An unusual circuit compared to others, in terms of landscapes, ethnic groups and their customs.

Do you appreciate the far north of Vietnam but don't want to spend too much time traveling? This discovery tour of the land of Muong and Thai seems perfect.

150 km from Hà Nội, Mai Châu and Pu Luong, a beautiful valley with houses on stilts, green rice fields and mountains around. All these landscapes constitute a very ¨zen¨ and charming place which you will go to appreciate.

 
Highlights :

- Moderate pace program with varied activities.

- Authentic discovery of villages, far from mass tourism, with nature hikes in the Pu Luong and Ngoc Son Ngo Luong region.

- Hikes planned at a level between easy and medium and the program is always flexible on site.

- Nights in authentic and wild corners in Sammu village, Ban Huou ..

Itinerary:

Day 01: Ha Noi - Arrival

Day 02: Ha Noi - Visits

Day 03: Ha Noi - Mai Chau

Day 04: Mai Chau - Pu Luong Retreat

Day 05: Pu Luong - Ban Huou Village

Day 06: Ban Huou Village - Thac Mu

Day 07: Thac Mu - Ngoc Son Ngo Luong - Tam Coc

Day 08: Tam Coc - Halong Bay land

Day 09: Tam Coc - Cat Ba - Cruise in Halong Bay

Day 10: Cat Ba - Ha Noi - Departure

Notes:

- Depending on your desires and your budget, this tour can be adapted and modified in terms of duration, content, as well as the date of departure.

- The price of this trip varies according to the number of participants, the services chosen (category of accommodation, activities and board during the trip, ...) as well as the tourist period of the year.

- Do not hesitate to contact us for more information. We are always ready to listen to you.

Day 1: Hanoi - Arrival

(guide, private car, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Welcome by Zen Vietnam Travel guide and driver. Transfer to downtown Ha Noi.

An orientation walk on foot or by pedicab in the old town district, otherwise known as the 36 trades streets of Ha Noi because most of the shops on the same street sold the same thing: Rue des bambous, Rue de silk, Traditional medicine street, Bronze street, etc. A truly typical and charming district, with its shops on the sidewalks, small narrow houses, scooters everywhere.

Installation at the hotel for the shower and rest. Warning ! hotel rooms are only available from 2 p.m.

Gourmet dinner at the famous ¨Cha Ca¨ dish in a local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi - Visits

(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Today you will start the visit of the capital Hà Nội with a very old Buddhist pagoda, the 6th century Trấn Quốc pagoda, located in a beautiful setting by the large West Lake. Then, you will visit the Quán Thánh temple at 300m.

Then, the visit of the ethnographic museum, which gives you a panoramic view of the life of the 54 ethnic groups with 54 different cultures in the territory of Vietnam.

Time for lunch at the restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit of the political district with the mausoleum of Hồ Chí Minh, the founding father of modern Vietnam, the presidential palace, the house on stilts of Hồ Chí Minh, the pagoda with the one pillar. Visit of the Temple of Literature, the first university in the history of the country.

At the end of the day, you will witness the spectacle of the Water Puppet Theater, a unique culture that you will never find in any other country in the world. Vietnam is the only country that practices this art.

Dinner at the local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi - Ancient Duong Lam Village - Mai Chau

(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, visits, accommodation)

Departure at 8:00 am towards Duong Lam village, a typical ancient village in northern Vietnam with laterite houses. In the village, you will visit his communal house, his pagoda and Mr. The's family. It will be a good opportunity for you to experience a beautiful part of Vietnamese culture and customs.

Lunch in the village.

Road towards Mai Chau. On the road you will visit a very beautiful village with stilt houses with thatched roofs, inhabited by the inhabitants of the Muong ethnic group, Gia Mo village. Discover their life and their typical working tools.

Arrive in Mai Chau, a beautiful peaceful valley surrounded by mountains. Tonight, you sleep in the stilt house of Mr. Cuong's family, a white Thai ethnic group. The opportunity to truly live with the locals like a local.

Dinner with typical local dishes.

You will attend and participate in the musical evening with traditional dances performed by the young people of the village.

Night at the inhabitant in a house on stilts.

Day 4: Mai Chau and its surroundings - Pu Luong Retreat

(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, visits, accommodation)

Time for breakfast. You will then spend a whole day discovering the villages around Mai Chau Lac, Pomcoong, Van, Cha ... Great opportunity to see and participate in agricultural activities with local farmers, sowing corn, transplanting or harvesting rice, vegetables, plowing the fields ... Live a short day like a local peasant, it will be a beautiful memory.

Lunch with the locals.

In the afternoon, departure to Pu Luong, a beautiful and peaceful place in the land of Muong and Thai.

Arrival in Pu Luong. Walk in the area.

Dinner and overnight at Pu Luong Retreat Hotel.

Day 5: Pu Luong - Trekking - Ban Huou

(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, visits, accommodation)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Today, you will start a beautiful 5-hour trekking day to discover the land of the Muong, through authentic villages, untouched by tourism. You will pass through different landscapes, from rice terraces to tropical jungle.

Picnic lunch.

Arrive at Ban Huou village, a small village located at the top of a large hill with magnificent views.

Dinner and overnight at the inhabitant.

Day 6: Ban Huou Village - Sammu Village

(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, visits, accommodation)

Breakfast at the inhabitant's.

Departure at 9 am for another day of hiking of 5 hours.

Still in the land of the Muong but with other landscapes, other rice fields, another jungle.

A short scooter ride to shorten the route is also a unique experience.

Lunch with the locals

Continuation of the hike to Sammu village.

Dinner and overnight at the inhabitant in a beautiful authentic house on the edge of a waterfall.

Day 7: Village Sammu - Ninh Binh - Hoa Lu

(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, visits, accommodation)

Breakfast at the inhabitant's.

This morning you will leave for another 3 hour drive before meeting the car on the other side of the reserve.

Lunch at a local restaurant before heading to Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam from 968-1009 and also the center of Halong Bay on land.

Arrival at Huan in his rural lodging.

Small cooking class. Dinner and overnight in Hoa Lu.

Day 8: Ninh Binh - Visits

(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, visits, accommodation)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Ninh Binh, nicknamed Ha Long Bay on land because of the similarity between the landscapes and the geological formation with thousands of rocks covered by beautiful vegetation, a succession of natural cirques linked together by caves dug by erosion.

Depart to Tam Coc village crossing the World Heritage Center of Trang An, the center of Halong Bay on land with stunning landscapes. Bike ride in the village to Thung Nham for another ride but in a rowing boat. It will be a very ¨zen¨ moment to contemplate the beauty of the terrestrial Halong Bay with rocks, rice fields, caves ....

Lunch at the restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit to Bai Dinh Pagoda, the largest Buddhist pagoda in Southeast Asia, a pharaonic building equipped with thousands of small Buddha statues, hundreds of marble Buddhist Saints statues , bronze statues of Buddha weighing around a hundred tons. It is a building to be seen in life.

Dinner and overnight at Huan's.

Day 9: Ninh Binh - Cat Ba - Cruise in Halong Bay - Overnight on board

(guide on board, bus, lunch, dinner, visits, private junk or collective boat)

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 7:30 am, departure for Hai Phong 150 km away to embark on a shuttle that takes you to Cat Ba Island. 30 minutes more bus and you arrive at the Ben Beo pier where you will board our beautiful private junk (or collective boat) and start the 24 hours on board for the discovery of one of the natural wonders of the world, the Halong Bay.

From our ¨zen¨ criteria for trips, we have chosen the part of the south of the bay where the large mass tourism boats do not pass yet, just a few small traditional junks in this area. A part of the bay that is still very authentic with thousands of rocks, wild beaches and huge floating villages that you cannot find in the other part of Ha Long Bay.

Lunch on board with seafood. Time for swimming or simply resting on the deck to admire this miracle that nature offers us. After 3 hours of navigation, we arrive at Hang Ca, a beautiful place for the kayak ride, another way to see the bay up close.

Around 5:30 p.m., we anchor in a magnificent circus in the middle of the bay where you will be alone. A hell of a time to watch the sunset over the bay.

Dinner on board and a test of squid fishing in the evening will be great memories.

Overnight on board.

Note: The order of visits during the cruise may be changed, depending on the weather conditions on site.

Day 10: Cat Ba - Ha Noi - Departure

(guide on board, bus, lunch, visits)

An early morning awakening in a magical setting around 5 am to admire the sunrise over the bay, why not?

After a good breakfast, the junk continues to sail in the bay and takes you to Viet Hai village for a nice bike ride or visit the fish farm or just enjoy the tranquility on a beach. You choose !

Lunch on board and disembarkation around 11:30 am.

Transfer to Ha Noi.

End of our services!

Travel with passion!

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