MYTHS & MOUNTAINS OF NORTH VIETNAM

 Tour Code:VIT 01 
Tour Route:Hanoi, Mai Chau, Ninh Binh (Hoa Lu & Trang An), Halong Bay.
 Price From : $ 
 Tour Type: Private Tour  
 Duration: 6 days/ 5 nights

This special trip will introduce you to some of the best of North Vietnam - its diverse ethnic groups, a variety of different crafts, the traditional medicines of the land, and some of the best scenery in the country. Arriving in Hanoi, you will tour the city and its shops as well as visit the Museum of Ethnology and the Hospital of Traditional Medicine. Then, you will head west to the area around MaiChau to tour the hill tribe areas and spend the night in local home become acquainted with the friendly Thai tribe people. Continue to  Ninh Binh, Tam Coc passing Cuc Phuong National Park, you will then head up to Halong bay for a night on a luxury cruise.
- Extendable with optional tours from Hanoi. 

 Day 1: Hanoi Arrival.
Welcome to Hanoi: Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Your driver and guide will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. In the afternoon enjoy a cyclo tour through the Old Quarter’s narrow streets lined with French colonial buildings – followed by a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique Vietnamese art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture. Savor a welcome dinner at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.
Meals: Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.
 Day 2: Hanoi City Tour.
Today you have a full day to explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas, Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone. Your city tour will take you to Hanoi’s key sites: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and stilt house), the Presidential Palace, the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; the Temple of Literature; West Lake including the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple; and one of the city's museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum).
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.
 Day 3: Hanoi – Mai Chau.
Wake early and enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before setting off on your drive to Mai Chau – a yawning valley, cradling picturesque rice paddies and boarded by looming karst rock formations. Enjoy picturesque views of the scenic landscape, sown with pagodas and rural villages. Stop along the way to visit the Muong tribe and then at Thung Khe Pass for a spectacular view of Mai Chau Valley. After lunch, spend the afternoon trekking off the typical tourist track, along the Song Ma River. Trek through terraced rice paddies and small villages, discovering the natural beauty of the valley and encountering the culture of the White Thai people, living in the region. Stop at a Thai village for the night, having dinner with a local family and enjoying a homestay in their long house.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau.
 Day 4: Mai Chau – Ninh Binh (Hoa Lu & Trang An).
Enjoy breakfast at homestay before journeying to Hoa Lu, Vietnam's first capital. Visit to temples and walk hundred steps up to top of a mountain for a panorama view of the old capital. After lunch, enjoy a leisure cruise to visit Trang An, a nature reserve similar to Tam Coc however less visited. Limestone hills surround a peaceful river which passes through a series of caves (one which takes 15-minutes to pass through in darkness). It is an “eco-tourism” area, the only interruptions here are the sound of birds and the gentle paddle of the oar upon the crystal clear river. Overnight at Emeralda Ninh Binh Resort & Spa which is set within a prime location on the edge of the Van Long Nature Reserve's jungles.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Ninh Binh.
 Day 5: Ninh Binh – Haiphong – Halong Bay – Overnight on cruise 
Halong Pelican Luxury Cruise’s itinerary will take you for a discovery of Halong Bay’s best of different formulas to take you each for a ride amidst the magic archipelago; and depending on the length of the cruise, you’ll enjoy a global overview of different wonders that this UNESCO World Heritage site has to offer.
After breakfast at hotel, your driver will take you on a 4-hour drive passing the countryside of the Red River Delta to Halong Bay.
12:00 – 12:30 Check in Pelican Luxury café (Tuan Chau Island).
12:30 – 13:00 Transfer to Pelican Luxury Cruise by tender.
13:00 – 13:30 Welcome on boat, enjoy welcome drink and follow Operation Manager briefing safety on boat as Pelican Luxury Cruise heads to “Cho Da” Stone Dog, Ga Choi "Fighting Cock", Hoa Cuong village.
13:30 – 15:00 Having lunch.
16:00 – 17:15 Visit Bat cave by:
- The 1st option: Kayaking (included).
- The 2nd option: Visit Bat cave by bamboo boat (included).
17:15 – 18:15 Back to the Pelican Luxury Cruise to find safety place for overnight. Free time on cruise.
Option: Massage service available. Please book with Cruise Manager directly (please see massage menu).
18:00 – 19:00 Cooking demonstrations on sundeck, Happy Hour (buy one drink, get one free).
19:30 – 21:30 Having dinner.
21:30 – 23:00 Entertainment activities:
- The 1st option: Join squid fishing, film entertainment ( included).
- The 2nd option: Massage service available. Please book with Cruise Manager directly (please see massage menu).
23:00 Overnight on Pelican Luxury Cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: on cruise.
 Day 6: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Departure.
06:15 – 06:45 Tai Chi instruction on sundeck.
07:00 – 07:45 Having breakfast.
07:45 – 08:45 Exploring Surprise cave (about 60 minute on foot).
09:00 – 09:30 Check out, payment in reception area.
10:00 Having light lunch.
11:30 Back to Tuan Chau pier. Transfer by tender to Pelican Luxury cruises café.
Your driver will transfer you to Noi Bai International Airport for your departure flight. Good bye & Safe travels!
Meals: Brunch
Accommodation: N/A.