North Vietnam Adventures & Laos 13 days

Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Our driver and guide of will meet you outside the baggage claim at Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. In the afternoon, enjoy an orientation walk, visiting some of Hanoi’s main attractions: the opera house, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. In the evening, savor a welcome dinner of authentic Vietnamese food at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants with your travel consultant of Amo Vietnam Travel

Meals: No meals
Accommodations: Hotel in Hanoi

Do you think that you could discover Hanoi like the local? An our biking product is called "Hidden Hanoi" was created by three young Hanoians in order to show you many other surprising secrets hidden in the zigzag alley ways in Ngoc Ha Flower village and discovering many former traditional handicraft villages around West Lake which are now replaced beautiful villas and to a floating driving range in the Red River with its kumquat and peach blossoms.

Join us with HIDDEN HANOI biking tours.

GET ON A BIKE, SEE THE CITY

OUR CHARITY PROJECT – BIKING FOR BIKES

Experience the city like the locals do

From the mystifying shores of the red river to the dazzling old quarter, our cycling tours will take you through picturesque backstreets, narrow alleys and wide boulevards. Discover the soul of the city and meet real people.

“Hidden Hanoi” surprising secrets hidden in the alleyways round the West Lake & Serene Ngoc Ha Flower Village & Red Riverside

THE DIFFERENCE

• Local guides, local insights exclusive tour with Mr.Lam – a real hanoian who family is living in the city over 300 years. Lam’s family has long standing history of petite bourgeois Hanoian and could share with you the contemporary history of Hanoi over the last 100 years.
• Explore serene Red Riverside
• We are modern day city explorers: always on the lookout for hidden gems in the urban jungle
• We guarantee you’ll see places that you’ve never seen before
• We keep groups small, max 8 persons and take safety very serious
• Each tour includes DONATION to Amo Vietnam Foundation.
• A unique, informative & fun cycling experience

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel in Hanoi

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then set out on a 3 to 4 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage site: Halong Bay. Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Arrive at the dock around noon and board your private junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as we sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s many islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way, visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the East Sea (Bien Dong). Pass the night on your private junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodations: Cruise on Halong Bay

Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and watch the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore the nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for brunch and then take advantage of the sundeck to admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as we navigate back to Halong City. Our driver will meet you at the dock and take you back to Hanoi.

Meals: Brunch
Accommodations: Hotel in Hanoi

Our driver and guide will meet you at your hotel and take you along highway 6 to Mai Chau: a small town nestled in the midst of a lush valley and surrounded by emerald-green rice fields. Enjoy picturesque views of the scenic landscape, sown with pagodas and rural villages. Stop along the way to visit the Muong tribe and then at Thung Khe Pass for a spectacular view of Mai Chau Valley.

Upon arrival make a short visit in the villages of Pom Coong, Na Phon and Lac then drive to Mai Hich where you could have authentic lunch with a local family of the White Thai Tribe and enjoy some free time to acquaint yourself with the villagers and

In the afternoon, biking through terraced rice paddies and small villages, discovering the natural beauty of the valley and encountering the culture of the ethnic minority Thai people

Return to the home stay and help cook the evening meal.  This is an opportunity to learn about the local cuisine and culture as you join the family to prepare a traditional dinner. In the evening, enjoy a live dance and music performance (available for group of 8 persons). Stay overnight in the Long house.

Note: Mai Hich is our new exclusive destination to avoid the crown of tourist in Mai Chau.

Meals: Breackfast
Accommodations: Home stay in Mai Hich

Start the day with a simple breakfast with your host family. Then take a short drive through the surrounding countryside, before setting off on a long and nice drive to the tea plantations and plateau of Moc Chau. We then travel from Son La, all the way to Dien Bien Phu on the newly upgraded highway No.6. This gorgeous stretch of road is lined with stunning scenery. We will make frequent photo stops en route and visit the minority villages of the H’mong and Black Thai peoples. Then visiting a tea plantation on Moc Chau plateau—Vietnam’s premier tea-growing region.  In the afternoon we continue along winding mountain roads through North Vietnam’s stunning countryside. Driving over the impressive Pha Din pass is the highlight of the day. Pha Din; according to local legend, “Pha Din” means the connection between Heaven and Earth, sits 1,000 meter or 3,280 feet above the sea level.. We arrive in Dien Bien Phu later in the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:  Hotel in Dien Bien Phu

Nestled in a heart shaped basin near the border with Laos, lies Dien Bien Phu. The famous historical battleground, where the Vietnamese successfully defeated the French, marking the end of French colonial occupation. Start the day with a visit to the military base and historical site of the First Indochina War, stopping at the Dien Bien Phu Museum and the A1 Hill. In the afternoon we continue on our journey, driving along the peaceful Muong Thanh Valley to the Tay Trang border gate to Laos. Our Guide and driver will support you at the immigration.

Crossing the border, our tour-guide and car from Laos will be await for you, we continue through one of Laos’ most remote regions all the way to Muang Khua, a one-horse border town located on the banks of the Nam Ou River. Arrive in Muang Khua in the late afternoon and check in at the hotel. Enjoy some free time to relax and then take a brief walking tour around the town to visit the local market and nearby pagoda.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel in Muang Khua

You don’t want to miss the early morning Binthabat ceremony. Hundreds of monks will leave their pagodas and make a slow procession through town, starting at 5:45 a.m. and lasting for about an hour. You can easily find them from your hotel.

Return to the hotel for breakfast and then we will embark on our cruise past picturesque scenery down the Nam Ou River—Laos’s longest inland river. Drink in the beautiful mountainous setting on a nine-hour float. Stop for a lunch on your own (of simple local cuisine at Muang Ngoy) and in the afternoon we continue the boat cruise to Luang Prabang with a stop at the confluence of the Nam Ou and Mekong rivers to visit the Pak Ou caves—a pantheon of gold Buddha statues tucked into the nooks of the limestone cliffs. It is then only a short distance from the caves to the village of Ban Xang Hai. Stop here to learn about LauLao (Lao whisky) and LauHai (Lao wine), before continuing down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. Check in at the hotel then take an evening stroll through the quaint streets and enjoy the sunset over the river and surrounding lush countryside. The evening highlight includes a visit to the local night market, where ethnic minority people come together to buy and sell their wares.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Optional: rising early at around 05.30AM to witness and participate in offering alms to hundreds of saffron-robed monks (the Buddhist monks) receive alms from local people – an awe-inspiring sight for many travelers. 

Please tell your guide if you wish to make an offer so he/she can prepare some food for you. This early morning ritual dates back generations in Laos. Watch the town come to life in the morning and then return to hotel for breakfast

After breakfast, take a rural drive (30 km South) to visit Kuangsi Waterfall, though not very high but spectacular and really beautiful with its green surroundings as the preserved National park. We stop en-route to visit a fresh produced market namely Talad Phosy, and also visit Ban Na Oune, a small village of a hill-tribe group “Hmong”, probably the best-known minority group in Laos. Just before arriving at Kuangsi waterfall, there is another village of Khmu minority group, namely Ban Tha Pane that we will visit. Our picnic lunch is served at the shady park nearby Kuangsi waterfall. There is plenty of time for relaxing and a swim in cool water, before heading back to Luang Prabang in the late afternoon.

Afternoon, enjoy a sightseeing tour of the sacred city of temples; of which nearly fifty still remain in the town and surrounding areas. Visit National Museum, the former Royal Palace which houses the collection of valuables including the famous Prabang Buddha statue, gifts received from foreign dignitaries…etc, Wat Visoun, the 16th century temple served as a small museum for religious artifacts; Wat Aham, the early 19th century temple, whose two guardian figures at the foot of the steps which represent two characters from the Ramayana – Hanuman, the Monkey God and a fierce Yaksa; Wat Xiengthong, the 16th century temple, which more than any temples in Luang Prabang, epitomizes all the elegance and grace of Luang Prabang architecture.

The rest of the day at your leisure, relaxing in one of the city’s many quirky cafés or strolling along the beautiful riverbank.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Today we drive from Luang Prabang to Xieng Khuang, passing through Laos’ pristine countryside. This is over 7 hours drive with spectacular views of Laos’ rain forests and mountain ranges. Along the way we will stop for photo opportunities and visit various hill tribe villages. On arrival, check-in at your hotel and relax.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodations: Hotel in Phonsavan

Start the day with a trip to Phonsavan’s bustling central market. Visit the MAG (de-mining organization) exhibition before heading out to see the great stone wonders of Xieng Khuang, the Plain of Jars. First we will explore Site 1 where hundreds of large stone jars lie scattered about the enchanting plateau. Next, is the forested area of site 2 and a short scenic trek to Site 3, passing through the Thai Dam and Laos Leum village. Enjoy an afternoon tour of the old capital Muang Khoun and nearby villages of the H’mong and Thai Dam peoples.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel in Phonsavan

Today we take a short in-country flight from Phonsavan to Vientiane. Our driver and guide will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. After a short rest, set out on a sightseeing tour of Laos’ eccentric capital, visiting all the city’s key attractions. Start the tour with a stop at Vientiane’s oldest temple, Wat Si Saket, filled with over 2,000 ceramic, gold, and silver Buddha images. Next we visit Haw Pha Kaew—the royal temple that once housed the famous Emerald Buddha, before continuing on to Laos’ most significant national monument: Pha That Luang. We conclude our tour at Patuxai, known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel in Vientiane

Have breakfast at the hotel and then enjoy a free morning at your leisure before driving to the airport for your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

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