After traditional breakfast at your homestay, you will join the community to experience the local life and support them with community-based work. Depending on the season you could join various farming activities, help locals with environmental protection, and support the local school by joining the team to renovate the playground and green area for kids at the local school. If time permits, you can meet with kids there and learn traditional Vietnamese songs with them. 

Overnight in Da Bac 

After traditional breakfast at your homestay, you will join the community to experience the local life and support them with community-based work. Depending on the season you could join various farming activities, help locals with environmental protection, and support the local school by joining the team to renovate the playground and green area for kids at the local school. If time permits, you can meet with kids there and learn traditional Vietnamese songs with them. 

Overnight in Da Bac 

Have breakfast and say goodbye to Dac Bac. This morning we take you on a scenic 2.5-hour drive southwest to Mai Chau. Located in Hoa Binh Province, Mai Chau is known for its splendid vistas of mountains and valleys surrounded by lush countryside with stilt houses, inhabited mainly by the White Thai ethnic group. 

When we arrive in Mai Chau, hop on the bicycle (if you don't want to ride we can have a walk) for a ride to Lac Hamlet to enjoy a traditional home-cooked lunch. Continue the cycling trip for a couple more hours through the beautiful beautiful valley of Mai Chau. Along the way, your guide will facilitate chats with local hill tribe people to learn about their daily lives including planting rice, herding buffalos, and building traditional houses. Then we take you to the homestay, where you will stay overnight. The rest of the day is at your leisure.  

Overnight in Mai Chau

NOTES:

Suggested departure time: 08:30

Tour duration: 04 hours

Trekking or cycling distance: 7km (4mi)

Grade: Medium

The homestay standard is very basic but will give you an authentic experience and local immersion. The bed has a mosquito net, but there are no air conditioners, only fans.

Have a relaxing morning exploring the village on your own. Then enjoy the scenic 3-hour drive to Ninh Binh. Upon arrival, have lunch, and continue to Tam Coc, known as “Halong Bay on Land”, where a skilled rower will take you on a 2-hour slow journey on the winding river and canals. Enjoy the views of the beautiful karst formations as you enter into natural caves formed under the hills. 

After the boat trip, climb to Mua Mountain, which has a shape of a bell with a base sized around 800 square meters. On the left and right sides of the staircase, there are beautiful carvings of the dragon or phoenix. The way leading to the cave formed by a long stone staircase zigzags through the karst, there are nearly 500 steps to a simple altar to Quan Am (the Goddess of Mercy). Later you will be transferred to your hotel in Ninh Binh.

Overnight in Ninh Binh 

NOTES

Suggested departure time: 08:00

Duration: 9 hours

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 onboard, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and activities (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 back to the Hanoi center. 

Today you will explore the charming city of Hanoi by Electric Car to protect the city environment. Often referred to as the ‘Paris of the East, with its yellow ochre colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards, and scenic lakes, Hanoi is one of the most charming destinations of Vietnam. Visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university built in the late 11th century. The picturesque temple is an example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture and is featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong banknote. Then visit Ngoc Son temple, a stunning example of Vietnamese traditional architecture. Then enjoy a walking tour through the famous Old Quarter known for its ‘36 streets of 36 wares’ named after the original 36 artisan guilds that date as far back as the 13th century. Transfer to hotel for check-in and free at leisure.

Overnight in Hanoi

Today you will join our partner Blue Dragon in farming activities to learn more about organic agriculture in Vietnam and help grow the fruits and vegetables that will be used for the children in need. Blue Dragon is an incredible organization that supports children in crisis, during the years of operation, they contributed a significant impact on saving the victims of human trafficking, supporting hundreds of families from poverty, providing a safe place and educational opportunities for homeless children as well as the hope for a better future. 

This morning we will take you to the Blue Dragon's farm in Long Bien district, the scenic and rural part of Hanoi. Here you will see how the locals grow tropical fruits and chemical-free vegetables. Try your hands on the gardening activities: planting, watering, and harvesting fruits and vegetables, and engage with other volunteers who share the same sustainable ideas as you. The food from this farm is delivered to poor families with children, disabled children, and children in the Blue Dragon's shelter. What is left is sold on the market to raise funds for other support for kids.

Overnight in Hanoi

Notes

Suggested departure time: 08:00 

Tour duration: 07 hours

After breakfast at the hotel, have some free time until our driver will take you to the airport for your flight t Da Nang. Upon arrival in Da Nang, we will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Hoi An. 

In the afternoon 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.

Overnight in Hoi An

Today 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

NOTES 

Suggested departure time: 14:00

Tour duration: 04 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 with each other. 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  

Today, you are free after breakfast at the hotel until transfer to Danang Airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel to check-in. 

In the afternoon, take a cyclo journey to explore the most beautiful parts of Ho Chi Minh. With over eight million inhabitants and four million motorbikes, Saigon is truly a city that never sleeps. Despite its modernity, Saigon maintains a strong link to the past, and our city tour takes in some of Saigon’s most historic landmarks including the Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed from materials imported from France (the entrance is only permitted when no services are being performed). Then head across the square to the Central Post Office, completed in 1891. A short drive away is the former Presidential Palace, the headquarters of the Saigon Government during the American War. Continue to the War Remnants Museum for a vivid perspective of the American War through the eyes of the Vietnamese. (Please note that some of the displays are very violent.) Experience Saigon’s famed street coffee culture while your guide provides a brief language lesson as well as insights into the daily life of a Saigonese before returning to your hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

NOTES

Suggested departure time: 13:00

Tour duration: 04 hours

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.