Bask in the natural beauty and adventurous landscapes of Northern Vietnam with an itinerary full of family fun, cultural interaction and rural exploration. From Hanoi you will experience the mysterious Ha Long bay, continue to the picturesque villages surrounded by limestone mountains in Tam Coc before concluding at the spectacular scenery of Pu Luong Nature Reserve.
TRIP AT A GLANCE
- Length: 7 days
- Arrive in: Hanoi
- Departure from: Hanoi
- Activities: city walking | sea kayaking | easy cycling | sampan ride | light trekking
DAY 1. HANOI ARRIVAL & ORIENTATION ( Meals are not included )
Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. Time for relaxing after the journey.
With time permits, you may get an orientation to the bustling Old Quarter in Hanoi in a electric calf (or local cyclo). It is a magnet for visitors – it’s noisy and hectic, but definitely a ‘must-see’ attraction. The Old Quarter is a maze of shopping streets and restaurants with a hotchpotch of architecture – traditional tube houses, religious buildings, artisans’ workshops and cottages, colonial houses and modern concrete edifices.
DAY 2. HANOI CITY EXPLORER ( Meals included: Breakfast – Lunch )
08:30 AM – Pick up from your hotel, we’ll start the day with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex: which includes his mausoleum, his simple stilt house where he lived and worked, and the museum dedicated to his memory. The next stop will be the Temple of Literature, our first university in dating back to the 11th century.
Lunch will be served at KOTO – a restaurant belonging to a and vocational training program that is changing the lives of street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.
In the afternoon, a quick transfer to you to the excellent Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic groups. There’s also time for a water puppet show at the museum’s open stage before heading back to your hotel. You’ll spend the second night in Hanoi
DAY 3. HANOI – HALONG ( Meals included: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner )
7:45 – Pick up from your hotel to our office for tour check-in procedure.
8:00 – Depart from Hanoi by shuttle bus for a 3.5 hours drive to Halong City through the Red River Delta. Upon arrival, get on board of the luxury junk. Start cruising from Hon Gai pier to the boundaries of Halong bay while lunch with fresh seafood is served (vegetarian and kids menus available).
After lunch, just make yourself at ease and relax. We are slowly getting off the classic cruising routes, far from the usual clichés of this busy tourism spot. Limestone rock formations will parade all around us for about 2 hours before our stop at Hon Co island, where we’ll take a few steps up to explore the Thien Canh Son cave. Inside the cave, stalactites and stalagmite in various shapes and sizes will tell you more about geographic history of Halong bay and surrounding area.
Late in the afternoon, the boat cruises to its anchorage area. Dinner is served either inside or outside depending on weather conditions. Overnight on board in a cozy air-conditioned cabin with en-suite bathroom facilities.
DAY 4. HALONG – TAM COC ( Meals included: Brunch – Dinner )
6:30 – Coffee, tea and cakes will be served. Wake up smoothly while witnessing the silence of beautiful misty bay. A 30-minute Tai Chi session will be organized, energize your body and soul or just allow yourself some farniente time on a sunbath with a cup of coffee.
About 7.45am, we hop on bamboo boats to go visiting a secluded floating village surrounded by the mountains. We trace our way between numerous floating houses and small rowing boats that serve the everyday life as vehicle, itinerant shops, fishing utility, sometimes overnight shelter.
Back on treasure before 9am, we start cruising back to the pier. From 9.30am, a brunch will be served. Take a last glance at the rocks, standing still as the eternal guardians of a kingdom, we are about to reach the pier.
11:30 – Disembark from the cruise, you’ll have a private transfer from Halong to Ninh Binh. The driving takes around 5 hours, you’ll reach Tam Coc (known as one of the most scenic spot of the region) in the late afternoon.
DAY 5. TAM COC – PU LUONG ( Meals included: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner )
In the morning, we embark on traditional rowing sampan for about one hour on a less travelled canal of the region. It goes through caves and along the border with the natural site of Trang An.
Afterwards, you’ll hop on bicycles for an easy-paced ride through scenic rural landscapes in Tam Coc. There’s time for a visit to Bich Dong pagoda en-route. The site offers a nice climb up to the top building for a breathtaking view of Tam Coc area. The cycling route ends at a local house and enjoy a home-cooked lunch.
14:00 – Leave from Tam Coc for around 3 hours driving to Pu Luong Retreat lodge, where you’ll check-in its’ traditional house-on-silts and spend the night.
DAY 6. PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE TREKKING ( Meals included: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner )
The day will be dedicated an exploration of the Nature Reserve. Please free feel to discuss with our guide to take the most suitable trekking route for your kids.
In a meantime we suggest the 7-km downhill to Hieu village. The trail leads to through local rice terraces, villages and market. Enjoy a picnic lunch by Hieu waterfall with there’re plenty of time for swimming in a natural pool (if weather permits) before your driver arrives and takes you back to the Retreat.
DAY 7. PU LUONG – MAI CHAU – HANOI
9:00 – We set off from Pu Luong to Mai Chau. There’s enough time for an easy walk around the peaceful valley before another tasty home-cooked lunch.
In the afternoon, we head back to Hanoi airport, the driving takes around 4 hours. You’ll arrive in a good time for boarding your departure flight. If not, you can stay in Ha Noi for following your other trips. End of services.
Private tour Price:
| Group size (person) | 1 pax | 2 pax | 3 pax | 4 pax | 5 pax | 6 upper |
| Price (USD)/person | 1450 | 850 | 750 | 650 | 600 | 550 |
** Discounted rates are available for larger groups; please contact our travel consultants at info@vietlinktravel.com.vn
INCLUDED
- Accommodation at listed hotels below
– Hanoi: 3 * hotel in old quater ( deluxe room with nice bancony and window, free WIFI )
– Halong: Superior cabin on a luxury junk.
– Tam Coc: La Belle Vie Tam Coc homestay – Suite triple room
– Pu Luong: Pu Luong retreat – Traditional house-on-silts (sharing)
- Meals as specified in the program
- Travel in an appropriate air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver (baby-seat available upon request)
- The services of experienced English-speaking local guides
- All activities mentioned and entrance fees
- VAT and other taxes
NOT INCLUDED
- All flight tickets international and domestic
- Visa stamp fee
- Beverages, gratuities and personal expenses.
- Camera fees (if any)
- Surcharge in peak season (Christmas & New Year)
- Insurance
