Family Adventure in The North of Vietnam

VIETNAM FAMILY ADVENTURE – EXPLORING THE NORTH OF VIETNAM

With:     Ms.Lyn Goodwind and Family (4 persons)

Travel date: 24/12/11 – 07/01/12
Travel style: Family Adventure

Day 1: 24/12/11 | Singapore – Hanoi
Singapore Airlines  SQ176 from Singapore  arriving 24/12/11 at 12:05 pm.
Welcome to Vietnam with special Vietnam family adventure. You can join and mingle with Vietnam children, take a part in English class at Sapa Ochau Org, explore the life of Hmong children ..etc…

Hotel in Hanoi: Chezlinhlinh Family Room

Day 2:  25/12/11 | Hanoi Free time
Suggestion what to do in Hanoi

1. Museum of Ethnology
2. Lenin Park
3. Old Quater of Hanoi

Hotel in Hanoi: Chezlinhlinh Family Room

Day 3: 26/12/11 | Hanoi – Ha Long
7.30-7.45 AM:  Our bus or private car will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter
12.30 PM:  Arrive at Paloma office in Halong City.  Get on boat and check in cabin
13.30 PM:  Have lunch while cruising to magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay. We start sailing among famous Islets (Indochina studio, Am Islets…) of Bai Tu Long Bay.
15:15 – 15:40 PM :  Visit and explore the Thien Canh Son Cave and Kayaking.
18:00 PM: Sunset party
19.00 PM:   Having dinner and overnight on boat.

Overnight on  Paloma Cruise.

Day 4: 27/12/11 | Ha Long – Hanoi
06.00 AM:  Starting your day with Tai Chi while complimentary tea & coffee are served.
07.00 AM: Have breakfast
07:45 – 09.00 AM:  Exploring Vung Vieng Fishing Village: Discover the daily life of the fisher communities by bamboo boat (one hour). Short visit to  the Pearl Farm to learn how natural  are grown.
10:00 AM: Check out cabin. Then return to dining room for Vietnamese cooking class.
10:30 AM: Have lunch.
11: 45 AM: Arrive at Hon Gai  Harbour. Get on bus back to Hanoi
16: 30 PM: You will arrive at your hotel. Trip ends

Day 5: 28/12/11 | Day 8: 31/12/11 |  Hanoi Free Time
All day free at easy

Children make friend quickly

Hotel in Hanoi: Chezlinhlinh Family Room

Day 9: 01/01/12 | Hanoi – Ky Son
– 10:00: Arrive at Moon Garden Homestay in Ky Son village. Welcome drink with local fresh green tea. Free time for discovering Moon garden Homestay and Ky Son village by yourself (local market, kinder garden)
– 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 it is your free time for relaxing or further conversation with the host family about local snacks, sharing our culture, 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. 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 late this afternoon and foot “spa” late evening.

– 17:30: Return to the Homestay for happy hour (you will be offered some kind of local tisane) .  While waiting bathroom, you can enjoy your drink and taste some of the local products such as maize, sweet potato, cassava, peanuts, depending on season.

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

– 19:30: Dinner

– 20:30: Observe the evening worship and enjoy your foot bath in warm water with ginger, salt and mugwort medicinal herbs before bedtime, which brings you a deeper sleep.

Day 10: 02/01/12 | Ky Son – Duong Lam Village – Hanoi
– 7:00: Joining Yijinjing traditional exercises.
– 7:30: Breakfast, then participate in burning votive money and gold for the deceased.
– 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 clothes, chatting with people, or further discovery of Ky Son village and around until your departure time for the next destination.

Day 11: 03/01/12: Hanoi – Night Train to Sapa
Hanoi free time before taking night train to Sapa

Start Jumping! 

Oh I fail 

Train: Victoria Train

Day 12: 04/01/12: Sapa – Free Time
Upon arrival you are pick-up and transfer to Sapa           

Vietnam Family Adventure – Sapa Exploration Part                                                               

Hotel in Sapa: Vitoria Sapa, Family Room

Day 13: 05/01/12: Sapa – Lao Chai – Ta Van        
Breakfast at hotel. Tour start at 10h00, the first part is on the road by car, we soon turn to the right and walk on a small path down the valley to the Muong Hoa River and from here start trekking downhill to visit the Black H’mong village Lao Chai San, Lao Chai. Black H’mong is one of the biggest minority groups in the Sapa area. They are proud of their culture and keep their traditions and way of living. They have their own language and wear traditional indigo blue clothing.  After this you continue to Ta Van village (1.200 m) to visit Zay people. Zay is a fairly small minority group of about 38.000 people who live mainly in the mountains in Northwest Vietnam. The development has meant that some of their old customs have been lost but many women still wear traditional shirts with a purple blue or green color. The Zay houses are built of wood and bamboo with a clay floor.

Hot lunch would be cooked and served at local Zay Family’s House. After lunch, trekking along the stream to Ta Van Bridge where you could try some ethnic game such as See-Saw, Swing, or trying your balance with rattan bridge.

Back to Sapa, evening time, contact Ms.Shu: 0915 35 1479 for a visit at English Class. A partner of Charity Project of Amovietnam Travel who is running an NGO, teaching English and Vietnamese for H’Mong peoples.

Hotel in Sapa: Victoria Sapa, Family Room

Day 14: 06/01/12: Sapa – Ma Tra – Ta Phin – Night train to Hanoi
Breakfast at Hotel.

Morning free time until checkout time at 12h00, after lunch time your guide and driver would pick-up you at 14h30 to Ma Tra village for a short trek around 3,5 km. Continue the tour to Ta Phin where Red Zao peoples made their settlement a few hundred years ago.

Note: Red Zao make wonderful hand-made clothing and craft but they try their best to sell the stuff…. So to avoid any problem, ask the advice from your guide and it is not compulsory to buy from all sellers.

After the Ta Phin village, continue going to Lao Cai, where you would be drop-off and Bordeaux restaurant. Say goodbye to your guide and driver and get ready with the dinner (own account) before taking the train.

Train leaving time: 21h00. For Victoria Train, you could get on train even 01 hour in advance but bathroom is open only after the train departs.

Train: Victoria Train, Private Cabin 4 berth, confirmed

Day 15: 07/01/12: Hanoi Arrival – Chezlinhlinh – Airport
Arrive at Hanoi in the early morning transfer to Chezlinhlinh House for Day Use. Free time until the transfer to the airport with Amovietnam Travel’s limousine service.

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