8 Days Days Hanoi – Halong – Mai Chau – Pu Luong – Saigon

Arrival at Hanoi Airport. After clearing customs, you’ll collect your luggage and meet our staff outside the international arrivals hall for the transfer to your hotel (Please note: Rooms are only available after 2:00 PM).   

In the afternoon, visit Van Mieu, the Confucian Temple of Literature, Asia’s oldest university, dating back to 1070. Then, visit the Old Quarter and the Lake of the Restored Sword—the heart of Hanoi. Discover the rickshaw, a means of transportation that has shaped the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people, and admire Hanoi’s life in the Old Quarter.

Overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.

Meals included: Lunch

Guests depart early in the morning for Ha Long.

8:00 – 8:45: Guests arrive at the Cruise Reception Hall to check in and board.

9:00 – 10:30: Enjoy the majestic scenery of thousands of limestone mountains as the cruise passes through the bay.

10:30 – 11:30: Explore Sung Sot Cave, the largest and most magnificent cave in the bay, featuring beautiful and mysterious thousand-year-old stalactites in a variety of unique shapes.

11:40 – 12:30: Visit Ti-top Island, an island with enchanting natural scenery and a beautiful moon-shaped beach that hugs the island’s foot. Here, visitors can dive into the blue sea, climb mountains, and admire the stunning scenery of the bay with 360-degree views.

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Enjoy a premium lunch at a luxury restaurant as the cruise moves through the spectacular limestone mountains of Ha Long Bay.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Enjoy tea and coffee at the restaurant.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Visit Luon Cave, a unique cave with an arch-shaped structure and lyrical natural scenery. Here, visitors can experience bamboo rowing by local fishermen or kayaking (for an additional fee).

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Enjoy live music on the sundeck (except Mondays) and admire the magnificent beauty of Ha Long Bay, or take a cooking class at the restaurant on the 4th floor of the cruise.

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Guests check out at the reception desk as the cruise returns to the port.

4:30 PM – 5:00 PM: The cruise arrives at the port.

Return to Hanoi for overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, check out and depart Hanoi for Mai Chau, an idyllic valley home to numerous hill tribes, including the Dzao, Muong, and Thai. Arrive in Mai Chau around noon, check in, and have lunch. In the afternoon, cycle to discover Mai Chau’s beautiful ethnic villages, including Na Thia, Chieng Sai, Cha Long, Tong Dau, and Van. Be welcomed by the friendly locals, chat with them, and learn about their traditional culture. The total cycling time is approximately 2-3 hours on flat trails. Enjoy Mai Chau’s spectacular scenery and the relaxed pace of local life. Return to Mai Chau Ecolodge for dinner. For evening entertainment, you can choose to attend a traditional dance performance with Ruou Can (a local wine), a cooking class, a weaving class, or all three. Overnight at Mai Chau Ecolodge.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast at the Ecolodge. (Recommended itinerary) Free time to explore Mai Chau’s beautiful ethnic villages, including Na Thia, Nhot, Pom Coong, Lac, and Chieng Chau. Be welcomed by the friendly locals, chat with them, and discover their traditional culture. Total walking time is approximately 2.5-3 hours on flat trails. Enjoy Mai Chau’s spectacular scenery and the relaxed pace of local life. Check-in at your hotel and have lunch. Depart for Pu Luong, a beautiful and pristine nature reserve. Overnight in Pu Luong.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast. Hike to Uoi-Lan village. This is a simple and easy walk through the beautiful rice terraced valley in front of the refuge. We begin our descent into the beautiful valley in front of the refuge, where we walk among the rice terraces. We then hike along small paths immersed in vegetation to slowly reveal the picturesque village of Uoi, nestled at the foot of an imposing mountain. Your camera won’t be able to keep still when you see the view of the village from above. We continue walking downhill to a local homestay, where you can rest, then we’ll bike to explore Lan village. If time permits, we’ll visit a local family where we can learn their traditional brocade weaving (not guaranteed). We’ll cycle through the rice paddies and another village to better explore the surrounding landscape. We’ll cycle back to the local homestay and then to Puluong Refuge for lunch.

In due time, check out and depart for Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

In due time, transfer to Hanoi airport. Take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, meet your guide. In the afternoon, the contemporary history lesson continues with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels, located about 60 kilometers northwest of the city. The first was dug around 1948 to aid the Viet Minh in their fight against the French occupation, later expanded and used as a shelter for air raids during American bombings. A veritable underground city, it houses assembly areas, kitchens, field hospitals, warehouses, and weapons factories; up to 10,000 people have found refuge here, including many children who spent their childhoods here. Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

At 8:00 AM, your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in central Ho Chi Minh City and drive to Ben Tre. You’ll be met at the foot of Phong Nẫm Bridge, then taken along the Chẹt Sậy River to enjoy the view of moving cargo boats and traditional coconut processing plants on the riverbank. You’ll visit the kiln, where you’ll experience the traditional way locals make bricks and see how coconut husks are used in the charcoal kiln to produce activated charcoal. You’ll also learn about the traditional coconut processing techniques, including coconut husking, coconut crushing, coconut cutting, and coconut shaving. Enjoy fresh coconut water as the boat takes you to the Cái Sơn Canal, where you’ll see locals fishing along the river. Visit the coconut candy bakery: enjoy warm baked coconut candy, and try seasonal fruit with honey tea. Visit the mat-weaving village in Nhon Thanh. Bus or bicycle will take the group through the village to a restaurant for lunch. Pedal through the coconut water canal, and a motorboat will take you to Hung Vuong pier. In time, return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast at the hotel. Begin your tour of Ho Chi Minh City. Visit the Opera House (exterior), the former Hôtel de Ville (now the headquarters of the People’s Committee, not accessible to the public), Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior, interior open from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM), the Central Post Office, and the former Presidential Palace. Explore the War Remnants Museum and Thien Hau Pagoda.

In due time, transfer to the airport for your departure flight. End of service.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch