VIETNAM DEEP IN THE NORTH

Welcome to Vietnam!
Our local guide will be welcoming you at Noi Bai airport; it takes us 35 minutes driving to the center of Hanoi to drop off luggage.
This afternoon, we will have an Orientation tour of the Old Quarters. Walk through the fascinating network of narrow alleys and shop houses also known as ‘The 36 Streets’ – each street being named after the merchandise traditionally sold there, ranging from fabrics to crafts and from medicines to tombstones. Drop by at Ngoc Son Temple located on the Hoan Kiem Lake (the “Sword” Lake. Late afternoon we will enjoy a unique fascinating show of Water Puppetry, a traditional stage art of Northern Vietnam. 
Overnight in Hanoi.

Please note: Standard check in time is 14:00. Early check in is subject to availability of the hotel

It is your day to visit the Capital of Vietnam today. Let's start from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his simple house-on-stilts and the One-Pillar pagoda near Ba Dinh Square, where the most solemn ceremonies of Hanoi take place. Go on to the Temple of Literature, the very first high school of Vietnam Scholars
Lunch at local restaurant. 
In the afternoon, we will move on to the Museum of Ethnology, where you can find an excellent full collection of 54 ethnic groups living in Vietnam and wonderful implications of artifacts and patterns from their traditional handicrafts and clothes. 
It’s then our time for the special street food tour. This unique, carefully designed adventure combines expert knowledge with flexibility to pursue your unique interests, bringing you closer than ever to discovering the culinary secrets hiding around every corner. Let’s sample a wide variety of popular street food dishes, including bun cha (grilled pork patties with noodles), pho (beef noodle), crab noodle, pork porridge, and savory Vietnamese pancakes (ban xeo). Delve deeper into lesser known foods, including grilled quail, golden pillow cakes, beef noodle, eel noodle, shrimp cake, and snails. Enjoy an assortment of drinks and local dried snacks, and even visit a local market place.
Overnight in Hanoi
Please note! Ho Chi Minh mausoleum closed on Monday, Friday every week and from late Sep to early Nov for annual maintenance. 

Breakfast at the hotel.
This morning, we will transfer to Pu Luong Nature Reserve by road via a breathtaking mountain pass giving you a panoramic view of the whole valley. Arrive at your accommodation in time for a delicious lunch, followed by free time to explore the beautiful retreat, with its captivating panoramic views and tranquil setting. Afternoon: You will be transfer to a suspension bridge over the Cham River, where you begin your walk in search of stunning water wheels. Get up close to each wheel and discover how water is moved from river to handmade bamboo aqueducts via simple constructions of all sizes.
Arriving at a local fisherman’s house, you have a short rest to gear up for the rafting adventure with Dinh and his team. Float along the calm river and enjoy the views, in between learning how to paddle and steer your handcrafted rafts.
Arriving at scenic Tan Lap Bridge, you disembark to be transferred back to Pu Luong Retreat for dinner.
Lunch, dinner and overnight at Pu Luong retreat.

Breakfast at the retreat.
Start early to descend into the beautiful valley facing the Retreat where you walk around tumbling rice terraces. Trek through small paths shrouded in vegetation to slowly reveal a picturesque village sitting at the base of a towering mountain. Your camera will not be able to sit still!
Continuing to the base of the valley, you weave between roads and farmland, villages and wild fields, ponds and rivers, mountains and open land. Savour the ever-changing scenery as you trek to a beautiful spot to enjoy a simple picnic lunch.
After enjoying delicious food, you have free time to explore the refreshing water to the nearby river, before moving to our pick up point to be transferred back to the Retreat. Dinner and overnight at Pu Luong retreat. 
Trek info: 12 km easy walking – 6 hours

This morning, you have the chance to get close to village life and interact with locals living in the hills above the Retreat. Glimpse at daily life, walk around working farmland and rice fields, and learn about making rice wine and weaving colorful textiles 
Visit a famer house en route to try local wine “Ruou can” with grilled corns, potatoes, etc. Learn more about local customs during lunch and talking to our friendly local host. 
Our car will pick up from the host family after lunch time then drive straight to Ninh Binh. 
Overnight at hotel in Ninh Binh.

Breakfast at hotel. 
Around 9:00 drive to Tam Coc area. Start the journey by visiting a local family in Tam Coc. They are a traditional Vietnamese family with three generations living together. Here you will get the chance to see the house architecture and their daily life and their handicraft job of making traditional embroidery. Leaving the family, you will take a bike and start riding to explore the rice fields and limestone mountains for about 1 hour with an 8 km unique route. We also stop at Bich Dong Pagoda for a nice walk to see nice view of Tam Coc.
11:30 Come back to the host family to enjoy a special lunch prepared by the home chef with the local cuisine featuring the yin-yang balance of the Asian culture. After lunch, a break with a cup of Vietnam green tea or coffee will be served before you continue the journey of discovery Tam Coc- the “Halong Bay on land”
13.30: Visit Tam Coc by a small boat rowed by a local for about 2 hours.  Known as “Halong Bay on land”, Tam Coc is the name of the limestone caves area stretching along Ngo Dong River. The boat trip is a nice journey along the river with the peaceful scenery of Limestone Mountains, rice paddy and the sight of some temples along the way. If traveling during harvest season, you may have chances to see the yellow rice carpet along the river banks.
15.30: Arrive at Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10th century; visit the temple of King Dinh. Under the introduction of our local guide, you will get to know more about the Vietnamese history. Hoa Lu existed as the capital of Vietnam for 41 years (968 – 1009), of which 12 years was under the Dinh dynasty – King Dinh Tien Hoang when country named Dai Co Viet. 
Drive back to hotel later on.  Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Breakfast at hotel. 
At around 8AM, head East for more than 3.5 hours to Halong Bay, a Natural World Heritage as designated by UNESCO in 1994 and 2006. Upon arrival in Halong, embark junk to cruise the Bay discover the magnificent beauty of this “Descending-dragon” bay, created by thousands odd-shaped limestone rocks and karst grottoes.
After a lunch of fresh seafood on board, we visit the Surprising Grotto, stop for swimming or kayaking, passing floating villages and approach islets to enjoy their beauty in close distance. Evening attend activities on the boat or relax at your own leisure. Overnight on the boat.

Wake up to breakfast with a breathtaking vista, after which we can navigate a small rowboat through a low roofed cave into the heart of one of the islands. We can also have some more swimming, enjoy an enormous brunch as we cruise slowly back to the harbor at 11:30, where we will be transferred to our hotel in Ha Noi.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at hotel. It’s then your own leisure time till transferring back to airport for your departure flight. End of services!
Please note: Hotel Check-out time is around 12.00.