Upon arrival at Noi Bai Airport, after clearing all customs procedures, please proceed to the exit gate and meet our guide, who will be waiting in the lobby, holding the signboard with your name on it. If you cannot locate your guide, please go to the Airport information counter in the middle of the Domestic and International arrival lobby (inside the terminal) and call the emergency numbers provided in the confirmation voucher for assistance. Your driver will come to meet you up and transfer you to your hotel in the Old Quarter.

Overnight in Hanoi

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After breakfast at the hotel, you will meet with the local coordinator, who will give you a briefing on the tour program and introduce the volunteering activities, in which you will participate.

After the meeting , you will have the opportunity to explore the hidden side of Hanoi, where local people do their day-to-day business living and working alongside the railway. Your guide will introduce you to the people who share their space with Hanoi's main rail artery. You will also explore the bustling markets which play an important role in this community.

At 9:30 am, your guide will meet you at the hotel lobby and take you to the food market on Kham Thien Street, where you will see how people shop for some local key ingredients found in Vietnamese cuisine. After a short exploration of the market, turn off the main road and walk down narrow side streets before arriving at Alley Le Duan with a great view of one of the city's 'railway streets'. Here you will witness people enjoying a coffee on the tracks, chatting with friends, or hanging out their washing before casually making way for the oncoming trains. If the train schedule permits, you might witness the train passing by this narrow street. Afterward, move towards Hanoi station with the strange mix of colonial and socialist architecture. 

Continue walking through some local areas and enjoy a stop at Cua Dong Street for a morning refreshment before the car picks you up and takes you to Gia Lam Station. At this station, hop on the train and travel to Long Bien Station. On arrival, you will have the chance to visit a bustling market located in the shadow of the famed Long Bien Bridge - a French relic that played a crucial role in the Vietnam War due to its strategic position. The bridge was heavily bombed, but some original sections remain.

Overnight in Hanoi

Notes 

Suggested departure time: 09:30

Tour duration: 3.5 hours

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After breakfast at the hotel, you will enjoy an active day with local children at the forest park on the Red River bank. Join the volunteers in support to renovate and taking care of green space in children’s playgrounds: planting trees, watering plants, collecting garbage, decorating, etc. You also can take part in planning to build Green Space for children (planting more trees, making educational signs, seats. etc). Spend time with the community to create a safe and fun space for children.

Overnight in Hanoi

Notes:

Suggested departure time: 08:00 

Tour duration: 07 hours

After breakfast at the hotel, you will enjoy an active day with local children at the forest park on the Red River bank. Join the volunteers in support to renovate and taking care of green space in children’s playgrounds: planting trees, watering plants, collecting garbage, decorating, etc. You also can take part in planning to build Green Space for children (planting more trees, making educational signs, seats. etc). Spend time with the community to create a safe and fun space for children.

Overnight in Hanoi

Notes:

Suggested departure time: 08:00 

Tour duration: 07 hours

This one-of-a-kind activity allows you to escape the noises and crowds of Hanoi and discover the authentic lifestyle of beautiful Muong Ethnic villages in Ba Vi. This tour is our special project that supports the local community and gives a true local immersion for our travelers. 

Meet your guide at the hotel lobby and head out of the city to Ba Vi. Upon arrival, enjoy the fresh soft drink in Moc village and get ready for a cycling trip along the rice paddies and quaint villages, making a stop along the way at the neighborhood market. You will have a chance to interact with locals and see how they sell their own products for a living. Then cycle back to your starting point, where you will be invited to the house of Mrs. Chin, who will teach you to cook the local meals. Try your hands on cooking Hanoi-style bun cha and spring rolls using fresh ingredients from a local market and Mrs. Chinh's garden. Then enjoy the delicious meals you cooked for lunch.

With a full belly, say goodbye to the host family, and head to a 30-year-old tea plantation in Ri Village. A peaceful place to enjoy the greenery, this plantation plays an important role in providing tea products for the whole of Northern Vietnam. You will have a chance to help the owners harvest the tea leaves and see how the tea is dried and processed into the highest quality beverage. Spend some time at Mr. Duoc’s house, the owner of the large tea farm, before departing for a scenic trip back to Hanoi city center.

Overnight in Hanoi

Notes

Departure time: 08:00 am

Duration: 08 hours

Explore the scenic countryside and engage in local activities with a full-day tour to Tho Ha Village, Galaxy Grotto, and Nho Quan. Depart from Hanoi and drive for two hours to reach Tho Ha Village in Nho Quan, where you can begin a leisurely 5-15km (3-10mi) bike ride, passing by charming villages and picturesque landscapes. Continue to Dong Tam Hamlet to participate in exciting agricultural activities such as crab catching, fishing, and transplanting and watering vegetables. Return to the hamlet in time for a cooking class and lunch with a local family, where you can enjoy delicious sweet potato cakes and grilled fish. After lunch, board a rowboat at Nha Le Pier for a trip to Galaxy Grotto, a stunning 900m (2,953ft)-deep cave filled with beautiful stalactites that resemble a galaxy of stars. The Grotto is also home to a large colony of bats, which you can observe near the end of the cave. Then we will transfer you to your hotel in the scenic area of Ninh Binh province. 

Overnight in Ninh Binh

Notes:

Suggested departure time: 08:00

Tour duration: 07 hours (with transfer)  

After breakfast at the hotel, we will take you to Halong Bay, the drive will take around 4 hours, including a 20-minute stop on the way. The scenery of Halong Bay, where thousands of limestone islands jut out of the emerald sea, sculpted into bizarre shapes, is truly an iconic image for Vietnam. An overnight boat trip is the best way to enjoy this Vietnamese must-see. 

Arrive at the jetty in Halong City towards noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After a welcome on board, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and activities, such as swimming and kayaking around the limestone formations (depending on each boat’s itinerary), or spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day, the ship sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Then you will join “Action for a Green Ha Long” to collect waste from two isolated beaches on the cusp of the bay. Dinner is served on board.

Overnight in Halong Bay

The sun rises on Halong in the morning, and breakfast is served (also brunch on some boats) while the vessel cruises slowly back toward the port. Disembark and transfer to the airport, where you will take your flight to Da Nang. Upon arrival at Da Nang airport, we will meet you and transfer to your hotel in Da Nang. The rest of the day is free. 

Overnight in Danang

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In the morning, take a drive to Da Nang City, where you will join the "Zero Waste Community" team. This initiative is organized by GreenViet NGO (Vietnam) and GSI Institute (Germany) within the framework of the "Conservation Fund". Their mission is to promote environmental protection and an eco-friendly lifestyle. Join their activists in cleaning up the tourist areas and share ideas about making the planet a better place. Then head to their workshop to learn to make the local crafts and arts using recycled materials. See how useful and beautiful things could be created from wasted materials and use your creativity to craft something by yourself. Enjoy the day with like-minded people and share your sustainable experience with each other. 

Then head to your hotel in Da Nang to check in and have a rest. In the late afternoon, we recommend you visit My Khe Beach, which is known as one of the most picturesque beaches in Vietnam. Enjoy walking on the fine sand and swimming in the gentle sea or participate in other activities offered on the beach. 

Overnight in Da Nang

Notes:

Suggested departure time: 08:30

Tour duration: 06 hours  

In the morning, take a drive to Da Nang City, where you will join the "Zero Waste Community" team. This initiative is organized by GreenViet NGO (Vietnam) and GSI Institute (Germany) within the framework of the "Conservation Fund". Their mission is to promote environmental protection and an eco-friendly lifestyle. Join their activists in cleaning up the tourist areas and share ideas about making the planet a better place. Then head to their workshop to learn to make the local crafts and arts using recycled materials. See how useful and beautiful things could be created from wasted materials and use your creativity to craft something by yourself. Enjoy the day with like-minded people and share your sustainable experience with each other. 

Then head to your hotel in Da Nang to check in and have a rest. In the late afternoon, we recommend you visit My Khe Beach, which is known as one of the most picturesque beaches in Vietnam. Enjoy walking on the fine sand and swimming in the gentle sea or participate in other activities offered on the beach. 

Overnight in Da Nang

Notes:

Suggested departure time: 08:30

Tour duration: 06 hours  

After breakfast at the hotel, have some free time until we take you to the neighbour town of Hoi An. Upon arrival your guide will take you for a pleasant walk around the charming town of Hoi An. This World Heritage ancient town is known for its well-preserved architecture, pedestrian-only streets, and distinctive local cuisine that give visitors a glimpse of its illustrious past. Hoi An’s narrow lanes are ideal for a guided walking tour of its many atmospheric sights including the old merchant houses with a mixture of Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese architecture; the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, first built in the 1590s by the Japanese community to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream; the Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation with its intricate woodcarvings; and the colorful market with stalls brimming with local specialties, silk, and clothes.

Then end your tour with an hour-long boat trip on the Thu Bon River, which will give you a closer views of fishing boats and country villages before heading to your hotel.

Overnight in Hoi An

Notes:

Suggested departure time: 08:00

Tour duration: 4 hours

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After having breakfast at the hotel, you will be picked up and taken to Vong Nhi village, where you will receive the bikes and start cycling through the village, covering a distance of approximately 6 kilometers. During the cycling trip, you will get to see the breathtaking landscapes of the peaceful countryside, including the green water coconut forest, prawn and red snapper farms, and rustic beauty of the rice fields. Upon arrival at Thanh Dong organic farm, which is a 10,000 square meter organic garden supporting ten local families, you will take a short stroll around the vegetable garden and listen to the farmers' life-changing story since they have started using organic methods of cultivating herbs.

Afterwards, you will join the farmers in some gardening activities such as preparing and applying organic manure to the land, raking the ground, sowing herb seed, watering or picking vegetables. Then, you will leave the farm to take a basket boat ride along the Do River to The Field Restaurant. While enjoying the beautiful scenery or fishing life of local villagers on the way, you will have a short cooking class and a Vietnamese family-style lunch. 

In The afternoon, we will show you the locally sustainable way to recycle kitchen waste. Vermicompost is the process of using worms to break down organic matter into compost. The final product is very rich in nutrients, a great plant growth promoter, and helps plants resist pests and unflavored conditions. More importantly, we use worms and introduce the vermicomposting method as a sustainable method in home and community waste management. It is an especially inspirational method as it requires low resource input yet gives a lot.

You have a chance to gain more understanding of the vermicomposting method in a picture of sustainable agriculture. You will learn how to set up a vermicompost system at home or the community garden and understand the importance of the host's project in training local people to do this for their livelihood and the environment.

Overnight in Hoi An

Relish a healthy breakfast on the final day of your trip. Complete the hotel check-out formalities, after which you can visit the local markets and buy souvenirs for your loved ones. Later, proceed for departure and board your flight back home. 

Trip Ends.