Day 01: Hanoi arrival

Arrive in Hanoi, you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel for relaxing. Take your time to discover Hanoi. Have dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Day 02: Hanoi—Discovery of the Capital

Discover Hanoi, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, the house on stilts, and the One Pillar Pagoda. Continue to visit the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam. Have lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Ethnography and Quan Thanh Temple and enjoy a wonderful rickshaw ride in the Old Quarter of Hanoi to explore the very busy part of Hanoi. In the evening, you attend a water puppet show. Have dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.

Meals: lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Day 03 itinerary: Cycling from Hanoi to Duong Lam, visiting the Western Pagoda, and then traveling to Hoa Binh (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).

Have breakfast at the hotel. Depart for the ancient village of Duong Lam, where you ride a bicycle around the old traditional village to discover its beautiful communal house dating from the 18th century and its old houses and its laterite, which only exist here. You visit the family that produces a sauce made from corn and beans. Have lunch at the homestay. In the afternoon, you go to visit the Western pagoda (Tay Phuong) dating from the seventh century and the 62 wooden statues of lacquer jackfruit, which is one of the treasures of the temples dating from the seventeenth century. The pagoda is a place of pilgrimage. To enter the pagoda, you climb 250 steps of laterite. Then drive to Hoa Binh. Have dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Hoa Binh.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoa Binh

Day 04: Hoa Binh – Cycling to Mai Chau

Have breakfast at the hotel. Depart for the village of the ethnic minority Muong to discover the lifestyle and culture of the Muong, which are very close to those of the Kinh. Then, you continue with charming lanes passing the green hills of tea plantations and rice terraces. Arrive in Mai Chau and install in traditional Thai houses on stilts. Have lunch at the homestay. In the afternoon, you spend time visiting the surrounding villages by bicycle to discover the village and local crafts. Have dinner together in the house on stilts. Then you enjoy the friendliness of the inhabitants and folk dances of minorities. Have dinner and stay overnight in a stilt house in Mai Chau.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau

Day 05: Bicycle ride to Mai Chau

Have breakfast at the homestay. The day is spent on visiting by bicycle Thai villages in Xam Khoe and around the village of Mai Chau. Back to the homestay for lunch. In the afternoon, cycling in the villages around Mai Chau. Have dinner and stay overnight in the stilt house.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau

Day 06: Mai Chau – Hoa Lu "Halong Bay on land"

Breakfast with the local people. Then, departure to Hoa Lu through the green hills of tea and the steep limestone cliffs that arise in the rice fields. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, a boat trip on the lagoon Van Long (Ha Long Bay land – Centre National Reserve) takes you through the landscape of great serenity. Have dinner and stay overnight at hotel in Hoa Lu

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoa Lu

Day 07: Hoa Lu – Bike ride to Thung Nang – Hoa Lu

In the morning, take a bike ride up to Thung Nang for a sampan ride in the middle of beautiful karst and terraced green and lotus ponds. Thung Nang is much less touristy compared with Hoa Lu and thus is particularly suitable for individual trips. You then visit the Jade Pagoda before lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you take a nice bike ride through Hoa Lu villages and fabulous scenery. Hoa Lu is one of the most famous sites for its remains and impressive limestone peaks. Visit the two temples of the Dinh and Le kings dating from the tenth century in the ancient capital Hoa Lu. Have dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Hoa Lu.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoa Lu

Day 08: Hoa Lu – Thai Binh – Hai Phong

Have breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Hai Phong through the new road through the expanses of rice fields in the Red River Delta … Continue to Thai Binh, where you then visit Keo Pagoda, considered one of the jewels of traditional architecture of the Red River Delta of the XII century. It is a beautiful wooden pagoda built without a single nail, delicately carved. Lunch along the way. Then drive to Hai Phong, the second largest port city in Vietnam, and then you visit the flower market, fish market, and the municipal theater built by the colonial French. Have dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Hai Phong.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hai Phong

Day 09: Hai Phong – Ha Long – Overnight on junk

Have breakfast at the hotel. At 8:00, you first visit Du Hang Pagoda, built three centuries ago, and Communal House Hang Kenh, decorated with 500 woodcarvings depicting scenes from everyday life. Then, drive to Ha Long, and you will reach Halong at noon.
12h00 – 12h30: Embark on the traditional wooden junk, followed by a short cruise briefing.
13h00 – 15h30: Savor a delectable lunch as you cruise among the limestone islands.
15h30 – 16h30: Kayak among the hidden areas of the bay, around the Bo Nau Cave area. Back to the junk
16h30 – 17h30: Cruise to Soi Sim Island. Go swimming and relaxing at the beach of Soi Sim, or climb up to the top of the island for a panoramic view of Halong Bay.
17h30: Cruise back to the main boat for a shower. Relax or snap photos as the sun starts to set.
19h00 Dinner is served. Socialize with other guests, fish for squid, or just laze around. Overnight on board

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Overnight on junk

Day 10: Ha Long – But Thap – Hanoi

06h30 – 07h00: Start your day with Tai Chi exercises or a photo hunt.
07h30 – 08h30: Have breakfast at sunrise.
08h30 – 09h30: Explore the amazing Sung Sot Cave—the nicest cave in Halong Bay.
09h30: Return to the boat. Freshen up and check out of your cabin.
09h30 – 10h30: Continue your cruise to explore the Bay, passing Ba Hang fishing village, Dog Islet, and more.
10h30 – 11h30: While heading back to the harbor, watch the cooking demonstration before enjoying a traditional Vietnamese lunch.
12h00 – 12h30: Disembark and drive to Bac Ninh, crossing the vast expanses of rice paddies of the Red River Delta, and visit the But Thap Pagoda, the pagoda of the sign, built in the 17th century. Direct transfer to Hanoi airport for flight departure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: N/A