Combination tour 9 days

Destination: Hanoi – Cuc Phuong – Ha Long – Cat Ba – Mai Chau

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, G)

Upon arrival at Noi Bai airport, our guide will greet and accompany you to your hotel. Free time until you?ll be picked up to watch water puppet performance, a traditional art form closely connected with the long-standing spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. You?ll then be driven to a good local restaurant and enjoy a welcome dinner with us. Your overnight stay will be in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B, L, G)

The morning tour will begin with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the resting place of Uncle Ho. You will also see his house-on-stilts and learn about the simple life of the Vietnamese?s beloved leader. Your next visit will be Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas, which still maintains its unique architecture armonious with nature and boasts many precious Buddhist statues. You will then driven to Temple of Literature, the oldest school in Vietnam, giving it the distinction of being the most significant temple in both Hanoi and Vietnam.

In the afternoon, you will call at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, an excellent instruction to the cultural heritages of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic groups. Later on, you will visit the beautiful Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake – a striking blue gem in the city centre. The tour ends with 1 ?hour walking tour around the Old Quarters to enjoy its warmth and coziness, looking up to contemplate centuries-old and weather-beaten houses, both familiar and exotic, etc. Your overnight stay will be in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi/Cuc Phuong/Hanoi (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you will be picked up at your hotel and driven to Cuc Phuong National Park, the oldest national park of Vietnam. It boasts engaging cultural and wildlife heritage and enchanting scenery. On arrival, you’ll be able to wander through a subtropical forest, rich in flora and fauna with thousand-year-old trees and dripping vines, visiting the Prehistory Cave. After lunch at the park centre, our guide will take you to visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre. You could take this opportunity to see with your eyes and know more about thousands of different endangered species. Return to Hanoi for overnight accomodation.

Day 4: Hanoi/Ha Long/Cat Ba (B, L, D, G)

After breakfast, our guide will pick you up and take you to Ha Long Bay. Enjoy a 3 hour drive with a stopover at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop for refreshment and see different kinds of handicrafts skilfully made by disable people.

Upon arrival, you will board a private boat for a 5-hour cruise on Ha Long Bay. Declared as a World Natural Heritage Area by UNESCO, Halong Bay is not only famous for its exceptional scenic beauty but also outstanding geological and geomorphic values. After lunch with fresh seafood, you will visit the Amazing cave and a tranquil  beach where you’ll be able to swim, and climb hills for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape. Our boat will then take you to Cat Ba Island, the pearl island with a spectacular array of sea and island scenery covering an area of 20,000ha in the North-East of Hai Phong. When you arrive, you?ll be picked up by bus to your hotel. You’ll spend the night in Cat Ba.

Day 5: Cat Ba (B, L, D, G)

After breakfast at your hotel, our car will arrive and transfer you to visit Cat Ba National Park, which encompasses an area of 15,200 ha, including 9,800 ha of forests with splendid grottoes. In tropical and primeval forests, there is a rich fauna and flora. There are 745 species of plants, including various species of rare wood trees. You will start trekking through the forest. It takes at least 6 hours to cover the undulating terrain about 18km. Enjoy a picnic lunch at Viet Hai village en route. You’ll then pass through some farm, village and head to the harbour on the south of the island where a boat is waiting to take you back to the town?s harbour. On the way, you can take a swim on Lan Ha Bay. Your dinner will be served later on at the local restaurant. You?ll spend the night in Cat Ba.

Day 6: Cat Ba/Hanoi (B, G)

Breakfast at your hotel, you’ll then have free time to relax at Cat Co Beach which is separated by a small range of mountain, you can swim in the blue and warm water, so clear that you can see the golden sand beneath. Moreover, the white-sand Cat Co beach makes a great place for walking around for the day

In the afternoon, you’ll take a short walk to the other harbor where you’ll take a hydrofoil to Hai Phong. Arriving in Hai Phong, your car will pick you up to return to Hanoi.

You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 7: Hanoi/Mai Chau (B, L, D, G)

After breakfast, you will leave for Mai Chau valley by car. On the way, you?ll take a chance to see the wonderful mountainous landscape. Upon arrival, you’ll check into a stilt house in Lac village, inhabited by Thai ethnic minority group. It is time for lunch and relaxation.

In the afternoon, our guide will show you around the village to see how the local people live and work. Whatever house you visit, you always receive the smile and warmth  from the hosts. The locals here specialise in weaving brocade products, and are happy to show you their skills. The village is operated as a community co-operative, set up by the people themselves. You?ll then return to your house on stilt for refreshment and have dinner preparing by the house holder. In the evening, you’ll enjoy the dancing performance of White Thai minority people.

You’ll spend the night at house on stilt in Lac village.

Day 8: Mai Chau/Hanoi (B, G)

In the morning, you would have breakfast at local family or alternatively wake up very early to enjoy the fresh air of the mountain valley. You’ll then wander to visit Mai Chau market and communicate with the Thai people to learn more about their life and culture. Later on, you’ll continue walking to Van village – the village near by the mountain with good atmosphere surrounding and then back to the Lac village for your lunch.

In the afternoon, you’ll be transferred to Hoa Binh to have a brief visit at Hoa Binh Hydro Power Plant, one of the biggest one in Vietnam. Return to Hanoi for overnight stay.

Day 9: Hanoi departure (G)

You’ll be free to shop at some of the local market before being driven to the airport for your international departure flight.