Upon arrival at Hanoi airport, you will be greeted by a driver and a local English-speaking guide. Transfer to hotel to check in.

Overnight in Hanoi.

NOTE: Check-in time: 14:00

This morning, you will visit the Temple of Literature, which was built in the 11th century and is dedicated to Confucius. This temple was the first university in Vietnam, and it's still a place where students burn incense and pray at the altars for academic success. Then you'll head a bit further north in the city to visit the Museum Of Ethnology. This massive museum complex aims to preserve cultural heritage by offering information on the 54 different ethnic groups in Vietnam. The next visit is Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hanoi.

In the afternoon, you will join an amazing half-day Jeep tour and taste local food. There are numerous ways to explore the city; however, one of the best is to do it in an open-air war-time Jeep car. All you have to do in our special Jeep is sit back and relax. The tour will show you the true vibrant life of the locals, as well as passing Hanoi significant sightseeing.

Our Jeep tour will cover 3 parts of Hanoi as below:
1. Backstreet Ride:
We will drive through a maze of alleyways known ONLY by locals, make contact with people, and learn about behind-the-scenes stories.
2. French & Old Quarter:
Hanoi is nicknamed "Little Paris," since, in the late 1800s, the French razed old Vietnamese buildings and replaced them with majestic French-style houses. Our jeep will take you through the green boulevards of Indochina's capital, where you can see the influence of French architecture. The embassy area, Hanoi Opera House, Long Bien Bridge, and other Hanoi landmarks will be passed through. 
3. The Great Westlake: Getting to know the new parts of Hanoi
Westlake, Hanoi's largest lake, is known as the city's "air conditioner." Due to the lake's unique "Feng shui" location, dozens of spiritual sites have been created all around it. Our knowledgeable tour guide will explain everything and take you around the city.
+ Zipping around the West Lake, passing through the city's most peaceful areas, with ancient villages nestled around the West Lake, Truc Bach Lake.
+ A frantic Hanoi with thousands of skyscrapers in the city's new areas.
+ In Hanoi, I was able to experience different aspects of life as well as the contrast in harmony.

We not only take you on an exciting journey through Hanoi traffic, but we also introduce you to traditional Hanoian cuisine. "SPARE US YOUR HUNGRY BELLY" please (vegan and vegetarian options are available).
Transfer to local restaurant for dinner.
Then, transfer back to the hotel and stay overnight at the hotel in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel, at about 08:00 am, meet your tour guide and driver at your hotel lobby and depart from Hanoi to Mai Chau, a picturesque valley where the majority of inhabitants are White Thai people. Stop at Ba Vi for an amazing excursion here.

At about 09:30: Arrive at Ri Village where you will start the trip at your host’s house with a welcome drink. Meet Duoc (Mr.), a Vietnam War veteran and tea farm owner who tells historical stories with his own experience.

10:00: Follow Duoc to his vast tea farm and learn how to harvest tea leaves. This is a green and peaceful place where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the village. You may then help him pick tea leaves, and be shown how to collect the best part of the tea tree to make the most wonderful beverage in Vietnam – the traditional tea. Carry on with the process of producing tea at his small workshop, most of the work there is manual.

11:15: Have a ten-minute drive to visit another host family in Moc village where you will enjoy a fun cooking class with Chin (Mrs.). She will show you how to cook some Vietnamese dishes and you will then enjoy lunch with the food you helped cook.

13:30: Stroll around the village and visit some local families to understand the rural lifestyle and learn how tofu, conical hats and other local products are made.

14:45: Enjoy a cycling trip through beautiful paddy fields and interact with local farmers by chance.

15:30: Wrap up your countryside tour with a traditional footbath in warm water with herbs, following the traditional recipes of the Muong ethnic minority. This will relax you (and your feet!) after cycling around the village.

At about 16:00: Continue to transfer to Mai Chau. Overnight in Mai Chau. 

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Mai Ha, known for its production of rice and corn alcohol, to begin your pleasant hike. You will pass through Thai villages at the foot of the Pu Poc mountain range and then a vast bamboo forest, surrounded by lush landscapes. The walk will take you to Ban Te, a Thai village still relatively unknown to travelers. Lunch will be served on the way or in a local house. After that you will continue to hike through more tropical forests before reaching the village of Na Meo, inhabited by Thai people, where your driver will be waiting for you. You will then return to the lodge. Overnight the second night in Mai Chau

After breakfast, you will transfer to Pu Luong and enter Pu Luong Nature Reserve via a breathtaking mountain pass, offering a panoramic view of the whole valley. Stop at Co Luong to visit a bamboo chopstick factory. Then continue to visit Eo Ken village, the village has no car roads go down, just available trail for walking and with the motorcycles are go hard. After that, arriving at your lodge for check in.
In the afternoon, you will transfer to a suspension bridge over the Cham River where you begin your walk in search of stunning water wheels. Get up close to each wheel and discover how water is moved from river to handmade bamboo aqueducts via simple constructions of all sizes. Arriving at a local fisherman’s house, you have a short rest to gear up for the bamboo river rafting with is team. Float along the calm river and enjoy the views, in between learning how to paddle and steer your handcrafted rafts. Overnight in Pu Luong.

Get an early start, as today, you have a five-to-six-hour hike ahead of you. After breakfast at the lodge, you will begin your hiking day. The route follows remote trails and is filled with more stunning scenery as you hike across lush valleys and maybe even stop at hidden waterfalls. Halfway through the trek, you'll break for a picnic lunch, then continue out of the valleys until you reach the main road. Here, a driver will pick you up and transfer you back to the lodge. Stay overnight at the hotel.

Hiking: Can be 2.5 – 3 hours/ 6-7km OR 4 – 4.5 hours/ 12-14km.

In the morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we travel to Hoa Lu – the former capital of Vietnam, which is about 3.5 hours away from Pu Luong. On arrival, we visit two temples, one of which is dedicated to Emperor Dinh and the other in memory of Emperor Le, followed by a brief visit to the remains of the Old Palace. Have lunch at a local restaurant (by your own expense), then we will leave for Tam Coc which is "three caves" in English, where we will get on a small rowing boat to discover the karst waterscape on the Ngo Dong River in around 1.5 hours. We will be rowing along a gentle river between paddy fields. This site is adorned with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites of all sizes shaped like gemstones. While rowing the boat, enjoy the peaceful scenery of rice paddies lining the river bank.

After the boat trip to Tam Coc, drive to the hotel, if time permits, we will hop on a bike ride along winding roads passing local villages, lotus ponds, and cottages, and stop at Bich Dong pagoda for a visit. Lastly, we will stay

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Breakfast at hotel, then we transfer to Lan Ha Bay, where we board a traditional junk for a cruise among the thousands spectacular limestone islands that make up this UNESCO World Heritage Site. We enjoy a fresh seafood lunch on board while the captain heads out for the horizon. Kayaks will be an opportunity to do some paddling this afternoon. We stay in comfortable cabins on board. Overnight on board.

Start the new day with a Tai Chi session on the Sundeck, then enjoy a light light breakfast with some freshly baked pastries, coffee, and tea at the restaurant. We will continue to sail through the bay during the morning to explore more secluded areas. The brunch will be served at the restaurant while the cruise passes by Thien Cung and Dau Go Cave and the Fighting Cock Islet. Enjoy your remaining moments on the Sundeck as you bid farewell to Halong Bay. 

Return to Hanoi and overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.

You are free at your own leisure until transferring to Noi Bai International Airport for your departure flight. Say goodbye and end our services.