Vietnam Travel Info

Classic Tours

Combination tour 9 days 

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)

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you'll be met and driven to your hotel.

17.15: You'll be picked up to watch the Water Puppet show an art form unique to northern Vietnam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture.

18.30: Your Welcome Dinner will be served at one of the best local restaurant.

You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

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

9.00: Pick up at your hotel for your Hanoi city tour.

9.30 - 10.30: Visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his simple stilt  house where he lived

10.30 - 11.00: You'll visit the Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest pagoda located on West Lake

11.00 - 12.00: Visit Temple of Literature - the first university in Vietnam

12.00 - 13.15: Lunch at local restaurant

13.15 - 15.30: Visit the Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam's 54 distinct ethnic

15.30 - 16.15: Visit Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of city.

16.15 - 17.15: You'll have around 1 hour to walk around the Old Quarter. You'll drive back to your hotel. You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

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

8.00 - 10.00: Pick up at your hotel and then drive to Cuc Phuong National park

10.00 - 12.30: 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.

12.30 - 13.45: You'll have lunch at the park centre.

13.45 - 16.45:  You'll visit a Endangered Primate Rescue Centre en-route and return to Hanoi for your overnight accommodation.

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

7.30: You'll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world's largest marine limestone karst landscape.

9.30: You'll take a short break at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop.

10.00 - 11.30: You'll continue driving to Ha Long Bay.

11.30: You'll board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels. It will take you first to the World Heritage area where you'll visit Amazing Cave. You'll have time for swimming on the emerald water in Ha Long Bay.Your lunch will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood.

17.00: On arrival to Cat Ba Island, you'll picked up by bus to your hotel. You'll spend the night in Cat Ba.

If you don't like seafood during this trip, please let us know what you like so we can arrange for you.

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

7.30 - 9.00: Breakfast at your hotel and then drive to Cat Ba National Park

9.00 - 15.30: Your guide will take you to the National Park to hike through the forest. Although the distance is only about 18 km, it will take at least 6 hours to cover the undulating terrain. On the way, you'll have a break for a picnic lunch at Viet Hai village.

15.30 - 16.30: You'll follow the path through some the farm, village and then to the harbour on the south of the island.

16.30 - 17.30: You'll finally find a boat is waiting to take you back to the town's harbour. On the way you can enjoy your swimming 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)

8.00 - 8.30: Breakfast at your hotel, you'll then be free to relax at Cat Co Beach.

15.00 - 16.00: You'll take a short walk to the other harbour where you'll take a hydrofoil to Hai Phong

16.00 - 18.00: Arrive in Hai Phong, you'll take a vehicles back to Hanoi.

You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.

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

8.30 - 11.00: Pick up at your hotel and drive to Mai Chau valley, you'll pass through mountainous landscape on the way.

11.00 - 12.30: You'll check in to a stilt house in Lac village, the home of a Thai ethnic minority group and have lunch at the same house on stilt.

13.00 - 16.30: You can wander around the houses to see the daily life of local people. They specialise in weaving brocade products, and are happy to show visitors their skills. The village is operated as a community co-operative, set up by the people themselves.

16.30 - 19.30: Back to the village for refreshment and free time for shopping brocade products and a dinner will be served by the house holder.

20.00 - 21.00: You'll enjoy with the performance of dancing of White Thai minority people.

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

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

8.00 - 8.30: You can have breakfast at local family or alternatively wake up very early to enjoy the fresh air of the mountain valley.

8.30 - 12.30: You'll walk to visit Mai Chau market to visit the local life culture of the Thai people. You'll then 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.

12.00 - 14.00: You'll be driven to Hoa Binh to have a brief visit Hoa Binh Hydro Electricity

14.00 - 16.00: Return to Hanoi for your overnight stay.

Day 9: Hanoi departure

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

Prices per person in US$: 

Valid until December 31, 2007

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Prices include:

• Breakfast and accommodation in twin or double room.

• Boats cruises as programme. 

• Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced, safe driver.

• Experienced English-speaking tour guide as indicated in the itinerary.

• Entry fees for all sightseeing as mentioned in the programme.

• Lunches and dinners, as above, in the local restaurants and on the boat in Ha Long Bay.

• Thai dancing show as listed in the itinerary.

• Government Taxes.

Price do not include:

• Flight tickets and airport tax.

• Visas.

• Dinners except as specified above.

• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.

• Insurance.

Hotel list for First Class standard

• Hanoi: Sofitel Metropole Hotel (***** colonial building, city centre) or similar

• Cat Ba: Holiday View (*** the local standard, overlooking the sea, Deluxe Suite)

• Mai Chau: House on stilt of Thai people (clean and basic accommodation)

Hotel list for Deluxe standard

• Hanoi: Sofitel Plaza Hotel (***** overlooking the West Lake) or similar

• Cat Ba: Holiday View (*** the local standard, overlooking the sea, Deluxe room) or similar

• Mai Chau: House on stilt of Thai people (clean and basic accommodation)

Hotel list for Superior standard

• Hanoi: Sunway Hotel (**** city centre) or similar

• Cat Ba: Holiday View (*** the local standard, overlooking the sea)

• Mai Chau: House on stilt of Thai people (clean and basic accommodation)

Hotel list for Mid-range standard

• Hanoi: Army Hotel (***city centre with swimming pool) or similar

• Cat Ba: Holiday View (*** the local standard, overlooking the sea)

• Mai Chau: House on stilt of Thai people (clean and basic accommodation)

Hotel list for Budget standard 

• Hanoi: Nam Hai Hotel (** in the Old Quarter) or similar

• Cat Ba: Princesses Hotel (** local standard) or similar

• Mai Chau: House on stilt of Thai people (clean and basic accommodation)