Vietnam Family Adventure (IPV16)

Xin Chao! Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Upon arrival at Hanoi Airport, your private guide and driver are waiting to meet you and your family, holding up a welcome signboard with your names on it and take you directly to your hotel in the Old Quarter.

After checking-in, you will have time to relax and adjust to the pace of Hanoi. There will be a short tour briefing this evening with your guide followed by a welcome dinner at KOTO restaurant, a social enterprise that trains and employs underprivileged youth to provide a step up in life.

Please note: Your travel documents contain a Visa-on-Arrival letter (unless otherwise arranged). Please ensure to pack this in your carry-on luggage. Your Visa-on-Arrival letter must be presented to Customs upon entry into the country.

Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: (_/_/D)

Today you will experience Hanoi Off the Beaten Path in the back of the Russian Minsk Motorcycle. This one-of-the-kind tour will bring you into the true livings museum of Hanoi life, give you a rich insight into how the locals live. With your experienced guides (also your drivers), you will explore Hanoi’s different neighborhoods, a few key attractions, local markets, and beautiful urban agricultural land on an island. They will show you some hidden gems of Hanoi and special places where you can taste amazing street food. Motorbike tour? It sounds a little scary but you will be safe with your courteous, friendly, and very professional drivers.

Note: If you are not keen on the motorcycle, there is an alternative option for your family to take an open-air war-time Jeep car.

Morning
After breakfast your family is met at the hotel lobby at the appointed time by your guides (also drivers) and after some safety briefing, set off as pillion riders on Russian built 1952 150cc motorcycles heading out of the city. While riding you will be shown some sights and your guides knowledgeably and proudly explain their city.

The first stop is at the black market where you will get through tiny zigzag alleyways. Meet and interact with the friendly local people. Pause at a food court in the back of the market and try some delicious street food.

Continue your ride zipping in and out of the backstreets. You will arrive at a local home where you are introduced to an old woman at her apartment to hear about her life stories.

Proceed to a narrow stretch of housing where the only space between both sides of the street is the railroad track. Here your guides have timed it so you can get to see a Reunification Express train passing through! It’s your Kodak moment.

Return to the City you are driven through the French colonial architecture of the precinct known as the French Quater. You will pass the French-style villas, the Vietnam History Museum, the heritage Metropole Legend Hotel, and the Opera House, name to a few.

Proceed to Hanoi’s Old Quarter (in contrast to the French Quarter) to explore the maze of small alleyways and narrow streets. You are safely skirted through traffic amongst the thousands of scooters as you marvel at the composition of the city. Stop at different AUTHENTIC eateries and food stalls to savor the tastiest of the tasty dishes of Hanoi including family heirloom & secret recipe dishes, local delicacies, and specialties.

Ride out of the city toward the historic Long Bien Bridge, a magnificent structure built by the French over a hundred years ago which spans the Red River. 

From the bridge, you will get to Bai Giua, more commonly known as Banana Island, a 24ha stretch of land in the middle of the Red River. Running down from the centre of the bridge is a steel staircase leading to an island covered by a green canopy of banana, papaya and guava trees, interspersed with the cloudy-white flowers of the wild reeds. Thanks to the abundance of the Red River’s water, the island has been formed by warp providing shelters for many fishermen. The area is vast with no roads, just beaten paths zigzagging behind gardens and trees. It’s a world away from the hustle and bustle of the vibrant city you left behind.

After meeting some locals and having a leisurely experience in getting to know them you will get back to the City. The final stop will be made at a hidden Cafe for an unmissable egg coffee.

Around midday your guides will drop you back at your hotel where you will bid them a fond farewell. Tour ends.

Afternoon
Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure. Relax and enjoy the comforts of the hotel or have another stroll through the hidden Alleys of the Old Quarter.

Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
After breakfast, your private tour guide will pick you up and take you through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta to the legendary Halong Bay where you will board a traditional-style Vietnamese Junk Boat that is your home for the evening. The limestone karsts and tropical islets rising up from the emerald waters of the bay provide an ethereal backdrop for your leisurely cruise.

Upon arrival you’ll be welcomed aboard your Stylish Junk boat, each with its own individual route, to begin your cruise around the bay’s thousands of limestone islets and caves.

Afternoon
After a delicious lunch on board, you will spend time to sunbathe on the sundeck and enjoy the peaceful tranquility of the bay.

Later you will visit Sung Sot Cave “Grotte des Surprises” a hidden gem of mother nature. Float peacefully through magnificent limestone formations containing thousands of stalagmites and stalactites.

Continue to cruise. As you weave your way through the islands, you’ll come across secluded bays, white sandy beaches, and floating villages.

There is plenty of leisure time to enjoy activities both onboard and around the fantastical scenery of the Bay. Pamper yourself at the cruise spa or swim in the emerald waters.

Toward the end of the day, you will sail to the overnight mooring area. During this time – the magical “blue hour” – Halong Bay reveals its true, magnificent beauty. You have a chance to attend the chef’s cooking demonstration or enjoy a mesmerising sunset on the top deck before a scrumptious dinner.

The rest of the evening will be at leisure. You can watch a movie or join the crew for squid fishing before retiring to your room for a restful sleep.

Note: If your time permits, we would highly recommend an additional night on board which gives you a lot more time to relax and take in the amazing landscape. You’ll get to cruise deeper into the Bay where it’s more beautiful and less crowded.

Overnight on board in Halong Bay
Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning
The graceful practice of Tai Chi eases you into your day as is the local custom. Join a ‘Local Specialist’ on the deck of the Junk boat for a morning class in exquisite natural surrounds. You’ll have time for an early morning swim at one of Halong Bay’s quiet beaches and, if you’re feeling energetic, hop on a kayak and paddle through the Dark and Bright Caves admiring the glittering stone walls.

Back to the Junk boat. Check out of the cabin and then enjoy a full brunch buffet as you cruise back to port. Disembark around midday for your return drive to Hanoi.

Afternoon
Arrive at your hotel in Hanoi where you spend the remainder of the afternoon and evening at your leisure. You may head to Bong Sen theater to attend the unique traditional Water Puppet Show dating back for a thousand years.

Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
You will meet your private guide and driver at your hotel and embark on a four-hour scenic drive through the picturesque countryside of green paddy fields and spectacular mountains to Mai Chau; home to many of Vietnam’s 54 indigenous minority tribes. Set in an idyllic valley, hemmed in by hills, Mai Chau is a world away from the bustling Hanoi.

Arrive Mai Chau around midday and check into the charming Mai Chau Ecolodge. Nestled in the Mai Chau valley surrounded by mountains and paddy fields this ecolodge is an oasis of peace, where you can totally regenerate.

Afternoon
Your guide will take you on a walking tour (or cycling if you wish) of Pom Coong and Lac villages. With stilt houses and lush, green rice paddy fields, Ban Lac and Pom Coong are quaint and serene ethnic Thai villages with many lovely and hospitable inhabitants. During the walk, you will be introduced to a local family. Have conversations on their life, festivals, and culture of the natives.

Continue your day to visit Mo Luong caves and Chieu caves. Two natural cavern systems with thousand-year-old stalactites and stalagmites are mother nature’s magnificent works of art. Filled with mineral structures of all shapes, sizes, and colors, these caves give you the feeling similar to that you get wandering into an ancient world of primitive creations. Such a unique experience cannot be ignored by those adventurous at heart.

You also pay a visit to Thai ethnographic museum. More than 1000 items on display are closely tied to the Thai’s everyday life. You will get to see hunting tools, ritual costumes, bowls, dishes, antique coins, musical instruments, hundreds of years old books, and so on. These authentic pieces of history represent the development of Thai culture over centuries.

Evening
Being one of the famous chef Gordon Ramsay’s destinations on his trip to Vietnam, Mai Chau offers an array of exotic native food. Tonight you will a local family and enjoy a delicious home-hosted dinner. Delight your taste buds with traditional dishes and try some rice wine made in the village.

After dinner, you will return to Mai Chau Ecolodge to attend a traditional dance show performed by the White Thai.

Overnight in Mai Chau
Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning 
After breakfast, you will be picked up by your guide and driver and transfer to Pu Luong Natural Reserve, one of the most spectacular areas of Vietnam’s north with soaring limestone peaks and deep green rice terraces dotted with numerous Thai minority villages.

Upon arrival, you will check in to the bungalows of Pu Luong Retreat, a heavenly paradise situated on a mountaintop, surrounded by terraced rice fields, palm, and banana trees offering stunning views.

Enjoy a delicious lunch, followed by free time to explore the beautiful retreat, with its tranquil setting.

Afternoon
Your guide will take you on a hiking tour (5 km/ 3 hours) around the neighborhood of the retreat. You have the chance to get close to village life and interact with locals living in the hills above the Retreat. A glimpse at daily life, walk through the farmland, rice fields and get to know more about the local culture.

Evening
Free at your leisure. Enjoy dinner and the comforts of the retreat.

Overnight in Pu Luong
Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning
After breakfast, meet your guide and embark on a hiking (4km) and cycling (40 mins) tour around the most beautiful valley of rice terraces in front of the Retreat.

Start to descend into the beautiful valley facing the Retreat where you walk around tumbling rice terraces. Then meander through small paths shrouded in vegetation to slowly reveal a picturesque Uoi village sitting at the base of a towering mountain. Your camera will not be able to sit still when you see the panorama view of the village from above.

Continue to walk downhill to a local home, where you have a short rest then take your bicycle for a leisurely ride around Lan village. If time permits, you will visit a local family where you can learn about their traditional brocade weaving.

Keep cycling through the rice paddies and to another village to explore more the surrounding landscape. Ride back to the local home, where your driver is waiting for you and take you back to the retreat.

Afternoon
Spend the rest of the day at your leisure. Enjoy lunch and dinner at the retreat.

Overnight in Pu Luong
Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning
From Pu Luong, leave the lush fields behind and head to the dramatic mountain scenery of Ninh Binh. Just three hours away from Pu Luong, Ninh Binh has remained relatively untouched offering striking limestone karst scenery, similar to that found in busier Halong Bay.

Upon arrival, you will set out to explore the Trang An eco-tourism complex (a Unesco World Heritage site), and its staggering karst landscapes, replete with secret grottoes, towering peaks, and tranquil streams. Board a sampan for a journey through Trang An’s spectacular network of caves, archways, and grottoes, including Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, and Sinh Cave.

Afternoon
After lunch, you will continue to visit Hoa Lu, the location of the Ancient Capital of Vietnam dating back to the 11th century. Having been eroded over the millennia, the dilapidated ruins have nearly been absorbed by the spectacular scenery creating a mystical atmosphere that will be sure to titillate your imagination.

On arrival, dive into the history at the remaining two temples of Dinh and Le Emperors. Restored in the 17th century but the temples are believed to be built on the original foundations of the old palaces from the 11th and 12th centuries.

Hop on a bike for a leisurely ride through the area, limestone karsts towering above you as you ride along backroads and beautiful scenery. Arrive at Mua Cave Mountain where you enjoy a short hike which leads you to an incredible viewpoint with a spectacular sight of the Ngo Dong River below that cuts its way around the towering mountains.

Transfer to Tam Coc Garden boutique resort for your overnight stay. Surrounded by stunning rice paddies and limestone formations Tam Coc resort is an oasis that lets you escape from the hustle and bustle of city life in the middle of the most incredible landscapes.

Overnight in Ninh Binh
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
After breakfast, you will depart Ninh Binh and drive 3 hours to Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh Province, 150 km south-west of Hanoi in the coastal zone of the Red River Delta. On the way, you will pay a visit to the Ancient Co Le Pagoda dating back to the 10th century.

The next stop is Vi Khe Village, one of the largest bonsai villages in Vietnam. You can see the bonsai in various shapes, such as a phoenix, dragon, horses, unicorn… or the symbol of the Temple of Literature.

Continue on to Xuan Thuy National Park, formally known as a Nature Reserve of the area and later became Vietnam’s first Ramsar site, for the conservation of wetlands. Xuan Thuy National Park is located in the Giao Thuy district forming part of the UNESCO Red River Biosphere Reserve. It is a rich, bio-diverse, coastal wetland that houses about 220 species of birds, 110 aquatic plants and 500 other aquatic organisms.

Around mid-day, you will arrive at the Xuan Giao Commune near the National Park. Here you will embark on a boat trip to discover the wetland. After a one-hour boat trip through the National Park, you will arrive at a Clam Hut where you will be served a delicious seafood lunch. Rest and relax in the Hut for a while before transferring back to the mainland.

Afternoon
After a short rest, you will commence a leisure sightseeing tour around the Giao Xuan Commune and through the villages. Walk along country lanes at a peaceful pace viewing local life and pause to see farmers toiling in their rice fields using centuries of farming practices. You will also visit the ancient houses, Catholic churches, and the Agriculture Museum. If it is a sunny day you can visit the salt fields to watch the locals making salt. You can try to become a salt-farmer!

Proceed to the bird station (applied for the wintertime from Nov – Mar) to watch various species of birds of East Asia – Australia flyways such as Black-faced Spoonbill, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Spotted Greenshank, Saunders’s Gull and Asian Dowitcher…etc.

Evening
Transfer to a local home in Xuan Giao Communie where you will enjoy a delicious home-hosted dinner and spend the night with the family. Clean and comfortable bedding is provided for your stay.

Overnight in Xuan Giao Nam Dinh
Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning
Start your day with a leisurely bicycle ride (or by car) around the commune, enjoy the beautiful sunrise over the ocean and then visit the local Fishmarket. Here you can watch fishermen bring in their overnight catch. Hundreds of people from the surrounding villages rush to this wholesale market for the best buys of the day.

Return to the local home. Along the way, you will pause to visit a local fish-sauce making family where you can see the traditional methods of making this delicious sauce.

After breakfast and check out of the homestay, you will be transferred to Nam Dinh Railway station to catch the day train to Hue. The train ride is 11 hours and you will have the four-berth soft sleeper compartment with air conditioning, nice and comfy. You will get to see the stunning scenery along the way and especially crossing Vietnam’s former DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).

Evening
On arrival in Hue, your private guide and driver will greet you at the train exit and transfer you to your hotel in downtown for your night stay.

Overnight in Hue
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
Start your day with a fun cyclo (rickshaw) ride through the ‘Old City’ to Tinh Tam Lake where the Emperors used to come to relax. From here you will explore the Imperial City (the fifth Unesco World Heritage site on your list) with walls six miles in length; inside are the palaces, halls of the Mandarins, and the remains of the Forbidden Purple City.

Travel to the surrounding countryside to see the final resting place (royal tomb) of King Khai Dinh, designed in traditional Vietnamese style with a European touch making it unique from the other tombs in Hue.

Pay a visit to Uu Dam Orphanage, home to about 50 orphans. Gain insight into their daily activities as well as the effort to take care of children. Chat with the children to understand their life at school as well as their dreams, before teaching them basic English, or join them in some games. Roll up your sleeves to prepare a vegetarian lunch for the kids and join them for lunch.

Afternoon
After lunch, continue to visit Vietnam’s only Ancient colosseum “Tigers Arena” which was reserved for the battles between elephants and tigers. Most of the time, it was organized for the pleasure of the royal family and a part of the population.

Embark on the Dragon boat trip cruising down the famous Perfume River. En route, you will make a quick stop, get off the boat to visit Thien Mu Pagoda– Hue’s most famous religious site. Explore the pagoda’s landscaped gardens, the seven-storey octagonal tower, and watch the monks chanting.

Your day comes to an end at Truc Chi Garden, a crafting bamboo paper art workshop created by a young talented artist and his colleagues. You will have a chance to meet one of the students there and be treated to hands-on experience to learn how to use the etching technique with bamboo pulp to create artworks. Try creating your own Truc Chi drawing and take it home as a souvenir.

Overnight in Hue
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
After breakfast, your driver will collect you from the hotel and transfer to Hue Railway station to catch the day train (soft seats with air conditioning) to Da Nang, enjoy the best scenic train route in Vietnam. The three-hour train ride passes through picturesque countryside, then skirts on the side of a mountain as you travel along the coastline. You have the chance to meet locals on board and make new friends on the journey!

Upon arrival in Da Nang, you and your family will be picked up and driven to your hotel in Hoi An, the UNESCO heritage town. Hoi An has a pick of two beaches just 5kms (3 miles) away with so many beautiful beach resorts so please advise us if you prefer to stay on the beach.

Afternoon
Your tour guide will take you to the Ancient Quarter of Hoi An where you will embark on a walking tour visiting the major attractions such as Chua Ong Pagoda, Tan Ky Ancient House, Fujian Assembly Hall, and the Japanese Covered Bridge.

Continue to visit the Precious Heritage Museum, home to the permanent exhibition of Réhahn’s Precious Heritage Collection. While transporting you to the furthest reaches of Vietnam, the collection will unveil the rich cultural tapestry of the ethnic tribes.

The highlight of the day is the visit to the Reaching Out Tea House, a welcome little oasis of calm in the busy, vibrant Old quarter, owned and operated by the mute and deaf people. Here you will be treated with delicious cakes and incredible tea in the Eastern style.

Move on to the house of a lantern craftsman. There, you can observe the lantern craftsman’s technique before hands-on work through each stage of lantern-making under the guidance of the enthusiastic craftsmen: from bending it into the frame, cutting cloth, gluing, to completing lanterns. Before this trip concludes, you will have your own lantern created by your own hands.

Now, it’s time for your Hoi An street food discovery tour. With your guide, you will weave in and out the tiny alleyways, get to chow down with the locals at stalls you’d never discover on your own. Every day at 4 pm, Hoi An’s streets filled with a myriad of street food carts, stalls, and vendors. The street food tour is a great introduction for you to enjoy a few of the Hoi An specialties cooked up by the locals, to introduce you to the faces behind the stock pots and to teach you how the Hoi An locals deal with those condiment trays!

Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: (B/_/D)

Today you will join a farming and fishing tour in Hoi An’s beautiful surrounding countryside which provides you with a close-up and intimate exposure to both the local farming and fishing communities.

(Note: you don’t know how to ride bicycles, please use our scooter “XE OM” services with little additional charges)

Kick off your Hoi An tour by cycling bikes through the paddy fields and taking in the rural scenes – farmers tending to their crops and water buffalo ploughing the fields. You will experience the friendliness of the local people greeting you along the way. The photo opportunities are endless.

Your first stop is at the Tra Que Vegetable Village where you take part in the farming section. This organic vegetable and herb farm is beautifully presented and it supplies much of Hoi An with its fresh produce. Here, you will learn the traditional methods for tilling the soil, planting and watering the vegetables. Certainly, you will have a chance for some hands-on fun.

From Tra Que Village you continue to paddle along palm-lined paths through the paddy fields, passing flocks of ducks scrabbling up muddy banks and water buffalo catching forty winks in the shade to reach your next stop. This is where you will ride a water buffalo in a rice paddy field and enjoy the freshest air of the countryside beauty.

Once your brush with the farming life over, you will board the wooden boat and cruise to the mouth of the river where it meets the Cua Dai Sea. Start the fishing section of the tour. First, you will learn how to paddle bamboo basket boats and take them for a ride along the secluded waterways, before meeting up with some local fishermen who will teach you to a few traditional net fishing techniques. You may be not very skillful – but it is certainly fun to give it a go.

Your tour ends with a delicious Vietnamese lunch on board the boat, cooked by your friendly crew, who also keep you entertained by making you and your kids some amazingly intricate creations from palm fronds.

Transfer back to your hotel where the balance of the day is at your leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: (B/L/_)

The whole day is free for your further exploration of Hoi An. There’s so much to do in this paradise: enjoy the local market and it’s street food (try Lao Cau and White Rose Dumpling), get some tailoring done within 24 hours, join a hands-on cooking class.

The beautiful beach of An Bang is only 5km away from the Ancient Town. You can ride the bicycle there for some swim and relaxing time.

Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast transfer to the airport for a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCM City), previously known as Saigon.

On arrival, you will be met by your guide and driver and taken to Cu Chi, a small community located northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, known for its network of deep tunnels that provided shelter and an effective source of infiltration for the Viet Cong during the later years of the Vietnam War.

Upon arrival, you will watch the original film footage from the period, followed by a walk through the reserve. The hidden network of Viet Cong tunnels is believed to stretch to “hundreds of miles,”  in total length, housed living quarters, storage rooms, makeshift hospitals, and kitchens…etc. Although originally very narrow, a section of the tunnels has been widened so you will have the opportunity to explore parts of the system to get a feel for what the underground life must have been like.

Please note that these tunnels will be hot and can get claustrophobic, so there is an option if you’d like to view from above ground. 

Try some of the main food of the Viet Cong Soldiers with a cassava tasting served with tangy tea. After that transfer your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Afternoon
The rest of the afternoon and evening will be at your leisure. Stroll around the downtown or visit the night market and enjoy some authentic local food.

Overnight in HCM City
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast and check out meet your guide and driver and embark on a three-hour journey through the lush countryside to Vung Liem (in the Mekong Delta) where you and your kids will enjoy the real Mekong Delta experience away from the tourist streams.

Upon arrival, you will check into the bungalows at Co Co Riverside Lodge. Nestled into the side of the Mekong River surrounded by coconuts forest and rice farms, the lodge makes you feel as though it’s far from the civilization.

Afternoon
After a traditional lunch, select bicycles for a leisurely ride on quiet village roads passing coconut farms, green rice paddies, and small villages. Along the way, you will pause to visit one of the many dragon fruit plantations and taste it directly in the garden. This is a real chance to discover a rural Vietnam that most visitors never get to see.

Ride back to the lodge while capturing the picturesque Asian sunset scenes.

After some shower and rest, you will walk with locals using traditional torches made of dried coconut leaves to a neighbour’s house where you are treated to a traditional musical performance.

Get back to the lodge again and join a fun cooking class with the chef. Then sit down and enjoy what you have together cooked.

Enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure.

Overnight at Co Co Riverside Lodge in Vung Liem
Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning
Following breakfast, you will head out to visit a local school and a nearby market. After that take a leisurely boat ride through palm-fringed back canals visiting the local cottage industries. Situated alongside the river, these are small coconut-processing operations. Once the coconut has been shelled, the coconut fibers are removed from the husk to make rope, which in turn is used to weave rugs.

Cross a local ferry to visit a temple of the Cao Dai which is a fascinating insight into a local religion.

Back to the Lodge. If time permits, try our hand at weaving with water coconut leaves. The leaves are a key building material in the Mekong Delta and used to build the walls and roofs of homes. The local people will show you not only how they use these leaves but also how to make the ‘poon’ sticks that illuminated last night with the musical performance.

Afternoon
Check out. Bid a fond farewell to the staff at the lodge and wind your way back to Ho Chi Minh City.

The rest of the day is at your leisure. Enjoy the last night of your fantastic holiday.

Overnight in HCM City
Meals: (B/L/_)

Your private transfer greets you at the hotel after breakfast and escorts you to Ho Chi Minh International Airport where you board your flight home or travel on to more adventures, we will help you with the planning.

Don’t want to go home yet? You can extend your holiday with a post-trip to the unspoiled island of Phu Quoc where you can end your exploration of Vietnam with a relaxing stay on one of her many beautiful beaches and resorts.

Meals: (B/_/_)