Highlights

• Learn how to use local traditional fishing techniques using round and cast nets
• Coming to a organic vegetable field, watering and planting vegetable, hoeing a soil with local farmer
• Preparing meals with local family
• Experience raft rowing on the stream (Only available in March, April, May, June)

Type of tour : Private tour

Duration : 3 days 2 night

Transfer : Shuttle van ( Private car upon request)

Location : Mai Chau, Vietnam

Overview

This tour is specially designed for people who like home/farm stays with a particular focus on traditional farming and fishing life of the ‘White Thai’ ethnic families of the region.

Mai Chau is a 139km trip from Hanoi through mountainous terrain, in a valley about 10km from the Song DaRiver and only 150 meters above sea level. The village of Ban Lac is in an idyllic and charming, rural valley which is nestled between two towering cliffs surrounded by emerald green paddies and is an enchanting sight as you wind down the cliff side.

The ‘homestays’ in a stilt house are run by families who have lived on and worked the land for generations. Enjoy hands-on experiences with your guide such as traditional net fishing, rowing on a traditional raft in the river and working in fields with the local farmers. You will be able to live amongst the locals and participate in their daily routines surrounded by breathtaking scenery in a peaceful setting.

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau, Cycling (L,D)

Day 2: Farming & Fishing in Mai Chau (B,L,D)

Day 3 : Mai Chau – Hanoi (B,L)

Suggested itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau, Cycling (L,D)

8.00 am:   Pick up from your hotel and head west towards Hoa Binh. Stop for refreshments.
10.00 am: Leave Hoa Binh for Mai Chau Valley, approximately 2hrs.
12.00 pm: Arrive in Mai Chau.  Lunch in a family house in the local village.
2.00 pm:   Cycling expedition around the surrounding villages of  White  Thai Ethnic people  with your guide. Visit the ThaiCulturalMuseum on the way.

6.00 pm :  Prepare and cook the evening meal with your host family, learning about family-style Vietnamese ingredients and cooking techniques and participating   in the nightly group meals.

8.30 pm:   Be entertained by  Thai traditional dance in a stilt house, enjoying a taste of  traditional alcohol (ruou can) with the community.

Sleeping  tonight in a traditional stilt house, unique to Mai Chau.

Day 2 : Farming and Fishing in Mai Chau (B,L,D)

Morning : You will start your day by experiencing a day of working with local farmers in a vegetable garden. We will take a short walk around the garden and learn how to prepare the soil and plant some vegetables.  Here we will be introduced  how to do cultivation of the vegetables as well as discovering the use of vegetables in Vietnamese food. We will take a trip around the vegetable garden and join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seed in the garden. Other activities will include: raking, sowing, and watering  etc…

Afternoon : You walk to the stream and  listen to the tour guide introduce and explain about the process of using the net. You learn and try your hand at local traditional fishing techniques using round and cast nets. You also have a chance to scoop fish out of water. it  ’s absolutely amazing to experience raft rowing on the stream.

We enjoy fishing nearby local family house. We will show you how to prepare the baits and pick up the right location . More over, you can herd of water buffalo and abreath of fresh air around the village. You are at leisure. Overnight in local family homestay.

Day 3: Mai Chau – Hanoi (B,L)
7h30: Breakfast in the village then walk to Mai Chau market then climb to 1000 Step Cave. The cave is breathtaking and so is the view of the area from the entrance of the cave.
12h00: Have lunch in the village before getting on the bus back to Hanoi.
17h00: Back to your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi

Included

• Roundtrip transportation
• Bicycle and raft on the stream
• English speaking tour guide
• Plenty of photo opportunities
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
• Homestay
• Traditional dance & Can wine

Excluded

• Drinks
• Tips and Gratuities
• Personal expenses
• Other services not mentioned
• Private car/van (upon request)

The 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 Ethnic Museum and the Traditional Medical Hospital. Then, you will head West to the area around Mai Chau to tour the hill tribe areas, spending the night in local homes be acquaint with the friendly Thai tribe. Continue to  Ninh Binh  Tam Coc passing Cuc Phuong National Park, you will then head up to Halong bay for a night on the luxury cruise.

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Day 5: Ninh Binh - Haiphong - Halong Bay - Overnight on cruise.
Note: The below itinerary is subject to change without prior notice and depends on weather condition.
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.
Your heavenly journey across Halong Bay starts around noon on Tuan Chau Island at the doorstep of Vietnam's most fascinating wonder.
As the vessel sets sails, you will be greeted by Crew and Cruise Manager who will aim throughout your stay at providing you with the highest standards of service for a pure pleasure and utmost comfort onboard our luxury facilities in the stunning surroundings.
Discover some of the treasures disseminated across the Bay of the Descending Dragon during the afternoon: fascinating caves, pristine beaches, picturesque floating villages, fantastic rock formations rising up out of emerald water.
While onboard, you can take advantage at leisure of our Spa, Beauty & Massage services; surrounded by a stunning setting in motion, you will attend our chef's cooking demonstration and try your skills in the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking.

Defined to be one of the highlights of your Paradise stay, a highly refined, innovative and varied cuisine will be presented for Lunch and Dinner in the elegant dining-room, accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages from around the world.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Day 6: Halong Bay - Hanoi - Departure.
Early birds can attend a Tai Chi demonstration on the sundeck at the break of dawn.
Start the day enjoying some Paradise delights with a colorful buffet breakfast. Continue exploring Halong Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. The cruise will come to an end between 10.30 am and 11.00 am. Your driver will transfer you to Noi Bai International Airport for your departure flight. Good bye & Safe travels!
Meals: Breakfast.

Tour Inclusions:
Accommodations
Private air con vehicle
English speaking guide
All entrance fees, performances
Boat trips & excursions

Tour Exclusions:
Other services than mentioned
Tips, Travel insurance
Drinks and beverages
Travel insurance

PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR BETTER PRICE
 

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi - Meet at the airport and transfer to the hotel in the center. Free at leisure. (No guide today)

Day 2: Hanoi city & tour to Mai Chau (150 km)- 8:00 AM: Pick up at the hotel. Short tour in Hanoi, visiting Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum (if open), stilt house pf President Ho, Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old  Quarter. After lunch in Hanoi drive to Mai Chau with few stops on the way  for taking pictures. Arrive in Mai Chau in the afternoon. Dinner and night at a stilt house of Thai minority village (basic condition, clean and comfortable mattress, blanket and pillow are provided). (Meals included: breakfast, dinner)

Day 3: Mai Chau / Hanoi -  After breakfast at the village you will have a walk to discover MaiChau valey and some minority villages.  After lunch drive back to Hanoi. Visit Muong minority village on the way. Arrive in Hanoi late afternoon. (Meals included: breakfast, lunch)

Day 4: Hanoi / Halong / Hanoi (group tour) - 8:00AM: Departure from your hotel and drive through the countryside to Halong Bay (170 km). Arrive in Halong at noon. After lunch at a restaurant get on boat . Take four hour cruise on the Bay, seeing thousands of limestone islands and go inside one  beautiful cave on the bay (Thien Cung cave). Return to Hanoi, arriving in the evening. (Meals included: breakfast, lunch)

Day 5: Departure - Free time at leisure until transfer to the airport for your departure flight. (Meals included: breakfast – No guide today)

Services included:
Private car (except Hanoi / Halong / Hanoi)
Shuttle bus Hanoi / Halong / Hanoi
Shuttle boat
Accommodation at standard hotel (2*) - twin/double sharing
Meal as mentioned.
Experienced English speaking guide
Entrance fee
Admission for visiting and overnight in the village

Services excluded:
Personal expense and other service not mentioned in the itineraries.

NOTE: The tour price is better for the group of more than 2 people and is not valid during Vietnam Holidays (New Year 2018; Vietnam Tet Holiday from Feb 14 to Feb 22 - according the Lunar calendar; Liberty Day of Apr 30; the May Day and the National Day of Sep 2) Please contact us if you want to make any changes to the itinerary.