Northern Vietnam Timeless Charm 14 Days

(The pick-up time will be updated if we have your flight information)

Afternoon (You can choose the starting time)

Take a 3-hour walk through Hanoi's old quarter with a local guide. Get an insight into the traditions of Vietnam’s food culture. First we stop at a local restaurant to try our exquisite combination of Spring rolls or deep fried fermented pork...served with a dish of raw vegetables and fish sauce.

Next, we head on to try Vietnamese signature dish- Phở. It’s Phở soup or mixed Phở with a special sauce. It can definitely bring you a whole new different taste. Visit a restaurant to taste Bánh Mỳ (a Vietnamese sandwich) with its delicious pate.

And we can’t miss out on our traditional dessert- Chè. They have both winter and summer versions.

Last but not least, go into a hidden gem with their 80-year old egg coffee. The place owner has handed down the recipe for many generations and this is a must-try when you come to Vietnam. Drop-off at your hotel.

*Note: the dishes may change a bit according to the tour guide, the weather or the places but in general will include 5-6 dishes!

Sample menu: Traditional Banh Mi, Traditional fried cake, Spring rolls, Pho/Bun Cha, Vietnamese Desert, Special egg coffee (original taste)

Overnight in Hanoi

08:30 – 08:45: Hotel or private address pick up with our shuttle bus. Short break half way.

11:45 – 12:00: Arriving Tuan Chau marina, transferred by tender of cruise.

12:45 – 13:00: Welcome aboard the cruise. Refresh with our welcome drink. Meet the captain,crew in the cruise briefing, safety instruction.

13:00 – 13:15: A special lunch in Vietnamese cuisine of fresh seafood and an assortment of appetizing favorites are served while sailing through Islets of ConVit.

16:00: The Cruise sails through Lan Ha Bay. The area is surrounding of extraordinary limestone karsts landscapes. We progress to Ong Cam Area of Lan Ha Bay- a separate part of HaLong Bay. This is a quiet tourist paradise in Vietnam, enjoy kayaking and/or enjoy swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Bay.

17:30 Back to Cruise, drop anchor for staying overnight. Enjoy cooking demonstration (teachingyou how to make our speciality, Spring rolls) and the complimentary Sunset Party on thesundeck with local wine and fresh fruit.

19:00: Dinner is served in the restaurant. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served for you by our wonderful onboard catering staff. After dinner, retiring to your cabin or join the fishing excursion, watch a movie, have a drink at the bar, wifi access or play exciting games.

Overnight on cruise

06:00: Enjoy sunrise and admire the never - ending miraculous scenery of the Bay. Practice an invigorating Tai Chi session on the sundeck.

06:30: Light breakfast, coffee and tea served.

08:00: Transfer to day boat for visit Viet Hai village. You will take the bicycle trip along the village path and go through rain forests and dark tunnel. Enjoy stunning scenery of rice fields onthe way. Stop at the village to relax. Visit an ancient local house, made from straw, mud, bamboo...you will have chance to see the local life on a valley of local people.

12:30: Back to day boat for visiting Lan Ha Bay. Lunch served on day boat.

13:30: Visit Lan Ha Bay, free kayaking to discover bay by yourself and swimming in the blue water. Visit the Van Boi area, which is the heart of Lan Ha Bay, there are a lot of white sandy and coral beaches.

16:30: Return to La Pandora cruise, time for relaxing.

17:30: Enjoy cooking demonstration (teaching you how to make our speciality, Spring rolls) and the complimentary Sunset Party on the sundeck with local wine and fresh fruit.

19:00: Dinner is served in the restaurant. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served for you by our wonderful onboard catering staff. After dinner, retiring to your cabinor join the fishing excursion, watch a movie, have a drink at the bar, wifi access or play exciting games.

Overnight on cruise

06:00: Enjoy sunrise and admire the never - ending miraculous scenery of the Bay.

06:30: Light breakfast, coffee and tea served.

07:15: Visit Dark & Bright Cave and islets by local rowing boats which is a wild and mysterious beauty in the middle of the World Heritage.

09:15: Back to our Cruise, relax before checking out.

10:00: Lunch is served on board.

12:00: Disembark at the Tuan Chau marina by tender. Take our shuttle bus to return to Hanoi

15:00 – 15:30: Arrival back at your hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi

07:30 – 8:00: Our tour guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter for the bus transfer to Ninh Binh.

9:15: You will have a short break of 15 – 20 minutes to stretch your legs, use the facilities or have a quick snack.

10:30: The bus arrives in Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam from years 968 to 1010. Then you will visit the Temple of King Dinh and King Le to learn more about Vietnamese history under the Dinh, Le,and Ly Dynasties.Continue the tour for 45 mins – cycling around the village to discover the life of the local people.

12:00: You will have a buffet lunch with local specialties in the private area of our Ninh Binh Heritage restaurant. The vegetarian option is also available.

13: 00: The limousine brings you to Tam Coc, known as “Halong Bay on the land”, where you will spend 1.5 hours on the bamboo boat to explore this area. On this excursion down the Ngo Dong River, you will pass through the beautiful paddy fields, limestone karst formation, and a stunning cave system including Hang Ca, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba caves for a unique experience.

15:30: We continue to visit Mua Cave, also known as the “Great Wall of China” in Vietnam, and climb 500 steps to reach the peak of Ngoa Long Mountain, overlooking the amazing view of the city and Tam Coc below.

16:30 – 17:00: Get on the bus go to the hotel

18:00: Back to your hotel

Overnight in Ninh Binh

Morning: Have breakfast at Hotel/ Bungalow then be ready for the trip

08:30: Get picked up by our friendly guide then cycle tovisit the Thai Vi temple and Bich Dong pagoda (the second most beautiful cave in Viet Nam)

11:30: Check out and have lunch in the restaurant with alot of local foods such as goat meat, fish, spring roll, fried rice... (Vegetarian foods are alwaysavailable at the lunch)

13:00: Continue to Thung Nham Bird Valley. Get on a small sampan to discover Hang But (Buddhist Cave), about 500m in length, a magical view of the stalactites and stalagmites, and see a big Buddha-shaped stalactite sitting beside an underground river, as well as visit an orchard of tropical fruits in this area. The best time for the bird park in the afternoon, sit quietly on a boat and slowly paddle through Thung Chim (Thung Nham), discover the most features of this area with more than 4,000 birds of 40 species flying to inhabit every day. Your best chance to take nice photos and immerse yourself in the wild and nature.

17:00: Get on the bus to return to Hanoi

19:30: Get dropped off at hotel in Hanoi

Note: Attractions can be visited before or after. However, still ensure to fully visit the locations as scheduled

Overnight in Hanoi

Our tour guide will pick you up by car at your hotel around 7:30-8:00AM, transferring you to Lang Son. We will start by driving in the direction of the Chinese border for about 3 hours,before stopping at Chi Lang Pass - a 20-km-long gorge created from a narrow valley between two mountains. This place occupies an important position in Vietnamese history, being the place of many victories against various Chinese invasions over the centuries and millennia, as far back as 981AD. As such it bears the reputation of Vietnam’s strongest citadel and bastion. Here you will have roughly an hour to walk around and explore the area around the Quy Mon Quan Gate, which translates as“The Gate of Monsters”, named for the many invasion forces that would spill through the pass over the course of history only to be beaten back by stalwart Vietnamese defenders. After lunch at a local restaurant in Dong Dang, you will continue your trip into the pass, stopping to visit Mother’s Temple and Dong Khe – an important historical site where The Battle of Dong Khe was fought during the First Indochina War. In fact, this was the very first battle of the Indochina Wars, and the fighting here took place through September and October 1950, ending in a resounding victory for the Viet Minh. In the evening you will get to enjoy dinner and overnight rest in a local homestay owned and operated by a local Nung family.

Overnight in homestay in Lang Son

After enjoying breakfast at the homestay, you will depart for Trung Khanh which lies right on the border with China. Here you will have another chance to meet and interact with the local Nung people living in the village of Phuoc Sen, a mountainous village famous for its traditional black smithing. The farming tools made here are an integral part of the lifestyle which is evident

in the surrounding rice paddies and fields. Nestled amongst these amazing landscapes is the breath-taking Ban Gioc Waterfall which spans over 300 meters, split half and half between Vietnam and China. You’ll get some time here to simply take in the amazing atmosphere surrounding the falls,which presents an excellent opportunity for some fantastic photography. Once you’ve finished at the falls, it’s time to head over to Nguom Ngao Cave, for a very different, but no less impressive natural wonder.The cave stretches for 2,144 meters underground and is brimming with incredible stalactites and stalagmites.You will then return to Cao Bang town and head downthe “snake pass” to Ba Be Lake, where you will stay overnight in a homestay constructed in traditional Tay fashion and owned and operated by a local Tay family. Here you can relax and unwind from the day and enjoy a delicious and authentic home-cooked meal.

Overnight in homestay in Cao Bang

After breakfast we’ll kick the final day of the tour of by boarding a boat and setting off onto the lake. It’s up to you how to spend your time on the boat,whether it’s relaxing and enjoying the views or going for a swim in the cool waters to refresh yourself. The views consist of stunning karst formations all around you covered with patches of wild vegetation and a rich wildlife. The boat will then continue along the Nang River, giving you a chance to explore the caves of Puong Grotto where you can marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites created through river erosion, as well as observe the thousands-strong bat colony that lives here. Now that you’ve reached the end of your tour, you’ll be driven the roughly 230 kilometres back to Hanoi, with a stop at a tea plantation nestled among rolling hills. Once we arrive in Hanoi it is time to say farewell, having made lifelong memories and connections.

Overnight in Hanoi

Morning: 6:00 – 6:30AM, the limousine van waits you and picks you up at hotel then ahead to Sapa.

11:30 - 12:00: Arrive Sapa, have lunch and take a rest.

14:00 – 14:30: An electric car takes you down to the South-west of Sapa (around 4 km) to visit Cat Cat village of the Black H’mong. Relax at the foot of the stunning waterfall and the vestige of a hydro electric power station that was constructed by the French during colonial time in Vietnam.

Evening: After dinner, you are free to explore the charm of Sapa by night, enjoy roasted corn,baked eggs beside a charcoal fire or go shopping.

Overnight in hotel in Sapa

Morning: Have breakfast in hotel. And then 6km of walking down to the south east of Sapa along the side of Muong Hoa valley to Y Linh Ho village of the Black H’mong. Continue on 2km of trekking down to Lao Chai village of the H’mong.

- Enjoy a cooking class and lunch at a local family, and then walk through terraced rice fields to Ta Van village of the Dzay minority people where we stay for the night. It gives you a worth chance for you to learn about the local house architecture which is full of their daily life styles and exclusive custom. Enjoy the landscapes.

Overnight in homestay in Sapa

After breakfast, continue on trekking to visit 2 villages of the red Dzao, the H’mong. Visit a beautiful waterfall and rattan bridge. Enjoy landscapes... through bamboo forest to the mainroad to catch the Car to return to Sapa.

If any roads are too far or too difficult to trek, we can go by electric car or motorbikes. (Extra fee with 10USD/person/way)

Afternoon: around 13:30 you’ll be back and pack your things. Say goodbye and preapre to leave Sapa, get on the limousine back to Hanoi at 14:00.

Evening: 21:00 - 22:00 Our car drop off at your hotel in Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi

Should dress modestly by covering from shoulders to knees when visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, temples, pagodas...The order of the destinations will be changed to be more convenient to visit all destinations.

7:45 – 8:00: The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in the Old Quarter. Start your tour around Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, see the famous old buildings up close and feel the atmosphere of the local people doing business.

9:00: You move to visit at Ho Chi Minh Complex including: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda and tour guide will give you history information and answer any questions you may have.

10:00: Next we will cross the bustle street for a short walking inside the campus of the first university of Vietnam – Temple of Literature – which was built in 10th century under Ly Dynasty who greatly influenced by Confucianism.

11:00: Followed by this, you pass through the Phung Hung Ceramic Street, visit the Tran Quoc Pagoda and back to the Old Quarter.

12:00: Have lunch in the local restaurant.

13:30: Visit the Museum of Ethnology - a one-of-a-kind museum devoted to Vietnam's 54 officially recognized ethnic groups.In this museum, you will have an opportunity to view artifacts, films, and photographs that describe the daily lives, costumes, clothing, and farming implements with customs and habits of many ethnic minorities around Vietnam.

15:30: Visit Hoa Lo Prison

17:00: After the enriching adventure, it’s time to return to Hanoi's Old Quarter and say bye to our guide.

Overnight in Hanoi

(The pick-up time will be updated if we have your flight information)