VIETNAM CLASSIC NORTH & CENTRAL TOUR 11D10N

Day 1 – Hanoi – Street Food (tasting) Tour:

On arrival on your first day your private airport pick-up service will be ready with a sign with your name on it to take you to your hotel. The pick-up (flight —) will be at —.

Please go outside the arrival terminal to pillar 10 – Your driver is waiting for you there. If for some reason you cannot find him, stay at pillar 10 and send us a WhatsApp, there is free Wi-Fi at the airport – +84 (0) 934 542 703.

After check-in you’ll be given some time to relax and or explore the old quarter by yourself.

At around 6pm your private tour guide will meet you at your hotel to start your Street Food Walking & Tasting Tour through the most interesting streets of the 36 streets of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. He will give you a brief introduction about the route of the tour and about the places you will be visiting before we set off to explore Hanoi’s buzz ling Old Quarter in the early evening.

This tour is specially designed to give you the best of what Hanoi as Street Food has to offer, not just to eat full dishes but to also to give you the opportunity to taste here and there so you will have a complete and full experience.

Highlights:

• Spend most time on tasting Vietnamese cuisine around Hanoi
• A nice relaxed experience walking around the Old Quarter while enjoying the company of your tour guide who will inform you about the history and local customs while soaking up the nightlife of Hanoi

Your tour guide will drop you off at the hotel after the tour (around 9.30pm) and the further evening will be at your own interpretation.

Transportation: Private airport service – Walking

Meals: Dinner

Guide: English speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Hotel 3* – Deluxe double room

Day 2 – Hanoi – City Tour (private):

After breakfast your tour guide for today will meet you at 8.30am.

Today we will discover the city. Some of the more remote sites will be done by car and by foot in case they are easily reached. Joining our Sightseeing City Tour will provide you a lot of insight information and provide experiences such as learning about history, culture and unique architecture of the most famous sites. Some of the places included in this tour can be:

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex
• Tran Quoc Pagoda at the West Lake
• Temple of Literature
• Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton)
• Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Pagoda

Lunch will be served on the way at an authentic local Vietnamese Restaurant with a wonderful variety of food to cater for every taste. Please make your personal preferences noticed at your tour guide. The length of the tour will standardly be around 6 hours and the tour guide will bring you back to your hotel. The further day will be at your own interpretation.

Transportation: Private transfers

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Guide: English speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Hotel 3* – Deluxe double room

Day 3 – Hanoi – Sapa – Y Linh Ho – Ta van:

Today we checkout early in the morning and you can enjoy breakfast before we start your Sapa adventure! Please let us remind you that you can leave your unnecessary luggage (for your Sapa tour) safely at the hotel at all times as you will return here.

6.30 – 7.00 Pick-up from your hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi, transfer to the luxury bus and departure for Sapa Town.

9.30 We follow the highway to Lao Cai with the first comfort break.

11.00 Second comfort break at Lao Cai city before approaching Sapa.

13.00 We arrive in Sapa Town with colourful traditional costumes of Hmong, Dzao and Tay ethnic people.

– Welcome drink and itinerary briefing – Enjoy the lunch with local Vietnamese dishes

14.15 We take a short drive to Y Linh Ho and then trek through the rice terraces and along the Muong Hoa stream to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai to see the spectacular landscape of Hoang Lien Son Mountain and approach Ta Van village, which is inhabited by Zay ethnic people late in the afternoon. Trekking distance is about 9km and it takes around 3.5 hours.

17.45 Check in at the homestay and introduction to the Dzay family. We spend time to enjoy the mountain life at sunset. You may attend cooking local dishes with the family and enjoy dinner in peace. In the evening, you can join the local bar nearby with music and socialize with other tourists. We overnight at the homestay.

Transportation: Comfortable A/C sleeper bus

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Guide: English speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Homestay

Day 4 – Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai – Sapa – Hanoi:

8.00 We have breakfast prepared by the family and start a new day with more interesting trekking.

8.45 Keep walking to the rice paddies where you have a nice photo opportunity of the amazing surrounding landscapes. We trek through the bamboo forest and stop to have a panorama view of Giang Ta Chai village – home to Red Dzao People. Trekking distance is about 4km and it takes around 2 hours.

11.00 We trek over the Giang Ta Chai Bridge to main road where the bus picks you up to go back Sapa Town.

12.00 Have a shower at hotel, enjoy lunch and take some free time to leisure.

15.00 Meet all group members at the hotel to get ready the trip back to Hanoi.

15.15 Get on bus to go back to Hanoi with two comfort breaks.

21.15 We drop you of at your hotel for check-in. The further evening is at your own interpretation.

Transportation: Comfortable A/C sleeper bus

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Guide: English speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Hotel 3* – Deluxe double room

Day 5 – Hanoi – Home Cooking Class – Market Tour:

After breakfast your tour guide/ chef for today will meet you in between 9 and 9:30am at the reception of your hotel.

Learn about traditional Vietnamese cuisine from a highly respected chef. She will take on a tour to local places and markets to show and teach you all about the ingredients used in the famous Vietnamese cuisine. After buying the best ingredients she will invite you at her home to start cooking some special but of all delicious dishes. The highlight of course is to taste what you made. It will be one of your highlights and memorable experiences of you Vietnam trip.

The chef will show you around her neighborhood, introduces you to local people and local activities, cooking & eating outside their houses and selling produce at local markets. She then invites you into her home. In a ‘hands on’ cooking class she will teach you how to make some of these local delicacies. Learn about Vietnamese cuisine and experience the flavors and tastes for yourself in the comfortable home of local Hanoian.

The cooking class will finish around 1:30pm, she will take you back to your hotel where the further day will be at your own interpretation.

Transportation: Private transfers

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Guide: English speaking tour guide/chef

Accommodation: Hotel 3* – Deluxe double room

Day 6 – Hanoi – Hoa Lu & Tam Coc – Hanoi:

07:45 – 08:30 Pick up at your hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi.

08.30 Depart from Hanoi on the way to Ninh Binh Province (on the way there will be a stop of about 20 minutes).

10:00 Arriving at Hoa Lu Ancient Capital.

10.15 Visit the temples of the two kings of the Dinh and Le dynasties.

11.40 Arriving at Tam Coc Wharf at around lunchtime.

12:00 Great lunch at a local restaurant. You’ll have the chance to enjoy Ninh Binh’s specialty of goat meat and elderberry.

13:00 Board the sampan boats, rowed by locals as you gently make your way along the Ngo Dong river. Take in the breathtaking scenery of karst hills, villages and seasonal rice fields while passing through three caves, Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba.

15:00 Back to Tam Coc Wharf to chill out.

15:15 We continue to take you to Hang Mua for a tough climb to the top for some breathtaking views of the area..

16:30 We make our way back to Hanoi where we will drop you off at your hotel. This will roughly be around 18:30.

The further evening will be at your own interpretation.

Transportation: A/C transportation

Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Guide: English speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Hotel 3* – Deluxe double room

Day 7 – Hanoi – Kayaking – Swimming – Cruising Lan Ha Bay:

We will pick you up from your hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi for the 3 hour drive to Halong Bay where you will board your Halong Bay Cruise for your 2 days and 1-night cruise. Explore the fascinating and breathtaking peaceful view on this unique location as well as start cruising and enjoying our special feast of Vietnamese Cuisine while the cruise slowly slides on the romantic waves of Halong Bay. Relax on the sundeck or take part in our activities like kayaking, swimming, visiting Sung Sot cave and Ti Top Island. You will feel home through the good service in hospitality.

Transportation: A/C comfortable transportation – cruise

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Guide: English-speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Double cabin

Day 8 – Halong Bay – Hanoi – Dong Hoi:

Enjoy the sunrise in Halong Bay and get new energy from a morning Tai Chai. After breakfast we take you kayaking in a beautiful area of Halong Bay.

After an early lunch we arrive back at the harbor from where we take you back to your hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. Estimated arrival time 4:30pm.

You’ll have some free time to enjoy dinner in the old quarter before we will arrange a transfer to the train station for your overnight train journey to Danang. Pick-up will be at around 6.30pm (please check your voucher), depending on your train.

Transportation: AC transfers

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Guide: English speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Overnight train Hanoi to Dong Hoi – Soft sleeper (4-berth shared cabin)

Day 9 – Dong Hoi – Paradise Cave – Dark Cave – Phong Nha:

On arrival (expected time 6.25am) your pick-up service will be ready with a sign with your name on it to take you to the hotel to have a shower and breakfast.

After breakfast, at around 8am we’ll start this beautiful and adventurous day to the 2 most impressive caves in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park.

The first exploration of this day will be the impressive Paradise Cave, the longest dry cave in Asia!

Thiên Đường Cave, or Paradise Cave, is a cave in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and 60km Northwest of Đồng Hới city. Thiên Đường Cave is located on an elevation of 200 meters above the sea level, near the west branch of the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail. Karst peaks surround the area of the cave and its remarkable cave system extends for 31km, though most people only visit the first kilometer. The scale is breath taking, as wooden staircases descend into a cathedral-like space with colossal stalagmites and glimmering stalactites.

We take a short drive to Dark Cave to enjoy a lovely lunch.

Dark Cave is a true experience, kayaking over the river to get there, walking through the dark with only the head torch on your mining helmet, having a mud fight in the mud baths deep in the cave and then washing yourself clean with a swim in the lake inside the cave.

Activities: Muddy bath, zip lining, swimming (bring swim wear), kayaking

There is a 90kg weight limit for the zip line to the entrance of Dark Cave, this part can be done by kayak as alternative.

At the end of the trip we will drop you off at your accommodation where the further evening will be at your own interpretation.

Transportation: A/C transfers

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Guide: English-speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Family run homestay with swimming pool – Double room

Day 10 – Phong Nha – Vinh Moc Tunnels – Hue:

An early breakfast before pick up at 7-7.30am. Today we’ll drive towards Hue with a stop to visit the famous Vinh Moc Tunnels, which tunnels system served as storage and shelter during the American War.

At around 12pm we will arrive in Hue and you will be dropped off in the center. Unfortunately, they do not drop off at the hotels so please take a short 5-minute taxi ride to your hotel – Rosaleen Boutique Hotel – 36 Chu Văn An, Phú Hội, Thành phố Huế. The further day and evening will be at your own interpretation.

The further day and evening will be at your own interpretation.

Transportation: A/C transportation by bus

Meals: Breakfast

Guide: English-speaking tour guide

Accommodation: Hotel 3* – swimming pool – Deluxe double room

Day 11 – Hue – …:

Today the tour unfortunately ends but we are sure that this tour made an indelible memory that you will cherish for the rest of your life! Please respect the check-out time.

Remember, our customer service will be at your disposal for advice and or information at all times.

Transportation: N/A

Meals: Breakfast

Guide: N/A

Accommodation: N/A