Temple of Caodaism, the famous local religion that is the symbol of the curious combination of the Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity and Buddhism before attending the fantastic mid-day mass. After having lunch in local restaurant, drive to Cu Chi, the famous network of tunnels were used as the base from which the Vietnamese mounted their operations of the Tet Offensive in 1968. The Cu Chi Tunnels consist of more than 250 km of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels, the tunnels are between 0.5 to 1m wide, just enough for a person to crawl along. Transfer back to Saigon Ho Chi Minh City. 

Day 23: SAIGON – MY THO – BEN TRE – CAN THO  

07:30AM; pick-up at your hotel then drive to My Tho, crossing Rach Mieu Bridge to Ben Tre where you will board the boat at Ham Luong river (a branch of the Mekong) and stop off at various local workplaces to give you a picture of how the local economy works, including a brickworks, where bricks are still painstakingly made by hand;  a coconut processing workshop, where you can sample fresh coconut and see how every single part of this versatile nut is turned into food and other products; and a mat weaving house, where straw mats are woven using a hand loom – you can even have a go at weaving yourself!

The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life, before boarding your Xe Loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) and traveling into the forest where you can visit fruit orchards before stopping at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch, featuring such local specialties as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp, washed down with some cold drinks or beers. It’s time to board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. Take boat back to pier and transfer to Can Tho. 

Day 24: CAN THO – TRA SU – CHAU DOC (B/-/-)

Early in the morning, after breakfast, you will enjoy a pleasant boat ride to explore one of the tributaries of Low Mekong (the Bassac River), then go to the Cai Rang floating market, which is perhaps the most lively in the region. Have you ever tasted the typical Vietnamese vermicelli soup? Well, now you can see how it prepares. Then you can go for the villages to get to know the local friendly locals and experience the experience of crossing the “Monkey Bridge”, built entirely of bamboo roots. Visit a garden of orchids and stop for lunch. Proceeding for Chau Doc, it continues with a visit to the Wild Bird Sanctuary of Tra Su, gently sailing with a small boat through the canals immersed in the forest, observing storks, cranes and other tropical birds. During the return visit there will be a visit to the Sam Mountain and, if the weather permits, to the Hang Pagoda. Arrival at Chau Doc and check in at the hotel.

Day 25: CHAU DOC – SAIGON (B/-/-)

Breakfast at your hotel. Boat transfer to visit Cham village and  fishing village.

Return to Saigon. 

Day 26: SAIGON DEPARTURE

Transfer to airport for your flight to Italy.