On arriving at Noi Bai Airport, you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel in the city centre. Hotel check-in is available at 2 pm. You will have free time to take a rest after a long flight or head out to get a first impression of the city. 

Today we escape the busy city and head to Mai Chau - a beautiful and quaint valley mainly occupied by the White Thai. We get to the town around noon and a special lunch prepared by the Thai people will be waiting for you. The afternoon visit will continue with a nice bike ride, to immerse yourself in the authentic countryside untouched by mass tourism. You will be charmed by the friendly and welcoming smiles of the White Thai people, their traditional houses on stilts, green rice fields and vegetable gardens. Glide by bamboo forests along our cycle path passing through Chieng Sai, Cha, Cha Long, Na Tang, Tong Dau villages. Return to the lodge in time to enjoy its beautiful natural surroundings when the sun sets. After dinner you will enjoy a traditional music show. Night at the homestay.

After breakfast, drive to Pu Luong nature reserve. Stop in Co Luong to visit a bamboo chopsticks factory. Stop at the village of Ban Duom, which will be the starting point of your hike to discover nature and the daily life of ethnic minorities in the heart of the Pu Luong nature reserve. Crossing authentic villages, terraced rice fields and vegetable gardens. Your car will be waiting for you at Eo Ken to take you to Ban Don village which is the heart of Pu Luong nature reserve. In the afternoon, a two-hour walk will await you to discover Ban Don with its hospitable inhabitants, its magnificent landscapes, and its wild nature. Located in the middle of the reserve, Ban Don still retains its authenticity. Good opportunity to discover the daily life of the Thai ethnic group. 

We start to descend into the beautiful valley facing the Retreat, you walk through a path on the rice terraces. A small path covered with vegetation slowly leads us to a picturesque village sitting at the base of a towering mountain. Unlike yourself, energized by the trek, your camera battery will be feeling very drained at this point due to the scenic views of the village down below. As we keep walking to the base of the valley, you weave between roads and farmland, villages and wild fields, ponds and rivers, mountains, and open land. Savour the ever-changing scenery as you trek through this beautiful location. Arrival at Ban Hieu village in the late afternoon. Overnight at the homestay.

After enjoying a local breakfast prepared by your host, you will leave the pretty village of Ban Hieu to reach Tam Coc, nicknamed “Halong Bay on land”. On arrival, bike ride to Bich Dong pagoda located on the hillside. The afternoon will be devoted to a sampan ride to discover this magnificent region dotted with limestone peaks and rice fields. On a rowboat, you will pass through the three caves of Tam Coc which cross the mountains… a spectacle that is both sublime and soothing!

After breakfast, we depart for Lan Ha Bay’s lesser-known little cousin. After a three-hour drive, you will arrive at Cat Ba, the largest island in the Gulf of Tonkin, and head to Ben Beo pier. We will board a traditional junk for a cruise on the magical Lan Ha Bay. You will see floating villages and marine farming. Lunch is served on the junk. Around 1:30 p.m, the junk will anchor in front of the pristine beach of Van Boi where you will have free time to swim in the water or sun yourself on the ship’s deck. Later in the afternoon, we will head to Hang Ca or Dau Be cave for a kayaking excursion, another way to experience the bay. At the end of the day the junk will drop anchor for the night in the middle of the bay. Dinner and overnight on board.

Waking up early is rewarded with a fine view of the bay during sunrise. Breakfast will be served on board at around 7:30 am. The junk continues to sail in Lan Ha Bay, cruising through the most beautiful peaks and rocks. At around 8:45 am, we will arrive at Viet Hai village, a small remote fishing village. Let’s cycle to the village and explore its superb landscapes. We then get back to the junk to take a shower and free up your cabins while the junk is cruising back to Ben Beo. Lunch/brunch will be served around 11 am. Then we disembark and return to Hanoi airport to catch your flight to Da Nang City. Transfer by car to Hoi An. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning you will be taken on a half-day walking tour of Hoi An ancient town. In this UNESCO-recognised world heritage site you will visit Chua Ong Pagoda (dedicated to “Quan Thanh De Quan” - an ancient Chinese general), Chinese assembly halls, the 200-year-old Tan Ky house (with Japanese and Chinese influenced architecture), and the Japanese Covered Bridge (built by the Japanese then living in Hoi An to connect their quarter to that of the Chinese).
Afternoon, hop on a bicycle and ride to Phu Thinh beach, passing through lush paddy fields. On the way we will stop at the Precious Art Gallery Museum to admire the exhibition of photos and costumes of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. You will have an enjoyable massage facing the sea, and afterwards swim freely at Phu Thinh beach. A Seafood dinner is served right on the beach. After that we ride back to the hotel.

Free time to explore Hoi An. In the afternoon, take the car to Da Nang airport to catch the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. 
On your arrival to Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon) you will be welcome by our tour guide and driver. Transferred to your hotel at the city centre and then there will be time for your free exploration of the largest city of Vietnam, once known as “Pearl of the Far East”, with its wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning, you will be picked up from the hotel. We head to an open-air space near Tao Dan Park where elders display their prized songbirds. The following visit is to the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Ho Chi Minh City, constructed between 1877 and 1880 by the French. Only a few steps from the Cathedral is the General Post Office. People come here not for sending postcards or letters, but mostly to admire its interior with an arched roof and curved windows, reminiscent of early European railway stations. We continue to the Reunification Palace, formerly known as the Presidential Palace, which was the residence of the president of South Vietnam until the end of April 1975.
In the afternoon, transfer to Can Tho City for the night.

Today we will be the early birds taking the morning boat trip to Cai Rang floating market, the largest in the region, where boats bursting with fruit and vegetables gather every day. After joining in at the busy market, you will take a walk in Mr. Ba Cong’s orchard to taste fresh tropical fruits. The following visit is to a workshop where you will see how the local (canna indica) vermicelli is made. Get back to the mainland by boat and then we will drive to Chau Doc.
On the way you will stop at the Bang Lang Stork Garden (the largest bird sanctuary in the Mekong delta). The view from the platform overlooking the forest is breath-taking, with hundreds of storks and herons nesting there.
Arriving at Chau Doc in late afternoon, you will visit Chua Hang on Mount Sam - an exceptional pagoda combining the different cultural and religious influences of the region. Its architecture and panoramic view are worthy of a cinematic setting. 

The visit to Tra Su forest in the morning is simply spectacular. This mangrove is composed of cajuput trees and home to 70 species of birds, 140 plant species, and 20 species of reptiles, to name but a few.  We will hop on a small boat sailing on a river covered by lenses of freshwater (floating on the denser saltwater below), lotus hearts and water lilies. In order to get a breath-taking view of the forest and neighbouring Cambodia, we will climb the six floors of the observation tower. Transfer to Ho Chi Minh City. 

Free time to discover Ho Chi Minh City then transfer to the airport for your departure flight.