What’s included

Here you have list about what it is included in the Vietnam Tour:

• Accommodations for 7 days and 6 nights at our favorite beautiful hotels
• Full time experienced guide(s) who are with you throughout the trip, handle behind-the-scenes logistics and are there to help with anything from haggling for a rug to buying a tube of toothpaste
• Support vehicle(s)
• Admissions to tastings, historic sites and other scheduled events as noted in the detailed daily itinerary.
• Gratuities for hotels, meals and baggage
• Trip literature
• All transportation during the trip
• All breakfasts , lunch and dinners

Itinerary Notes

Sometimes changes to the itinerary are necessary due to the weather or special situations This can happen with little notice. If you’re flexible and have a sense of humour, you’re bound to have a fun and relaxing trip across this beautiful part of the world.

DAY 1: HANOI

Arrival in Hanoi, pick up at the airport and transfer to our hotel.

Visit the city by foot then will be able to see the Lake of the Resisted Sword, The Pagoda Ngoson and the Hangbe Market.

Then take a “cyclo-pousse2” tour through the city center. Today we will finish a little earlier to be able to recover from the jet lag .

DAY 2: HANOI

HANOI, breakfast at the hotel, today we have a day full of emotions, we will visit the following points of interest:

– Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh and private residence.
– Single pillar pagoda
– Quanthanh Temples by Lake West Literature and Art Museum.
– We will take a canoe to the perfume pagoda.

We will also stroll through the streets of Hang Gai famous for its SILK stores and its Taylor shops.

In the evening we will see the show “Puppets on the Water”. I’m sure we all enjoy that show.

DAY 3. HANOI

Today we will take our last walk in the streets of Hanoi and we will catch a night train to the mountains of SAPA.

DAY 4: HANOI / SAPA / LAO CAI

Good morning from SAPA, located in the northern part of Vietnam, the border between China and Vietnam, where 54 ethnic groups of different cultures live and enjoy the landscape of palm trees, rice terraces, forests and rivers.

We will refresh a bit and prepare to visit the market and other charms of the place.

DAY 5: SAPA / LAO CAI

Breakfast and departure to our next LAO CAI adventure, we will do some hiking to the CAT CAT village, 3km south of SAP A, we will also make an excursion to TCA BAC, the Silver Waterfall. With a height of 100 m. It is impressive and the tour is abrupt and spectacular.

We will spend the night here in one of their houses and share dinner with the family.

DAY 6: SAPA / COCLY / HANOI

Breakfast and departure by the road towards Coclé to visit the most important and typical ethnic Vietnamese market (it is celebrated on Tuesdays). In this market meet different ethnicities, a horse or a foot from the different regions of the mountains, it is very interesting and surely you will enjoy a lot there.

Continue to the Chay river, where we will take a boat (approx 2 hours) to reach the city of Baonhai where we will enjoy some wonderful landscapes.

Disembark in the city of Baonhai and return to Lao Cai (bus).Return to the hotel in Hanoi by night train.

DAY 7: HANOI / GIANGMO / HOA BINH

Departure in the morning to Hoa Binh (74 km from Hanoi), a mountainous region and one of the oldest and most authentic areas of the country where several tribes still live, preserving their culture and customs.

On the way we will stop to see a country market …

In the afternoon departure through rice paddies to reach Giangmo, the Muang Minoan village.

Visit and continue late in the afternoon to Hoa Binh, where we will stay.

DAY 8: HOA BINH / HOALU / HAIPHONG

Departure to Hoalu, chosen as the ancient capital of Daicoviet (old name of Vietnam) because of its proximity to China. We will visit the temples of the Dinh and Le dynasties.

Afterwards, we will head for the Vanlam village jetty to take a trip on a small boat along the Tamcoc River, also called “Dry Halong Bay”, an impressive landscape full of rocks, caves and rice fields (late lunch at localrestaurant).

In the afternoon we will visit Bichdong, in the magnificent mountain range of Ngunhacson. We will continue to Haiphong where we will also stay.

DAY 9: HAIPHONG / HALONG BAY

Departure by bus to the stunning Halong Bay, “where the dragon dives into the sea”, one of the most important port cities in Vietnam. Arrive at the port and board the junk “Huong Hai” to spend two days on board. This is a place of indescribable beauty where we find more than 3000 islands covered with vegetation. According to some magazings is one of the most beautiful in the world!!!! I do believe it

Lunch on board consisting of seafood and fresh fish. Visit one of the most famous caves of the Bay called “Susprise” with curious formations of stalagmites and ride in a canoe of oars in the cave of Luon.

Dinner and overnight on board (2-bed cabin, with private bathroom).

DAY 10: HALLONG

Breakfast on board. We will continue sailing to the fishing village of Cua Van and Laguna de Ba Han to explore it (depending on the tide).

This area, outside the tourist circuits, is a calm place of crystalline waters, ideal for bathing and the relax Lunch, dinner and night on board.

DAY 11: HAIPHONG

Even if we would like to stay longer unfortunately is time to return to Haiphong.

Departure by bus to a small village with a house of the seventeenth century where the Vietnamese family itself will prepare us a delicious lunch and in which we will see what is the country life in this country.

In the afternoon we will continue the journey through rice paddies to visit the village of Dongky, famous for its pagoda and especially for its wood carvings, furniture that is a true work of art.

Afterwards we will continue a couple of hours by car and will return to Hanoi where we will stay on our last night of adventure in this wonderful country and we have are great farewell dinner..

DAY 12: HANOI end of the trip

Breakfast and transfer to the airport, we return home with a very different view of the world. We love sharing this type of travel with you. Thank you

Travel Information & Recomendations

VISA
You can pre-arrange a visa on arrival online but you run the risk of waiting up to 90 minutes in Hanoi airport while the visa officers decide whose turn it is to do some work. Better to get it sorted before you leave, through your local embassy or travel agent.

FLIGHTS
Don’t book your flights too soon, but don’t leave it too late either. Airlinges tend to jack their prices up six months before the travel date, slowly bring them down until two to three weeks before travel, then start to raise them again.

BOOKING
When you do book, best options from Hong Kong can be found at these carriers:
Vietnam Airlines: www.vietnamairlines.com
Cathay Pacific: www.cathaypacific.com
Air Asia: www.airasia.com
Dragon Air: www.dragonair.com
Hong kong Airlines: www.hkairlines.com

CURRENCY
There are around 20.000 Vietnamese dong to one U.S. dollar, so don’t freak out when the bar tab comes along. U.S. dollars are also widely accepted.

ATMs
Cash is king and cash dispensers are everywhere. International ATMs include HSBC and ANZ Bank but many have a maximum withdrawal of VND 1 million (US$50(. If you need more head to the ANZ ATM near Hoan Kiem Lake, which has a limit of VND 9.9. million.

CLIMATE
An intolerable mix of heat and humidity in the summer (June-August) reaching 40C a pleasant shower-, splashed spring (March-May), a gorgeous walking in the park every day fall (September-November) and a cold yet humid winter (December-February).

VACCINATIONS
Travelers are always advised to get themselves protected against the most common diseases, including: Hepatitis B, tetanus-diphtheria and typhoid. Also wise to take anti-malarials if you’re spending long periods outside the major urban areas or traveling in the hot and humid months.

EATING
You can’t come to Hanoi and not eat pho ga (chicken noodle soup). In fact, you can’t avoid it.
Other “delicacies” such as cobra blood wine and dog meat get written about a lot, but aren’t common and are mostly avoided by locals.

DRINKING
You can’t come to Hanoi and not find yourself at least once sitting on a tiny plastic seat that feels like its about to buckle under you sipping on a mild beer in a frosted glass. Hanoi’s bia hoi are about drinking beer, and that’s it. Best to arrive at 5 p.m. as they tend to run out of beer around 8 p.m.

INTERNET
If scooters are the most obvious Hanoi quality, Internet cafeés come not far behind. They’re everywhere. All hotels have connections too.

TRAFFIC
When Hanoi people move they tend to do it on scooters. And if you wait for a break in the flow of scooters when trying to cross the road, you may miss your flight home. Walk out with intent, and they will avoid you. We promise ( it’s part of the adventure).

PHOTOGRAPHY
You’ll be tempted to snap away at everything so photogenic is Hanoi, especially the Old Quarter. But many locals find it rude to be photographed, especially the older ones, so be polite and ask first.

DON’T BE SCARED
Hanoi can overwhelm you, but that’s what’s great about it. Try everything, go everywhere and if you do get lost, physically or mentally, just ask someone for help. A smile can solve anything in this city.

Extra Adventure Azores Tour Map